To keep their properties running smoothly and to provide residents with the services they desire, apartment operators today use a variety of different technology solutions.

Property management software. Revenue management software. Package locker systems. Smart-home technology. The list goes on and on and continues to grow.

With all of these systems at work, it's more important than ever that technology providers enable their solutions to integrate and "talk" with each other. The apartment industry hasn't exactly been known for this over the years, but the time has arrived for suppliers to play nice. Doing so can make day-to-day life so much easier for both operators and their residents.

Quick Primer on API

You may have heard of the acronym API. It stands for "Application Programming Interface."

But how about something a little easier to understand: Long story short, when a solution has an API, it allows the solution's servers to communicate openly and freely with another solution's servers. In other words, the two technologies can exchange information back and forth and in real-time.

It's critical that multifamily vendors build their solutions with APIs. Doing so not only allows two different technologies to communicate, it also enables solutions like mobile apps to provide both operators and residents with a single interface to access the multiple solutions supporting a community.

Mobile Deep Linking

Similarly, you may be familiar with the phrase "deep linking" within mobile apps. When an API is not available, deep links bridge the gap between apps working together in tandem, using a uniform resource identifier (URI) that specifies an exact location within another app where a user should land when pressing a link.

For example, imagine deep linking as the process of calling your bank's support phone number to report an issue. After explaining the issue to the initial operator, they funnel you directly to the correct support representative who has knowledge of what was previously discussed and keeps the process moving forward. Whereas without a deep link, you'd be bounced from the operator to a general support help line, needing to repeat the conversation you just had to continue the process of solving the issue.

Simply put, deep linking provides users with a significantly better experience and allows you to better tie together your multifamily solutions and revenue driving sources.

A Much Easier Way to Get Through the Day

Today's apartment associates have no shortage of items on their to-do lists. Whether it's managing prospects, making sure maintenance requests are performed or tending to the other needs of current residents, their days are crammed full.

One way to make their working lives easier is to provide them with an interface that gives them access to all of a community's solutions in one spot. A place where they can enter information into the property management system, get into their revenue management and package management dashboards, and connect with whatever smart-home solutions a community has in place.

Such an interface prevents associates from having to go to a bunch of different sites, dashboards or portals, have to remember a bunch of different passwords and duplicate data entry. By streamlining their workflow, it can free them up to tend to other, more important tasks.

Similar platforms can be offered to residents. This way, they don't have to go to this website to pay their rent and that webpage to put in a service request while constantly checking their email for package notifications. Every thing they need can be found in one spot, such as a resident app. This can make for much happier, better organized and less frazzled residents.

The foundation for all of this is technologies that can integrate. More than ever, it's imperative that multifamily solutions get along with each other.