The Company
Founded in 1968, Legacy Partners is a privately held real estate firm headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. It owns, develops and manages multifamily communities throughout the United States. In addition to developing more than 60,000 apartment homes, Legacy Partners provides management services for its own portfolio, as well as other owners. It currently manages over 60 multifamily communities with more than 14,000 apartment homes and a gross value exceeding $2 billion.
The Challenge
Busy Phones, Busy Staff
Like many other residential property managers, Legacy Partners wants to be responsive to prospects and residents while supporting its staff. But when a property is busy or has a small onsite team, it can be hard to answer every incoming call. In addition, Legacy Partners needs to meet its owners’ customer service expectations. However, not all properties have the same call volumes and staff levels. Legacy Partners needed a flexible per-property call center solution to answer leasing and maintenance calls at selected properties.
The Solution
RentCafe Connect
RentCafe Connect is a digital call automation solution with on-demand live answering services that can be activated per property. Properties are able to control scheduling, prioritize leads and view budgets with total transparency. Trained live agents can complete guest cards, schedule tours and assist residents. By leveraging community-specific information from RentCafe and Voyager, RentCafe Connect acts as a seamless extension of a property management leasing office.
The Story
No Missed Calls
Legacy Partners uses RentCafe Connect to answer calls at two stabilized properties for different reasons. “One property has a very small onsite team. The other has an owner with high expectations for client service,” explained Kim Baker, director of marketing at Legacy Partners. “We use RentCafe Connect to support the staff and make sure no phone call is missed at these properties.”
In one month, RentCafe Connect answered 300 calls between the two properties, resulting in 96 guest cards and 42 work orders.
At Legendary Glendale, Legacy Partners’ property with a smaller staff, calls answered by RentCafe Connect resulted in 32 showings, six applications and three leases in just under nine months. “The results are great,” said Baker. “RentCafe Connect saves the onsite team time by answering the phone and doing the work to serve up leads that are ready to convert.”
The other property, Main Street Village, adopted RentCafe Connect months after Legendary Glendale did but is already seeing success. Specifically, RentCafe Connect answered calls that became 27 appointments, 14 showings, three applications and two leases in less than three months.
Live agent support can be turned on or off at either property at a moment’s notice, allowing Legacy Partners to adjust the contact center support schedule as needed while staying within its budget.
Easy Integration
RentCafe Connect integrates with RentCafe and Yardi Voyager, so property and contact information is seamlessly accessed and updated in real-time. RentCafe Connect agents can view property details to accurately and promptly answer prospect and resident questions. Guest cards, payments and maintenance requests completed by live agents appear instantly in Legacy Partners’ database; they’re never lost or incomplete.
“Having everything in one system makes it very easy,” Baker said. “A prospect or resident doesn’t know they’re talking to a call center, and it provides a good user experience for our staff too.”
