Let’s face it: In our world of live-streaming and instant group chats, flyers are a thing of the past. Multifamily properties all across the country are adopting new strategies for communicating with their residents about everything from rental invoices to special events.
This change makes oodles of sense, especially considering the benefits are twofold; you save time and energy previously squandered by chasing residents and posting flyers, AND residents feel more connected to the management staff.
Lucky for you, a slew of options is now available to help take your property’s resident correspondence to the next level. If you keep reading (which you should), you will learn about some important features to consider when choosing a new communication platform.
Mobile and Online Media
No idea where to start? Try the device that your residents already use every minute of the day. We now know that more than 70% of total digital minutes are logged on mobile devices and that 90% of all sent text messages are read by their recipient within 3 minutes (unless you’re purposefully getting ghosted… ouch). With all of the stats documenting how much time we spend on our smartphones, it’s pretty easy to conclude that residents are more likely to pay attention to a text message than a piece of paper slipped under the door or rando sign in their elevator.
Nowadays, we kinda want to cram all of our communication together into one or two devices which is why all-encompassing apps and smart technology integrators are becoming the norm in apartment communities. So, the ball’s in your court when it comes to whether or not you decide to leverage the benefits of these features to upgrade your resident messaging.
Emergency Bulletins
When a natural disaster or property emergency strikes, the last thing you want to have to think about is the most efficient way to alert residents. Have all that figured out beforehand, why don’tcha. Did you realize that there are fancy features that can send automatic alerts linked with national warning systems directly to resident phones and emails? Additionally, you can create emergency alert templates for everything from a lost dog to a stranger on the property, and send them directly to the cell phone of all residents with a few simple key strokes. How convenient is that?!
Groups and Targeted Sends
Your management staff is juggling a wide variety of tasks and communication needs (they’re rockstars!!), and sometimes they need the ability to send private messages or invoices to a resident. Think of other instances that may require a special notice to differently groups of residents, for example, those folks who live in a single building, or to all residents with children, or all residents with fur babies. Creating databases and lists organized by different categories is a great way to reach the correct people in a timely and targeted manner.
This system also works for a multitude of other alerts. For example, alerting residents who received packages that their mail has arrived or sending out messages for certain community events. In either circumstance, implementing these services make all communication much more effective and way more personal. Plus, digitizing your invites and RSVP lists will make planning a breeze!
Feedback
Good communication is a two-way street. Mobile technology allows you to not only improve your messaging to residents, but lets you receive helpful and timely responses and feedback. Developing a comfortable community-to-management relationship is one of the cornerstones of resident retention.
Did you know that that property management misses around 40% of phone calls made to their offices? Yikes! But hey we get it, it can be difficult to be present for resident questions or concerns while giving site tours throughout the day. Digital communication gives you the illusion of being in two places at once and can make sure important communications don’t go flying over your head.
Privacy & Opt-ins
This ain’t North Korea, so in order to respect resident privacy, you NEED to establish permissions for tech-based communications. When setting up your communication strategy, make sure you’re asking residents when, for what, and in which ways they would like to be reached. Remember what they say about assumptions? Yeah, you don’t want to assume you know what your resident’s boundaries with privacy are.
Once residents have agreed to opt-in to certain features, then you can diversify the way that you reach them. With many of the new applications available like LittleBird or Mobile Doorman customization is king, and residents can choose to receive messages by email, text, or push notification on their mobile phone.
Stop getting ignored.
If you think it’s time to upgrade your resident communication plenty of companies are ready to welcome your business. Some do more than others like combining smart home technology with their communication platform, and others prefer to replicate your current resident portal. No matter what you decide, it’s time for you to reclaim your resident’s attention.