Automated maintenance request intake and assignment to vendors

Purpose

1. The automation is designed to handle maintenance requests from tenants in retail properties by automating intake, categorization, tracking, assignment to relevant vendors, communication, escalation, and closure documentation across multiple channels to increase efficiency, accuracy, and tenant satisfaction in commercial leasing property management.

2. Automating this workflow also standardizes data capture, enhances SLA management, and integrates with accounting, communications, and analytics platforms for real-time reporting and compliance.

Trigger Conditions

1. Automated intake begins whenever a maintenance request is received via email, web form, SMS, voice call, tenant portal, or direct API.

2. Automation runs for each new submission, change in request status, vendor response, or overdue assignment.

3. Triggers can include high-priority keywords, repeated issues, or specific request categories (e.g., plumbing, electrical).

Platform Variants

1. Microsoft Outlook/Office 365

• Feature/Setting: Power Automate—Automator watches shared mailbox for maintenance emails, triggering automated intake and forwarding.
  
• Sample Config: "When a new email arrives in shared mailbox," parse body, route to intake logic.
  

2. Google Workspace (Gmail, Sheets)

• Feature/Setting: Apps Script—Automates Gmail label filtering and Sheets append for recordkeeping.
  
• Sample Config: On incoming mail with subject "Maintenance," extract info, send to Sheet, alert team.
  

3. Zendesk

• Feature/Setting: Ticket API—Automatedly creates new tickets and auto-assigns based on category.
  
• Sample Config: POST /api/v2/tickets with request details, use triggers for routing.
  

4. ServiceNow

• Feature/Setting: Incident Management API—Automates intake and vendor workflow via REST.
  
• Sample Config: POST /api/now/table/incident with mapped fields, automate assignment rules.
  

5. Twilio

• Feature/Setting: Programmable SMS/Voice—Automates request reception via SMS/voice, sends acknowledgment.
  
• Sample Config: SMS to dedicated number auto-creates intake record via webhook.
  

6. Freshdesk

• Feature/Setting: Automator Rules—Automated ticket creation from emails and assignment to vendor groups.
  
• Sample Config: New ticket trigger routes to vendor, notifies tenant.
  

7. Jira Service Management

• Feature/Setting: Automation Rule Builder—Automates creation and assignment of issues based on form inputs.
  
• Sample Config: Web form submission triggers "Create Issue" automation.
  

8. Salesforce Service Cloud

• Feature/Setting: Case auto-assignment rules—Automates routing requests from multiple channels.
  
• Sample Config: Email-to-Case with assignment rules for vendor matching.
  

9. HubSpot Service Hub

• Feature/Setting: Workflow Automator—Automated creation of tickets from email or form.
  
• Sample Config: Custom properties route to vendor assigned automatically.
  

10. Asana

• Feature/Setting: Asana API—Automates task creation per request and vendor tagging.
  
• Sample Config: POST /tasks with custom fields for maintenance; assign vendor as collaborator.
  

11. Slack

• Feature/Setting: Workflow Builder/API—Automated intake via form or channel message, notify vendor.
  
• Sample Config: Form submission triggers message to vendor Slack channel.
  

12. Monday.com

• Feature/Setting: Automations—Automates item creation and email to vendor.
  
• Sample Config: When form is submitted, auto-create item, notify vendor email.
  

13. SAP Field Service Management

• Feature/Setting: Service Call API—Automatedly schedules and assigns tasks for retail property issues.
  
• Sample Config: POST /ServiceCalls endpoint with maintenance request, auto-assign vendor.
  

14. Smartsheet

• Feature/Setting: Automated workflows—Automate intake from email/form and assign to vendor via alert.
  
• Sample Config: New row on sheet triggers alert to assigned vendor.
  

15. Zapier

• Feature/Setting: Multi-step automated workflows—Automates linking intake from one channel to multiple vendor options.
  
• Sample Config: Email/Webhook triggers push to property and vendor record.
  

16. DocuSign

• Feature/Setting: eSignature API—Automates sending consent or completion confirmation after repair.
  
• Sample Config: Automatedly send document to tenant for e-sign after vendor marks work done.
  

17. Box

• Feature/Setting: Box Relay—Automates upload of maintenance reports, notification of completion to management.
  
• Sample Config: Vendor uploads report, triggers notification via workflow.
  

18. QuickBooks

• Feature/Setting: Invoice API—Automates vendor invoicing workflow post-maintenance completion.
  
• Sample Config: Request closure triggers vendor invoice draft.
  

19. Google Dialogflow

• Feature/Setting: Chatbot—Automates intake conversation and classification over chat interfaces or web.
  
• Sample Config: Bot identifies maintenance requests, collects details, triggers assignment.
  

20. Airtable

• Feature/Setting: Automations—Automates tracking records, vendor assignment, and follow-up.
  
• Sample Config: New form entered, auto-updates vendor view, alert sent.
  

Benefits

1. Automates repetitive intake, categorization, and vendor assignment tasks, increasing property management efficiency.

2. Automated workflows lower errors, improve SLA compliance, and accelerate issue resolution in leasing operations.

3. Automating notifications, escalations, and follow-ups reduces response lag and boosts tenant satisfaction.

4. Provides audit logs and performance insights by automatedly logging every action.

5. Automation ensures all maintenance requests follow consistent, trackable processes across platforms.