Organic Renewal Strategy for Apartment Leasing

In today’s episode of the Multifamily Innovation® Podcast, we dive into the value of fitness programs inside your apartment community and how one company is catching momentum from some top brands in Multifamily.

Host, Patrick Antrim, talks with the Founder of Swyft Fitness, Will Gonzalez who is rethinking what is possible for fitness programs at multifamily properties across the nation.

Overview of the episode:

  • Will shares the inspiration behind the company and the gap it fills in the multifamily market.
  • Swyft Fitness is a boutique fitness concept that differs from traditional gym experiences. The emphasis on camaraderie and community is essential and plays a significant role in their fitness experiences.
  • Gonzalez realized that group fitness centered around resident retention and residents being able to meet one another was definitely a new concept.
  • Swyft Fitness collaborates with property managers and developers to integrate fitness programs into apartment communities and employs a strong network of fitness instructors in all of their markets to ensure the best possible experience for apartment residents.
  • Gonzalez personalizes all of the fitness amenities and onsite experiences to accommodate the specific properties’ needs. Whether it’s virtual or onsite, team members are present and will help property managers get the most use out of the apartment community amenities, like the gym, pool, clubhouse, and outdoor areas.
  • A core mission of Swyft Fitness is to educate and encourage property managers and owners to see their entire property, surrounding hiking trails, and even community events that are centered around lifestyle, health, and fitness as resident retention strategies.
  • Swyft is integrated with all the third-party credentialing software companies out there to make a smooth transition and they cover all of the insurance and onboarding credentialing that’s required for almost every property management.
  • Swyft also handles all of the marketing materials and online booking. They do all of the heavy lifting so apartment property managers don’t have to.
  • Gonzalez offers advice to property managers, developers, and corporate HR professionals on the value of multifamily fitness amenities.

Connect:
Will Gonzalez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-gonzalez-swyftfitness/
Swyft Fitness: https://app.swyftfitness.com/apartment-fitness-classes
Patrick Antrim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickantrim/

Engage:
Register for the Multifamily Innovation® Summit now: https://multifamilyinnovation.com/
Apply to be a part of the Multifamily Innovation® Advisory Council: https://multifamilyinnovation.com/multifamily-innovation-advisory-council/

Multifamily Innovation_Council_5

Multifamily Leadership Recognizes the Best Places to Work in Multifamily® for Women

December 20, 2022 – Scottsdale, AZ — Multifamily Leadership is thrilled to announce the national ranking of the Best Places to Work Multifamily® for Women. This list recognizes organizations that have created positive and supportive cultures for women and have participated in the Best Places to Work Multifamily® program.

To be eligible for the Best Places to Work Multifamily® for Women ranking, companies must have a minimum of 15 females working for them, or 25% of their workforce, whichever is greater. In addition, the response rate from women must be 40% or higher, unless the total number of women at the company is less than 25, in which case the response rate must be 80% or higher. The rankings are determined by the percentage of positive responses from women, from largest to smallest.

In its 8th year, the Best Places to Work Multifamily® program continues to fulfill its mission to advance leadership and innovation for multifamily professionals by recognizing those organizations who own, manage, and support apartment communities nationwide and who are making an impact in the world through employee engagement.

The rigorous assessment process evaluated each company’s employee policies and procedures as well as responses from the company’s employees. The program is part of a long-term initiative to encourage growth and excellence throughout the Multifamily Apartment Industry and to attract new leaders to the industry.

“We are proud to recognize and celebrate the companies that have earned a spot on this prestigious list. These organizations have demonstrated a commitment to creating positive and inclusive environments for their employees, and we are excited to see them being recognized for their efforts. The multifamily industry plays a vital role in the U.S. economy, and the Best Places to Work Multifamily® for Women program highlights the industry’s focus on people and its overall potential,” said Carrie Antrim, Co-Founder of Multifamily Women®.

This program is a valuable resource for employees in the multifamily industry, as it provides a platform for them to share their experiences and have their voices heard. It is not influenced by judges from suppliers or company volunteers, or by sponsorship or fundraising campaigns. Instead, it is a true representation of the opinions and perspectives of those working in the industry.

The 2023 Best Places to Work Multifamily® for Women, in ranking order, are:

1. NorthPoint Management
2. Zocalo Community Development
3. FCI Residential
4. Luves Management LLC DBA City Heights Asset Management LLC
5. ApartmentGeofencing.com
6. Perennial Properties
7. The Garrett Companies
8. Passco Companies
9. Peg Property Management Group
10. Stoa Group
11. Leonardo247, Inc.
12. APARTMENT SEO, LLC
13. Picerne Real Estate Group
14. Respage
15. The KSC Group
16. Scully Company
17. Eenhoorn, LLC
18. Weller Management
19. Knock CRM
20. Hankin Apartments
21. BSR REIT
22. RealSource Properties
23. Apartment Dynamics, LLC
24. SYNC Residential
25. RentDebt Automated Collections
26. Berger Rental Communities
27. PLK Communities
28. The Franklin Johnston Group
29. IMT Residential
29. The Westover Companies
30. Baron Properties
31. Rently
32. Presidium
33. GoldOller Real Estate Investments
34. ITEX
35. The REMM Group
36. Portico Property Management
37. Indus Communities
38. The Life Properties
39. Northland Investment Corporation
40. JVM Realty
41. Mission Rock Residential, LLC
42. Carter-Haston Real Estate Services, Inc.
43. The RADCO Companies
44. Alco Management, Inc.
45. Laramar Group
46. Marquis Asset Management
47. Security Properties Residential LLC
48. Ashford Communities
49. Zego
50. Avanti Residential
51. Lantower Residential
52. ResProp Management
52. WRH REALTY SERVICES, INC.
53. GrayCo Properties, LLC
54. Decron Properties
55. DASMEN Residential
56. Peak Properties
57. Lawson
58. Keener Management

Media Contact:
Patrick Antrim (480) 780-3522
contact@multifamilyleadership.com
Source: Multifamily Leadership, LLC

 

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Multifamily Leadership Announces Finalists for the 2023 Best Places to Work Multifamily®

Scottsdale, AZ (October 21, 2022) – The national finalists for the official Best Places to Work Multifamily® will be honored during the upcoming Multifamily Innovation® Summit on December 7-8, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona.

At the Summit, each company will learn how they ranked nationally amongst the other participants and will be recognized on stage for their incredible achievement. 

An exciting new development with the awards this year is the addition of categories.

68 of the finalists are Multifamily Management/Owners. 24 of those finalists were ranked in the 1- 4,999 units category. 37 were ranked in the 5,000 – 19,999 units category and 7 were ranked in the 20,000+ units category.

As a separate category, 15 Multifamily Suppliers/Vendor finalists will learn how they rank nationally. 

And finally, 58 of the finalists will find out how they rank on the Best Places to Work Multifamily® for Women list.

In its 8th year, the Best Places to Work Multifamily® program continues to fulfill its mission to advance leadership and innovation for multifamily professionals by recognizing those organizations who own, manage, and support apartment communities nationwide and who are making an impact in the world through employee engagement.

“This is our opportunity to showcase the hard work, loyalty, and dedication of everyone who helps make the multifamily industry what it is today. We love recognizing the people within these incredible companies every year and showcasing what they’re doing in order to receive this honored distinction within the multifamily industry. These are the best of the best building healthy organizations from the ground up,” stated Carrie Antrim, CO-Founder of Multifamily Women®.

Patrick Antrim, CEO of Multifamily Leadership explained, “Next generation leaders want to know their company is making a positive impact in the world. Companies have been measuring resident satisfaction for years and the leading indicator for organizational success is the link between employee engagement and the resident experience. Employees are presented with hundreds of opportunities each day to be their best, but it’s the behavior that drives a successful organization, not satisfaction or size. The Best Places to Work Multifamily® companies have stepped up to play that role and will have a much bigger voice in the future.”

The national research and benchmarking program demonstrates the industry’s focus on people, while illustrating its overall potential— as it annually contributes more than 3.4 trillion-dollars to the U.S. economy and supports more than 17.5 million jobs. 

Leaders who are looking to drive their teams forward are encouraged to register and attend the upcoming Multifamily Innovation® Summit on December 7-8, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona, regardless if they’re participating in the Best Places to Work Multifamily® Program. 

Sponsorship opportunities are available and can be secured here as well for those who want to get their brands in front of these top CEOs and decision-makers not only at the Summit but across all of Multifamily Leadership’s social media platforms, broadcast emails, and website. 

So, without further ado, the 2023 Best Places to Work Multifamily® finalists arranged alphabetically are:

Alco Management, Inc.
Apartment Dynamics, LLC
APARTMENT SEO, LLC
ApartmentGeofencing.com
Ashford Communities
Avanti Residential
Baron Properties
Berger Rental Communities
BSR REIT
Carter-Haston Real Estate Services, Inc.
CHARLESGATE
Chestnut Hill Realty
City Heights Asset Management LLC
Confluence Communities
Continental Properties
Croatan Investments
DASMEN Residential
Decron Properties
Domuso
Eenhoorn, LLC
FCI Residential
Fogelman Properties
Frankforter Group
Gables Residential
Ginsburg Development Companies, LLC
GoldOller Real Estate Investments
GrayCo Properties, LLC
Hankin Apartments
IMT Residential
Indus Communities
ITEX
JVM Realty
Keener Management
Knock CRM
Lantower Residential
Laramar Group
Lawson
Leonardo247, Inc.
LoanBoss
LURIN Property Management
Marquis Asset Management
Mission Rock Residential, LLC
Morgan Properties
MRI Software
Northland Investment Corporation
NorthPoint Management
O’Brien Realty Group
Passco Companies
Peak Properties
Peg Property Management Group
Perennial Properties
Picerne Real Estate Group
PLK Communities
Poole & Poole Architecture, LLC
Portico Property Management
Presidium
RealSource Properties
Redwood Property Investors, LLC
RentDebt Automated Collections
Rently
REPLI
Respage
ResProp Management
Scully Company
Security Properties Residential LLC
Stoa Group
StoneRiver Company
SYNC Residential
The Bascom Group
The Franklin Johnston Group
The Garrett Companies
The KSC Group
The Life Properties
The Prime Company
The RADCO Companies
The REMM Group
The Westover Companies
Valiant Residential
WeDoTrash
Weller Management
WRH REALTY SERVICES, INC.
Zego
Zocalo Community Development

PRESS CONTACT:
Patrick Antrim
patrick@multifamilyleadership.com
480-719-4409 x101
multifamilyleadership.com

Why Property Management Teams Need to Stop Depending on Emails

In this episode of the Multifamily Innovation Show, Patrick Antrim hosts Trevor Park, a specialist in multifamily and real estate development who now serves as the Head of Marketing for a software company called BetterBot. 

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BetterBot is based out of Seattle. Park’s goal is to connect people and to provide them with strategic solutions through world-class support and good data. BetterBot is a sophisticated AI chatbot. It aims to give people their time back and create more freedom in when, where, and how people can access their information. The company views itself as customer-centric.

Key Topics

(2:20) – Getting away from emails

“300 million emails are sent each day, and only 18% are opened,” says Antrim, turning things over to Park to explore why that is.

Park answers that the main problem is the sheer volume of emails sent out. BetterBot helps reduce the number of emails coming in, and ensures the emails that do arrive are better leads. That frees up lots of time for property management teams. 

Park says BetterBot can also help with resident retention, explaining, “By freeing up the front end, it allows you to focus on that back door.”

(4:40) – The way people consume information is changing

People want things instantly these days. BetterBot gives them instant responses, leading to a massive improvement in rent conversion times. Conversions started happening in about 13 days rather than 45.

(6:30) – Lessening touchpoints

Since BetterBot handles a lot of the preliminary questions, you don’t need to have as much back-and-forth over email.

(7:40) – The Handoff

BetterBot doesn’t try to trick people into thinking they’re talking with a human; it’s very clear and upfront that it’s a chatbot. With email nurturing, they also offer things people can do online rather than needing to connect with a human. 

Park believes the handoff between the automation and the human is one of the most important parts of the technology. AI doesn’t do things better, it’s just different, and Park wants to create a good interaction and workflow between technology and humanity.

(10:00) – Texting

People are already used to being on their cell phones constantly. That platform is similar to chatbots because you can send messages without having to worry about someone being active on the other side; you can even send automated messages. Some companies have AI guided text conversations to help people make purchases or get tech support. 

(11:40) – Prospect interaction

Almost 60% of traffic is coming after hours, Park says. When things come in during working hours , the leasing agents can handle it, but it’s the late-night hours when direct interaction is most valuable. The company that responds right away is more likely to get that person’s business. Plus, it’s expected! People want instantaneous results. 

(14:20) – Building a bot

It takes BetterBot 3 days or less to build a bot tailored to your apartment. Then, they can adapt that so you can have it across your entire portfolio.

“By having that level of data come through, you’re able to really evaluate where the trends are coming from, where are you seeing the best ROI from your marketing sources, where are you seeing the most traffic, what’s converting well? You can start to evaluate it on a much grander scale,” explained Park. “When you’re looking at isolated data points, you can really be blinded by initial results and skewed data.” 

(16:30) – Why trust BetterBot?

It’s all in the data. They’re at almost 100 million greetings. That’s 100 million data points and prospects they’re directly influencing. From those, they’ve had close to 50,000 conversions, which is an enormous impact in the market. 

They’re also very transparent about sharing data points, even when it shows disappointing news. Even bad news gives you insight into trends you can then remedy.

(18:00) – The evolution of BetterBot

The company was originally focused on natural language processing. They chose to go with guided conversations instead. Those conversations work like a choose your own story book. They built from there, integrating things like virtual tours. They also rolled out email nurturing bots recently. Now, they can map what best leads to good conversions. 

They want to evolve more to the resident side of things moving forward. Now, you can learn more about the resident experience even while using the chat bot. 

(23:30) – Why don’t more properties use BetterBot?

BetterBot focuses on the U.S. but does have some links in Canada. Park believes the only reason it hasn’t expanded even further is because of the cost. They don’t do per-unit cost, it’s by property.

“I would say if you take your total web traffic and take out 60%, that’s pretty much the miss you have right there,” said Park. “Not being able to answer questions for people who look at your website, that’s 60% of traffic that you’re losing. Then factor in the number of emails you’ve gotten and the ones you’re able to follow up with.” 

By factoring in the number of leases most properties miss out on, Park believes BetterBot pays for itself. When people try out BetterBot’s demo, they see how efficient it is.

Keep in mind, not all leads are qualified; some people are just checking out a tour or looking at the units. They might not be a lead worth nurturing off the bat, so BetterBot helps weed those out rather than leasing agents wasting their time.

(28:00) – How does this work with email?

Chatbots are limited to marketing links and websites. 

“Where email comes into play is pretty much everywhere else,” explains Park. That could include places like Zillow, where people might click a link to send an email. The property can’t always follow up, so BetterBot responds for them and instantly engages with the prospect, then driving the prospect to the chatbot to schedule a tour. 

BetterBot has tracked how response time influences successful signing of leases. More often than not, the first property to respond is the one that got the lead. 

(30:30) – The future of leasing

Park thinks virtual tours are going to dominate the digital space. As in, being able to see the 360 view of the space while online. 

“Then, when we start getting into when they’re about to convert and they want that tangible piece, this is where I truly value having a leasing agent being able to show me through a property and give me their elevator pitch on why this community is awesome,” said Park. “But I see the benefit in self-guided tours. I see being able to take yourself on your time after hours, before the office is open, what have you, and being able to actually tour the property without having to be beholden to a leasing agent’s schedule. That was huge.”

Park predicts those two will fuse, so people will be able to choose the time and day and that will determine whether it’s self-guided or not. If someone is available to host the tour, they’ll be there; if not, you can do a self-guided one.

(33:40) – Emotional vs. Logical buyers

Antrim points out that not all sales people or leasing agents are good at everything; some are good at details in the property, some are good at building strong relationships. 

Park worked at Greystar for a bit and knew people who were fantastic at building relationships. People would check in just to be friendly and chat, not simply engage for transactional purposes. A chatbot can’t do that.

(35:40) – What’s it like to work at BetterBot?

“It’s like a job I have yet to consider an actual job. I get to test out new things, I get to build things, I get to explore what works and doesn’t work,” said Park. He doesn’t have a fear of failure, because everything is a team effort. 

BetterBot has two different stakeholders: they have to evaluate what the consumer needs from a quality experience; but they also have to factor in their client and how they engage with the onboarding experience, reports, and so on. Those factors always have to be top-of-mind. 

(39:20) – Handling tough conversations

Park says being transparent and sharing data is the best way to communicate. That’s the best way to find solutions. Maybe the company’s website is outdated and isn’t a good platform for the chatbot; maybe the chatbot is sending good leads but the agents aren’t closing them. Better performance requires a better picture of what’s going on. 

Antrim points out that the multifamily industry has tons of smart people but has historically fallen very behind in technological advancements. For those that have been avoiding new tech, they’ll need to jump on soon. It’s a good time to do it, since technology is becoming more affordable and there’s more evidence to prove how automation pays for itself. 

Park points out that onboarding takes time and effort; by fixing the onboarding process early and understanding what it takes to do that gets the company over that hurdle.

(44:50) – Final thoughts

Be more open to new tech solutions. Adopt one that fits your company, not one that fits the exact immediate solution you need; that way, you can build on the tech moving forward. 

Multifamily Innovation

Why Property Management Teams Need to Stop Depending on Emails

multifamily innovation article

Recently, our client BetterBot put forth a bold statement: “Property management teams need to stop depending on emails.” The company released an explanation for their challenge, but we wanted to learn more about the thesis. 

BetterBot is a Marketing and Leasing Automation Software that replicates your best leasing agent and allows customers to inquire about apartments and homes and receive an instant answer at any time of day or night. There are over 200 property management companies already signed on with the company. The business says its BetterBot for Web solution helps find prospective renters who are more qualified, increases the time it takes to secure a lease and frees up team members to focus on other work.

We set out to learn why improving this may benefit the multifamily industry. We spoke with Trevor Park, the Head of Marketing at BetterBot. He says emails are, put simply, failing.

“Ultimately, it comes down to response time and staying top of mind,” explained Park. “Response time instantly drops for communities after-hours, and most of them do not have any sort of nurture campaign to ensure they stay top of mind. Even with a nurture campaign or quick response times, it can be challenging for property management companies to stand out in a sea of crowded inboxes. Not to mention the work involved for the leasing teams to maintain and track follow-ups if they don’t have a solution that can help with both of these.”

There are some obvious ways the days of the multifamily chatbot have been reigning supreme. With people browsing on their phones looking for new places to live, they expect answers quickly. Office hours only cover a specific portion of the day, and with today’s technology, people just don’t want to wait. If they send an email late at night and the property doesn’t answer until the following day, they could lose interest. Automation helps accommodate the immediacy of the modern era. 

But BetterBot presents some other compelling arguments, too. For instance, promotional and branded emails are often filtered out and automatically sent to the spam folder, defeating the purpose of creating it in the first place. BetterBot has worked to ensure their emails make it to their inboxes by working directly with the major email providers. Email boxes can also get over-crowded, and the vast majority of people tend to delete marketing emails without ever opening them. It can also be challenging to categorize leads well enough to pay proper attention when property management teams are flooded with emails each day. 

“The problem isn’t necessarily with how Property Management teams handle emails; it is the volume of emails and leads that come in for them,” explained Park. “Take any specific property and look at the average number of inquiries that come in. How can one leasing agent tell the difference between those ready to convert and those just shopping around?”

He says many of those emails are simple questions that automation can quickly answer through lead nurturing or the use of a chatbot. That’s not only better for the client; it clears out the property management teams’ inboxes of tedious work so they can more aptly focus their efforts. On average, leasing automation saves between 56 - 60 hours per month for a single property.

“These menial tasks take away from the qualified and engaged prospects that the property management teams can be engaging with to build a strong relationship and ultimately convert them to a resident faster than the window lookers,” said Park. 

BetterBot recently launched their newest product, BetterBot for Leads, geared towards leads coming in through a community’s marketing sources, such as Apartments.com, Apartment List, or Zillow. 

The leads are the element property management teams are most likely to lose as they get bogged down in small, simple tasks that add up to take a significant chunk of their day. Rather than having a person send a quick question and lose interest as they wait for a response, BetterBot’s instant-response AI gets the preliminary steps out of the way. Then, prospects are more ready to move forward and talk with the leasing team more meaningfully. As BetterBot puts it, by giving them time back in their day to do what they do best, be human.

“BetterBot for Leads can then help nurture those leads and sort through the prospects to provide the leasing teams with the ones that have the highest likelihood of converting so they can focus on engaging with those prospects first for easier wins,” said Park. 

Park says it’s all about identifying the pain points and bottlenecks that sap efficiency when it comes to leasing. Here, he says, pairing automation with human touch solutions can save the day. It’s not a one or the other solution but rather a partnership that can help improve efficiencies and drive more substantial ROI.

“BetterBot for Leasing replicates your best leasing agent and gives your leasing team time back in their day by responding to and nurturing the leads at the top of the funnel. When automation nurtures a lead effectively, team members can focus on high-value tasks, such as tours, move-ins, and resident retention.”

Automation for marketing and leasing, it seems, is the future of multifamily. BetterBot says 56% of website traffic happens after property management offices have closed up for the night. It’s impossible to compete with companies whose customers have 24/7 access to answers and communication. The final argument would be simply for the loss of human touch a chatbot may have. There, again, BetterBot has a solution. Since property management teams are no longer overwhelmed with the low value, menial tasks, they can be more engaged with the prospects that have scheduled a tour, are ready to convert, and ultimately build the relationship with the resident. It’s a chance, the company says, to “infuse authenticity into customer interactions.” 

Although emails likely aren’t going anywhere, software like BetterBot’s can help make old tech function better. If your email inbox is less crowded, you’ll be able to focus more on what’s in there. The logic is tough to argue with. So at Multifamily Leadership, we concede BetterBot may be right: property management teams need to stop depending on emails.

Ready to Increase Prospect Engagement? Download the FREE report.

Did you know that 300 billion emails are sent each day, but only 18% are opened? Most property management teams today are too dependent on email. Usually, they see how much time and energy email takes, but don't know how to break the cycle.