In today’s digital age, residents expect a seamless blend of technology-driven convenience and personalized human interactions. But knowing when to let tech drive the process versus having a human grab the wheel can be tricky.
BH’s Director of Contact Center Technology, Andre Washington (pictured second from left), explained the delicate balance between automation and human-centric customer experiences in multifamily real estate during a recent panel discussion at the National Multifamily Housing Council’s OPTECH Conference.
Companies like BH are integrating technology solutions, while still preserving the personal touch needed to differentiate their brand and drive resident satisfaction and loyalty.
“We want to make sure each prospect can experience our community how they want to without us having to dictate to them or relegate them,” Washington said.
“It’s all about how they prefer it. We want to make it as flexible and comfortable for them as possible. Technology such as AI should supplement what you’re doing – not substitute for it,” he continued. “AI is not something you just plug in to use instead of a human. The technology automation and professional staff should collaborate to serve residents and prospects.”
Washington said AI can help provide customers with the information they need at the optimal time.
“For example, if they ask a question online at 9 p.m., it’s unreasonable that they should have to wait for an on-site staff person to get back to them at 9 a.m. the next morning,” he said. “AI can give them the answer, and when the on-site staff member sees this communication took place, they can follow up with more details on a personal level. If we were to only rely on AI, then we’re not going to get our desired result from the customer.”
At BH, 42.5% of all email and text messages sent by the leasing AI were sent after being prompted by prospective renters outside of office hours. AI provides a convenient option in addition to the ability to communicate with an on-site team member directly. AI-driven communications have proven efficient, as only 1 in 5 conversations resulted in a ‘handoff’ to a human onsite—and those were primarily due to the prospect requesting to speak to someone or the AI’s inability to assist with the request.
Washington said that when AI and on-site staff work together, it creates the best experience for the prospect.
“The AI tool can provide information about availability, but if prospects want to know if the apartment they are considering has accessibility features or if it faces the western sun, those are best addressed by the on-site team personally.”
Washington said offering different types of touring options is another way to elevate the customer service level.
For example, relying solely on self-guided tours will not always yield the desired results of driving appointments, applications, or signed leases.
“You also must have in-person tours or video tours or anything else you can offer to get them to come and visit the property,” he said. “The more options, the better. You want the prospect to be able to choose what works best for them.”
This approach is working for BH. Our net promoter score in Q3 rose by 9.5 points year-over-year. A net promoter score is a metric used to measure customer loyalty and satisfaction by asking customers how likely they are to recommend a company, product, or service.
“The improvement came because we increased the number of touchpoints we had with our prospects and renters,” Washington said. “We got a lot more candid feedback from them.”
The automated communication approach led to our community managers spending more face-to-face time with renters and prospects, giving them a chance to “shake a hand.”
“The property manager didn’t have to sit in their office responding to 60 emails,” Andre said. “The AI took care of that so the property managers could be out front.”
This combination of using AI and human interaction is one more way that BH creates spaces where people live and thrive.