Concierge Service

3 Benefits for Multifamily

By Geneva Ives on Jan 7, 2016 in Marketing

Concierge service isn’t just for five-star hotels anymore. An increasing number of property management companies are making their communities appeal to high-end renters by providing a range of expanded resident services.

Offering premier resident services can make your communities feel like luxury resorts, helping with both retention and your online reputation. It doesn’t have to be difficult to provide this level of service. Today’s technology makes it possible to give residents access to live, 24/7 services via their mobile devices.

Take a look at three key benefits of adopting concierge service solutions for both apartment residents and onsite staff:

1. Allows residents to prompt, track, and pay for services online

Help your residents help you by automating processes for service requests, amenity reservations, and fee payments. Tools like Yardi Concierge let your residents authorize guests, set notification preferences, reserve amenities, track deliveries, and more with the click of a button. No phone calls, no paperwork, no hassle!

2. Streamlines concierge functions of front desk staff

When you use technology to automate resident services, your onsite team is able to manage and track everything digitally. If your solution integrates with your resident portals, so much the better. Then your team can see everything related to your residents—from parking pass requests to electronic parcel signatures—all in one place.

Front desk staff members can also quickly send email alerts to notify residents as needed, eliminating time spent on the phone and creating a trackable communications record.

3. Increases resident retention by providing desirable services

A recent report by J Turner Research revealed that 75% of Millennials surveyed consider a 24-hour service request guarantee one of the three most important apartment amenities. But it’s not just the younger generations that expect this level of accessibility. The study also showed that 68% of Baby Boomers felt the same way.

Providing the services renters actually want, instead of cool-but-often-underutilized conveniences like theater rooms, tennis courts, and clubhouses, is a step in the right direction when it comes to increasing resident retention and decreasing churn.

Another service covered by some concierge tools is package delivery management. With online shopping becoming more prevalent, accepting packages has lately become a hot issue for the multifamily industry. Some key players have decided not to accommodate resident parcels, as discussed in this recent Wall Street Journal article in which one resident noted, “Package delivery is almost a basic amenity. It’s almost like they just told us that they’re going to stop doing maintenance.” He added that they don’t plan to stay when their lease is up next year.

When you provide the services that renters really want, residents are less likely to look for a new place to live in the same area and more likely to renew.

Any time you offer services or amenities that go above and beyond, don’t forget to mention it on your property marketing websites. Developing unique content that highlights what differentiates your properties will not only attract prospects and increase inquiries but also improve your SEO.

Do you offer concierge services at any of your properties? How has it impacted your operations?