Managing over 600 single-family homes in the bustling Phoenix area is no small feat. For PPG Property Management, outstanding communication is mission-critical. Whether it’s hearing from owners about lease renewals or addressing the urgent needs of tenants, the company relies on swift, accurate responses to keep everyone happy.

But in the early days—actually, for most of the first 14+ years in business—PPG Property Management coordinated emails in a less-than-ideal way. They were juggling shared passwords, scanning massive inboxes, and occasionally discovering that certain messages had gone missing. That’s not exactly how you want to find out a tenant’s water heater is on the fritz!

When General Manager, Pat, joined the team in 2024 to streamline processes, a better email solution topped his to-do list. This is the story of how PPG Property Management found Missive, how it transformed their workflow, and why they’re never looking back.

The Challenge

As PPG grew, they started to hear from tenants and owners who felt like their messages were slipping through the cracks. They used Gmail for multiple shared email accounts and personal work addresses—some had shared passwords, others were “aliases” all funneled into one massive bucket. Sorting, forwarding, or (worse yet) ignoring emails because everyone assumed “someone else is on it” caused big headaches.

• ‍Multiple email addresses (owners@..., tenants@...) fed into a single unstructured inbox.‍
• No formal assignment system for who was handling which email.‍
• Inconsistent response times led to mounting frustration among tenants and owners.

A quick fix appeared when the team tried an email feature from their property management tool, Lead Simple. It promised analytics and assigned emails. But then came the dreaded news: a few owners never received important emails that were sent. “Some of our emails weren't showing up, we didn't know why, and that’s when I started looking for another solution."

Searching for a Solution

Pat knew they needed a dedicated communication platform, they weren't going back to Gmail. He had an eye on Front.com but felt it was too pricey to commit to without exploring all options. So he hopped onto Perplexity (an AI-powered search tool) to compile a shortlist of top-rated shared inbox solutions that offered:‍

1. ‍Email assignment (to make sure the right person owns each email).‍
2. Analytics (to track whether they hit their “respond within one business day” goal).‍
3. Scalable pricing (as a mid-sized but growing business, every dollar counts).

Missive stood out in reviews for its easy interface, integrated chat, robust rules engine, and advanced analytics. Intrigued, Pat signed up on a whim—late one night, no less! The next morning, he told the team, “We’re switching to Missive. Trust me.”

Rolling Out Missive

Like many organizations, PPG expected a learning curve. But surprisingly:‍

• ‍Setup happened overnight: Pat connected the shared inboxes (owners@..., tenants@...) directly in Missive, so the next morning everyone had access.‍
• Team buy-in was (mostly) painless: Lexi, a coordinator for maintenance, was skeptical at first, but found Missive's interface intuitive and easy to learn.‍
• Automated archiving and rules allowed everyone to see which team member owned each conversation—no more “Wait, who’s replying to this one?”

The team also discovered the built-in Chat feature, which they now use as an internal channel.

Life After Missive

“This is way more powerful than I thought.”

With Missive fully in place, PPG quickly saw improvements:

1. ‍Faster Response Times. They no longer struggle to keep track of open emails. Each message is either Assigned, In Progress, or Resolved. If someone tries the old “I emailed you last week” line, Pat can see exactly who replied and when.‍
2. Clear Ownership. Instead of scanning an endless combined inbox, each user gets assigned emails that fall into their purview—maintenance, accounting, or general inquiries. No “I assumed you had it!” excuses.‍
3. Reduced Chaos. Gone are the days of shared-password logins. Now, the entire team can see shared inboxes in Missive, from anywhere, with complete accountability.‍
4. Analytics & SLA Monitoring (In Progress!). Pat is setting up SLA rules so they can get alerts if an email goes unanswered for over one business day. Soon, they’ll have robust reporting on response times, so they’ll know exactly when and where to improve.‍
5. Room to Grow & Integrate. As a self-professed “software nerd,” Pat’s next big initiative is integrating Missive with their property database. His dream? A custom side-panel inside Missive that shows each tenant’s property details—made possible with Missive’s open API and a handy tool like Retool.

Final Thoughts

PPG Property Management has come a long way from scanning one giant inbox and sending frantic “Did you see that email?” messages. With Missive, they finally have a dedicated communication hub with clear ownership, analytics, and all the customizability to support future growth.

If your team needs to manage a high volume of inquiries—without letting critical emails fall by the wayside—take a page from PPG’s story: find a solution that fits your workflow, fosters accountability, and sets you up for long-term success (Psst... that's Missive). Bonus if it makes your 9-person (and counting) operation look and feel bigger than it actually is!