Leasing Centralization with Todd Katler
In this Podcast Summary we review an episode of Apartments on the Go, featuring Todd Katler. Todd is the founder of Anyone Home, a multifamily leasing CRM and Marketing system.
In this podcast, Todd provides a few key insights into the value of Leasing Centralization, and ways multifamily organizations should be thinking about the structure of their leasing operations.
Todd explains that “Centralization is the craft of leveraging technology and shared resources, to operation apartment communities more efficiency, while improving the customer experience.” – Todd Katler
The hole governing principles around Lease Centralization is not just to preserve resources and save money, it’s also about being better for your customers, and being better for yourselves.
Todd goes on to address how multifamily organizations should align resources to meet the needs of ever-changing customer demands.
There are 3 important advancements to acheive:
-
Some level or tour automation. This can be self-guided tours in person, or self-guided tours online. When you can reduce ‘coverage’ required by staff to handle time-intensive tasks, you can create flexibility.
-
Automation - how do you deliver the right message to the right customer at the right time? What communication has to be human? And what can be automated? This will vary for each organization, but understanding the ramifications of each option is important.
-
Labor on Demand - Internally leverage centralized teams to support operations at multiple properties. Think of your centralized staff as a small contact center. Also consider what should you do yourself in-house, and what should you let someone else do. A good balance leads to the best performance.
The podcast then discusses Avalon Bay and how they are experimenting with no property staff on-site. The guest and hosts both seem to feel this isnt going to provide a quality customer experience, but are open to the possibility.
Todd Katler then discusses the 31 flavors of icecream served by Baskin Robins, and how it’s out of necessity. Lots of customers have lots of different tastes, and Baskin Robins works to serve them all something they are happy with. He explains how multifamily managers should think along the same lines. It’s important not to impose your owns biases on the leasing process. Biases in preferred communication styles, preferred technologies, and preferred lifestyles. Offer options that make everyone happy, give options, and have open doors.
You might have one prospect who wants to talk on the phone for 20 minutes with an agent in the evening. And you might have another prospect who never wants to speak to a human, ever, if they can avoid it. To be a good multifamily operator these days, you need to serve both customers and offer both solutions.
CONCLUSIONS
This podcaast episode has a central theme, and that is - Make it easy for a prospect to say “Yes”. There’s no reason to have bias, or set pathways for clients, you need to have options. Lead to Lease conversions at 2am can be surprising high.
Keep Leasing Chat in mind as you think through the 31 flavors you offer your prospects and residents. Our off-hours service, online touch points, and multi channel communications can fill many gaps and provide a multitude of journey pathways for customers.