How Anna Maria Island Beach Rentals Saved 20+ Hours a Month with Topkey

Anna Maria Island Beach Rentals, owned and operated by Terry Whyte, is a long-standing vacation rental management company on Florida's Gulf Coast. With 30 years of experience, Terry has grown his portfolio to 50 properties. Despite being the sole employee, Terry relies on a network of cleaning staff, handymen, and various contractors to deliver exceptional guest experiences.

The Challenge: Manual Processes Hurting Efficiency

Before implementing Topkey, Terry's financial operations were, in his own words, "a convoluted mess." The process of managing expenses, work orders, and owner communications was highly manual and time-consuming

Challenges included:

1. Creating work orders: Terry had to manually create each work order in his PMS.
2. Invoice management: Invoices were saved on his computer, often as screenshots, then uploaded to the PMS for owner statements.
3. Vendor payments: Required logging into a separate bank account.
4. Data retrieval: Finding past invoices or financial information was challenging and time-consuming.

"I would have to go into my PMS, create the work order, then I'd have to find where I uploaded the invoice to, or the screenshot, and then upload it to my PMS so I could send it to the owners at the end of the month."

This inefficient process consumed a significant amount of Terry's time – an estimated 20 hours per month. The lack of a centralized system often led to delays in processing invoices and difficulty in retrieving financial information when owners requested it.

"If somebody called me three months later, then I'd have to waste another 25 minutes trying to find where I put it, you know?" Terry describes. “It was to the point where if I was getting a lot of invoices from vendors, I would just put them up for another day, just because I didn't have time.” 

Introducing Topkey: A Comprehensive Financial Solution

After learning about Topkey through industry conferences and word-of-mouth, Terry decided to use the platform to streamline his financial operations. He was particularly drawn to Topkey's ability to consolidate various financial tasks into one system, including

1. Expense Management: Automated tracking and categorization of expenses.
2. Work Order Management: Seamless creation and tracking of work orders with attached invoices.
3. Bill Pay: Integrated vendor payment system.
4. Owner Payments: Streamlined process for paying property owners.
5. Banking: Interest-bearing account for improved cash management.

The Results: Streamlined Operations and Significant Time Savings

Topkey has transformed Terry's financial operations by providing a centralized platform for managing expenses, work orders, and payments.

“All my financials are going through Topkey.”

This consolidation has dramatically reduced the time spent on financial tasks and improved overall efficiency.

Vacation Rental Invoice and Expense Management

One of the most significant improvements has been invoice and expense management. Topkey's system allows Terry to easily associate invoices with specific properties and reservations.

"Every time there's any kind of charge, I see the charge, the reason for it, and the invoice associated with it. So [customers] never come back to me and say, 'Hey, where's the invoice?' I just say, look in your owner portal. It's right there."

This level of organization has virtually eliminated expense leakage and greatly improved Terry's ability to respond to owner inquiries.

Time Savings

The efficiency gains from using Topkey have been substantial. Terry estimates he's saving at least 20 hours per month on financial tasks.

"Now, it takes me maybe five minutes to do three invoices where before it took like 25." 

This time savings allows Terry to focus on more strategic aspects of his business, such as marketing and securing new owners.

Streamlined Owner Payments

Topkey has significantly simplified the process of paying owners for Terry, which used to be a time-consuming task.

"Now when I do all my financials in my PMS, I just go into Topkey, import statements, and it's all preloaded” letting Terry pay owners with ease.

Integration with QuickBooks

The combination of Topkey and QuickBooks has further enhanced Terry's financial management capabilities.

This integration has streamlined bookkeeping processes, reducing the time spent on monthly financial tasks from 20-30 hours to a fraction of that time.

"Between Topkey and QuickBooks - what a difference it has made in my life."

High-Yield Banking

An unexpected benefit for Terry has been the interest earned on his Topkey account:

"I have two Topkey accounts and one is an interest-bearing account and it really pays for the cost to use Topkey more." 

Why Topkey: Responsive Customer Service and Tailored Solutions

Terry particularly values Topkey's commitment to customer service and their ability to quickly implement requested features.

"Anything that I've asked for, they delivered.”

He specifically praised the support provided by the customer success team:

"I would have to tip my hat to Topkey for customer service. I would have to say it's the best." 

Looking Ahead: A Foundation for Sustainable Growth

By implementing Topkey, Anna Maria Island Beach Rentals has built a solid foundation for sustainable growth. The time saved on financial tasks allows Terry to focus on marketing, securing new owners, and improving guest experiences.

"The most important thing for me to do is marketing. Topkey gives me time back that I'm not wasting time on financials and doing repetitive work and looking for stuff. I can actually do something creative, like work on securing new owners, working on securing more reservations, and following up with people that have asked questions." 

Terry emphasizes the importance of investing in the right tools to drive efficiency and growth.

By implementing Topkey, Anna Maria Island Beach Rentals has transformed its financial operations, saving significant time and improving overall efficiency. The platform's ability to consolidate various financial tasks, coupled with its responsive customer service, has provided Terry with a powerful tool to support his business growth. 

Terry sums it up by saying:

"The number one lesson I've learned in this industry is you have to spend money to make it. Topkey costs me money to use. But what it does for me is - [Topkey] frees me up to make money."

Ready to see how Topkey can transform your vacation rental company's financial operations? Book a demo today and take the first step towards more efficient, profitable property management.

*Topkey is a financial technology company and is not a bank. Banking services provided by Thread Bank; Member FDIC.

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