“Taken as a whole, the multifamily industry isn’t exactly known for moving with lightning-fast speed to implement new technology and processes. But in 2020, operators across the country had to do just that.

With on-site leasing severely curtailed and social distancing protocols in place because of the pandemic, apartment managers had to turn on a dime and find new ways to serve prospects and residents. Self-guided and video tours are some of the more high-profile and well-known adaptations, but they are far from the only examples of multifamily innovation and ingenuity the industry saw this past year.

Creative operators engaged artificial intelligence (AI) leasing agents, cutting-edge resident referral platforms, and more intensive lead management, to name just a few of the innovations. They also emphasized thorough and frequent communication to associates and residents.

When Mill Creek Residential couldn’t offer in-person tours because of the pandemic, the apartment company saw the number of leads who initially reached out online or by phone jump dramatically—by up to 50%, says Stephen Prochnow, senior vice president of property management for Mill Creek.

As a result, the company intensified its emphasis on “providing prompt and thoughtful responses to customers,” Prochnow says.

To ensure those responses take place, Mill Creek created a robust database using a variety of sources to track the response time to each lead. The database also tracked which kinds of tours a prospective resident took (the company expanded its use of in-person, self-guided, and live video tours).

“We expanded our lead reporting to track which of those tour types were most effective and led to closing,” Prochnow says. “It was a focus on analytics and KPIs around the lead management and reporting process.””

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