As multifamily operators began to expand the technology footprints at their communities, an initial concern in the industry was that on-site teams would lose their personal connection with residents. Because proptech often absorbs the routine tasks that once necessitated person-to-person interactions and eliminates many of the brief touchpoints that associates once had with residents, the fear was that relationships between residents and associates would suffer. That's certainly reasonable, considering many of the proptech solutions deployed during recent years — particularly products designed during the pandemic — were strategically developed to reduce in-person contact.

The interpersonal skills of multifamily associates are invaluable when it comes to resident satisfaction and retention and losing those touchpoints felt risky. Residents still value their relationships with on-site team members. They want to be on a first-name basis with the people in their leasing and maintenance offices. Those connections are the difference between a mere property and a true community.

Fortunately, the fears haven't been warranted. Operators are realizing that most of the tasks proptech has tackled — like touring, applications and leasing, and property access management — aren't functions where personal interactions are overly valued. As a result, operators are now effectively exchanging those snapshot interactions for more meaningful communication and customer service opportunities. The industry is beginning to leverage solutions that contribute to on-site teams' overall efforts to forge connections with residents.

Carving out time for customer service

While technology has certainly decreased the necessary touchpoints between on-site associates and residents, or even prospects, it has also enabled property teams to take customer service to the next level. By absorbing many of the routine tasks traditionally assigned to on-site teams, proptech returns time to associates' workdays. Associates can use that time to greet drop-in visitors, remain available for impromptu resident requests, plan and organize resident events and nurture a community environment.

When leasing associates are beholden to daily in-person touring schedules, they have little time to assist residents with questions or needs. Resident requests routinely get put off until the end of the day, at best, but more often get pushed aside for days or weeks at a time. Drop-in prospects are regularly met with an "Office closed – out conducting a tour" sign on the leasing office door. Those missed or delayed connections with residents and prospects have a cumulative effect, and inevitably damages reputation and property performance.

Technologies like self-guided touring platforms, online leasing systems, remote access controls and resident communication apps take over time-consuming tasks, enabling teams to devote more time to forging connections with residents and creating a community environment by reducing the time spent on routine tasks.

Personal connections aren't all made in person

While multifamily operators may lament the decrease in in-person opportunities as a result of their proptech deployments, what is important to remember is that face-to-face conversations aren't the only channel for personal connection. Real-time communication is extremely valuable to today's residents, who are accustomed to managing communication electronically from wherever they are. An immediate response from a leasing associate or maintenance technician through a text or app demonstrates attentiveness, and doesn't require the resident to find time to visit the office. Associates and residents can build a friendly rapport through the direct communication features in maintenance workflow apps or resident portals.

Today's renters manage their lives through their phones. It's their preferred means of communication due to convenience, and for them, messaging is their go-to channel for establishing and maintaining their personal connections to the property team. On-site associates, and even those operating from centralized offices, can leverage those real-time lines of communication to personalize and enhance the resident experience.

Reaching residents through their preferred channels is essential to maintaining day-to-day relations and meeting the communication expectations of modern renters. Yet, sometimes there is no substitute for in-person communication, and on-site associates need the flexibility to be there for residents in those situations. Property technologies that absorb routine tasks carve out availability for on-site teams and empower associates to focus on customer service and sustain invaluable personal connections with residents.