Our CEO Guillermo Salazar joins Inside the Vendor Network to unpack the broken maintenance workflow and how visual technology is finally fixing it. 

Property maintenance is broken. Not the actual fixing part; the part before that. The triage. 

When a resident submits a work order that says “it’s broken,” most property management teams skip the most valuable step in the entire process: understanding what’s actually wrong.  

Instead, they dispatch a vendor immediately, crossing their fingers that the right person shows up with the right parts. 

It’s expensive. It’s inefficient. And it’s the single biggest barrier to achieving true property management efficiency. 

In this episode of Inside the Vendor Network, host Yovonne Kenny sits down with our founder and CEO Guillermo Salazar, a 25-year systems implementation veteran who’s worked across drilling services, transportation, energy, utilities, and now property management.  

Together they explore proven maintenance cost reduction strategies and how visual customer experience technology is transforming property management efficiency from the ground up. 

Watch the Full Episode 

Property Management Efficiencies That Actually Work 

The Cost of Skipping Triage 

“We tend to skip the triage step and go right to dispatch. Well, [triage] is the most valuable step in the whole process. If you don’t know what you’re solving, you’re just spending money really inefficiently.” – Guillermo 

When maintenance coordinators can’t see the problem before sending someone out, they’re essentially gambling with every dispatch. Wrong vendor? Wasted trip. Missing parts? Another appointment. Frustrated resident? Lost renewal. 

Know More Before You Go: Our Approach 

At IrisCX, we use guided video, embedded AI, and smart triage to help property teams understand maintenance issues in seconds. Instead of playing phone tag with residents or relying on vague text descriptions, maintenance coordinators can: 

• See the problem instantly through resident-submitted video 
• Diagnose issues and identify required parts in 30 seconds 
• Solve simple problems remotely without a dispatch 
• Send the right vendor with the right solution the first time 

One IrisCX customer reduced their maintenance tickets by 42% through better triage alone. 

Stolen from the Best: Lessons from Medicine, Military & Asset Management 

Guillermo’s career spans far beyond property management. He’s implemented systems for field drilling operations, upstream and downstream energy, rail transportation, and manufacturing, which are all industries where downtime costs millions and precision matters. 

“We did not invent this. This was stolen from medicine, insurance, asset management, the military, and brought it over into property management.” 

His key insight is that multifamily housing units are just assets: valuable, revenue-generating assets that require the same systematic approach as oil rigs, freight trains, or hospital equipment. 

The 500-Item Checklist That Became 25 

 Guillermo describes working with one of our customers whose inspection checklist had 500 individual checks. By leveraging IrisCX visual technology that can recognize which room the inspector is in, we condensed it down to just 25 checks, with better quality results. 

The secret is building SOPs around how people actually work, not creating more bureaucracy. 

“Don’t automate garbage data,” Guillermo warns. “If you automate a bad process, you just get bad results faster.” 

Building Bridges, Not Moats 

Throughout the conversation, Guillermo returns to his core philosophy: “Build bridges, not moats.” In an industry where technology vendors often compete by locking customers into closed ecosystems, his approach is refreshingly collaborative. 

Whether it’s working with other proptech companies, partnering with owners and operators, or helping vendors succeed, Guillermo believes the industry grows stronger when everyone shares knowledge and builds connections. 

Key Takeaways: Proven Maintenance Cost Reduction Strategies for Property Operators 

1. Start with SOPs, But Don’t Overthink Them 

Focus on the 80% of scenarios that happen most frequently. Don’t get paralyzed trying to document every edge case. As you build out your standard operating procedures, your technology should adapt to how your team actually works. 

2. Audit Your Processes Before You Automate 

When building checklists and workflows, you’ll discover inefficiencies you didn’t know existed. One of our customers realized they were still following procedures from an old client contract that no longer applied, wasting time on tasks that served no purpose. 

3. Reduce Workload to Increase Satisfaction 

“If I could reduce 50% of my people’s workload, they’re probably going to be happier and they’re getting more of the job done,” Guillermo notes. Better systems save money AND reduce turnover by making jobs more manageable. This is the true measure of property management efficiency: doing more with less while keeping your team engaged and effective. 

4. Get Started Small 

We offer entry points starting at just $100, so there’s no excuse to keep using inefficient processes. Test, learn, iterate, and scale what works. 

About Our CEO 

Guillermo Salazar, our founder and CEO, brings 25+ years of systems implementation experience across asset-intensive industries including energy, transportation, utilities, manufacturing, and agriculture. He spent five years at PwC, founded and sold Quattro to Deloitte, worked four years at Deloitte, and now leads IrisCX with a mission to transform how property teams communicate and resolve issues. 

As host of the podcast “Getting to Hell Yes!” and a board member of the US Proprech Council, Guillermo is a thought leader focused on building industry connections and advancing technology adoption in real estate operations. 

We believe the industry grows stronger when everyone shares knowledge and builds connections. 

Ready to Transform Your Maintenance Operations? 

If you’re frustrated with slow work order resolution, inspection inefficiencies, or maintenance coordination challenges, we’d love to show you how visual triage can transform your operations. Learn more about remote triage and see how it works. 

Join the Conversation 

Keep this discussion going in the Inside the Vendor Network private LinkedIn group. Ask questions, share your own maintenance horror stories, or challenge these ideas. We’re here to learn together. 

Inside the Vendor Network is hosted by Yovonne Kenny and features deep-dive conversations with proptech innovators, vendors, and operators who are changing how real estate works. New episodes drop every Wednesday.