The AGM happens. The body corporate votes. Levies go up (or there's a special assessment for the new roof). The minutes are sent to owners. And then the phones start ringing.
"Why did levies increase?" "Can you explain the roof works?" "I want to dispute the assessment." "When will the car park repairs be finished?" "My neighbor is breaching by-law number 7."
A complex with 200 lots might get 50+ calls in the first week after the AGM. A 50-lot complex might get 15 to 20. A small 30-lot unit block will have 8 to 10. And your team is probably 1 to 2 people.
By day 3 of AGM-season call surge, your phones are underwater and your email is a disaster zone. Calls are going to voicemail. Owners are getting frustrated. The quality of the answers you're giving is declining because you're exhausted and trying to handle 3 conversations at once.
The AGM Call Spike Is Predictable (But Unmanageable)
Every strata manager knows it's coming. AGM season is predictable. But it's also overwhelming because there's no easy way to handle 50 owner calls in a week when your team is designed for 5 to 10 calls per week during normal operations.
What happens? You either:
- Hire casual staff to field calls (expensive and they don't know your policies).
- Ask your team to work overtime (burnout risk).
- Let calls go unanswered and deal with angry owners (retention risk).
None of these are great. And the call surge isn't a one-off—it's an annual event that you know is coming but still don't handle well.
The Owner Expectation Problem
Owners calling about AGM items expect quick answers. They've just heard about levy increases or special assessments. They're concerned, sometimes angry. If the strata manager doesn't answer or get back to them within a few hours, the owner's anxiety spirals into frustration.
Owners want to know:
- When the works are starting and finishing (maintenance).
- Why the levy increased or if it's mandatory.
- Whether their vote was counted.
- What their obligations are under the new by-laws.
Most of these questions have standard answers. Most of these calls don't need a full conversation—they need a warm voice and clear information delivered within an hour or two.
The math: A 200-lot complex paying $3,500/year average strata fee = $700,000 in annual managed revenue. If poor AGM communication leads even 2% of owners to switch managers at next renewal (4 lots = $14,000 lost), the cost of handling that call surge properly is trivial by comparison.
Why This Matters for Your Business
Strata managers live and die on owner satisfaction. Your reviews on body corporate websites, your renewal rates, your ability to win new complexes—all of it depends on how owners perceive your responsiveness and competence.
When owners can't reach you during AGM season, they form opinions: "This manager is disorganised." "They don't care about owner concerns." "I'll vote to switch managers next year." That opinion becomes a referral to their neighbor or a negative review online.
Conversely, managers who answer AGM calls quickly and clearly build loyalty. Those managers get renewals. Those managers get referrals to other complexes. That reputation compounds.
How to Handle the AGM Surge
You need a system that catches AGM-season calls and gets them answered in real time. An AI receptionist can listen to the owner's question, gather their details, and either answer it immediately (if it's a standard query about levy increases or timeline) or flag it for your team to handle first thing in the morning.
CallSorted.ai is built for this. After your AGM, owners call and get a warm, informed response within seconds. They don't feel abandoned. They get clarity. Your team gets a summary of all owner concerns, prioritised by urgency. You handle the complex issues. The routine questions are already answered.
AGM season is your busiest. Make sure your phone system handles it, so your team doesn't burn out trying.