3 Ways to Retain Multifamily Residents with Seamless UX

Retention is the cornerstone of success in any multifamily business. According to some, it costs up to 5 times as much to acquire a new resident as it does to retain an existing one. Excellent user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) is necessary for retaining clients. While operations and on-site property management is still at the center of apartment life, residents want online options that simplify their lifestyle.

The key to great customer service is making it as easy as possible for your customers to do what they want, in the way that works best for them. You can use technology to make your customers’ lives easier and more convenient, but you need the right tools in place. “To be effective, UX requires its designers, engineers, and architects to have a deep understanding of its users. It all begins with studying your customers, discovering what they need, and taking that information into account to construct the best possible products and services,” writes Multifamily Biz.

Multifamily management teams understand why seamless UX is so crucial for retaining residents that expect nothing less than the best. “Deliver on the promises of your branding. Whatever you’ve done to attract your ideal residents must be carried out until the day they move out: help your residents meet and grow bonds with their neighbors, inform them about events in and near your community, and provide an effortless method for residents to contact your staff when they require assistance,” explains Multifamily Biz.

So how do you retain your residents and ensure they stay happy?

Here are three best practices for improving your multifamily UX.

• Keep Them Engaged

Offer a seamless user experience that makes everything easy, like finding information, staying in touch with other residents, and quickly reaching property staff.

• Keep Them Informed

Share news on the latest happenings in their area through push messages, emails or branded social feed updates.

• Keep Them Happy & Healthy

Be mindful of how you're treating your residents. Offer amenities and services that they need to live a healthy life.

Keep residents happy, connected, and feeling like they are part of a community by improving their experience through your tech stack.

Keep Them Engaged

Consider how the majority of U.S. residents found their current communities. According to an Apartments.com and Google survey conducted in 2014, the Internet’s role in apartment hunting runs quite deep. And it doesn't stop there.

Online apartment shoppers were the majority when it came to closing a tour. Key take-aways included:

• 72% of respondents turn to the Internet first when starting a search for an apartment

• Of online sources used, 61% begin with either an apartment listing site or a search engine

• Two-thirds of respondents have rented an apartment found online

If residents are finding apartment homes on their phones, it’s safe to assume they will continue to search for connections to the community via the same medium. Keep a consistent road map for your community brand and save on developer costs by extending product lifecycle through a white label app. Online and in-person, residents love a seamless brand that delivers at the touch of a button.

From the moment a resident signs a contract to the day they move out of a building, the most successful communities know that eliminating unnecessary clicks leads to deeper engagement. Building trust with a branded all-in-one app starts when residents research your community and interact with a website or resident experience app.

User experience starts with necessity and ends with delight for buildings powered by ElevateOS. Allow residents to find information, stay in touch with other residents, and quickly reach property staff all on one white label app.

Multifamily Biz goes further to explain, “Everyone in the multifamily housing industry knows that happy residents require stability, and renewals serve as a sign that your renters are enjoying your apartment community. The more residents you have renewing their leases, the less you need to concern yourself with filling vacant apartments. Better yet, these contented residents will recommend your property to their peers. This role of resident-as-advocate is a fundamental idea that has blossomed in the age of social media marketing. The concept is simple: your satisfied renters, past and present, are your most powerful promotional tool.”

Keep Them Informed

Residents feel more connected to a community when they are up to speed on events and changes. Send information through push messages and branded social feed updates with an optimized user interface that guides residents to exactly what they need.

At the same time, property teams find communication spread across several channels frustrating and resource-consuming. Simplify the input of any operational workflow by funneling all communication.

In a recent Multi Housing News article, Jackie Impellitier and Jeremy Brown of ZRS Management discuss how proptech is here to stay, “Technology certainly helps property managers do more with less, which is particularly important in this tight labor market. Automated widgets, conversation loops and chatbots can be developed and deployed for greater efficiencies, but also to help cover staffing shortages. Digital delivery and contactless transactions will continue to be popular after COVID-19.”

Keep Them Happy & Healthy

Residents want to be able to communicate with their neighbors and building staff, and know they live in a safe and well-managed environment, and they equate this feeling of well-being with a community app. Bernie Devine explained this phenomenon for Yardi, “In the quest for quality, tenant experience apps are becoming “table stakes” for large owners.

The challenge? To transform the traditionally transactional relationship between landlord and tenant into a hospitality-driven collaborative partnership. As landlords deliver more services, base rent will potentially become a smaller proportion of revenue. The best landlords will continue to innovate by providing optimum flexibility, identifying new service offerings and refining processes to ensure delivery is smooth and seamless.”

Residents want such amenities on demand: booking them online, managing them through a branded app, and having access to schedule at any time. Increasing amenities through a concierge service will create a seamless user experience for your community while taking the pressure off the property management team.

Give residents the chance to connect with local healthy lifestyle businesses through your branded app. For those who don’t have time or energy left after a long day at work, being able to rely on concierge services helps save some stress. Residents are often seeking out great food and entertainment options in their area, so why not offer them what they need? ElevateOS does, with the in-app solution called Neighborhood Perks.

From Online UX to On-site Service

When it comes to luxury apartments, the experience is everything. From the moment a resident moves in, they’re looking for a seamless transition from online to on-site experience that makes them feel at home and valued. The key to delivering on this promise is by creating an exceptional UX with an all-in-one app from ElevateOS.