This week has been another productive week in development. We are excited to announce the following updates to our system:
Leasing Center
- Added email notifications to the Leasing Center calendar.
Product Development Update - May 11 2012
May 11th, 2012Trigger Happy
May 10th, 2012
The subject of ratings and reviews was a hot topic at the AIM conference not long ago. As always, we really enjoyed the discussions at AIM and were particularly intrigued by the idea of providing behavior “triggers” (shout out to Dr. BJ Fogg for one of the best sessions of the conference) that can influence the behavior of online visitors and help you achieve the kinds of positive results good ratings and reviews can provide.
Here’s the concept: In order to encourage a specific behavior (getting a resident to post a review about your property online) there are several elements in play: 1. How much they want to leave a rating/review, or motivation. 2. How easy it is to leave a post a rating/review, or ability. 3. The trigger that sparks or facilitates the behavior.
Parcel Alert
May 10th, 2012
Do you waste countless hours every week looking up and delivering packages to your residents? Is it difficult to manage all of your incoming packages and to keep them organized? If you need relief for all your package handling headaches, we can help. Property Solutions has two amazing tools that work seamlessly with your management software and resident portal to simplify your life and make you look pretty good at the same time. Here’s the scoop:
Parcel Alert:
Now you can quickly scan incoming packages and automatically notify residents when they arrive. This tool integrates with your resident database to quickly identify which resident the package is for, then sends out notices via email or text message. Residents will also see notices of waiting packages when they log in to ResidentPortal or on the Lobby Display.
Leasing Survey Results
May 10th, 2012
Leasing is an ever-changing process, especially as new technology options push into the market, making leasing faster, more convenient, and more secure. In March 2012, Property Solutions distributed a survey to multifamily professionals to uncover their preferences, priorities, and concerns about new leasing technology. Their responses highlight needs that new software can fill and reveal some lingering apprehension about using technology in leasing.
Methodology
Sixty-eight respondents from a broad spectrum of job roles within the multifamily industry participated in the online survey. Thirty-four percent of participants identified their job role as executive management. Property managers made up 31 percent of our respondents, while 24 percent identified themselves as being involved in resident services. Mid-level managers and regional managers made up 16 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
New Design Theme: Graphite
May 10th, 2012
One of our most customizable websites yet, Graphite uses clean and precise modern design combined with complete color customization to provide a stunning web presence for your community. The home-page features new side navigation and the ability to add up to six interchangeable widgets for maximum functionality. Contact your Account Manager for information on how to switch.
10 Ways SiteTablet Guides Prospects to Their New Place
May 8th, 2012
It was just a few months ago that I stumbled off the plane in Baltimore, trudged down the beaten-up stone sidewalks while wrestling two suitcases and a clarinet, and checked-in to the hostel downtown, which became my temporary refuge while I roamed Mt. Vernon, investigating short-term housing options and praying that pepper spray would be a good enough deterrent for whatever might come my way. Stupid? yes. But there are times when recklessness is necessary to get what you want, and for me, this was one of those situations.
“Uneasy” would probably be the mildest term to describe my feelings at that time. It’s disconcerting for people when they don’t know where they’re going to live. But I knew as soon as I saw my future Baltimore accommodations that I had found what I was looking for: tree lined streets, spacious kitchen, adorable claw foot tub, and, most importantly, a reputable security system. Still reeling from some of the sketchy places I’d seen earlier, I was filling out an application less than 5 minutes after stepping through the front door.
Product Development Update - May 4 2012
May 4th, 2012
This week has been one where we resolved a lot of small bugs, so our release notes are much more succinct.
Resident Works
- Unit search in Resident Works now allows you to search all units in the property, and is not based on the other search drop downs.
- The first lead source that is selected is now locked. The prospect or the leasing agent can go in and change it.
#TAA2012 - Social Media Q&A w/ Texas Apartment Association Marketing & Communications Manager Joel Nihlean
May 2nd, 2012
Unfortunately, it’s sort-of a part of my job description to monitor Twitter activity surrounding industry conferences in far away, sunny places and look with envy upon attendees’ waterfront-hotel-“look at my awesome view!” instagram portraits. But last month, as I watched the pictures, tweets, and facebook updates roll in from the Texas Apartment Association Education Conference, I became increasingly convinced: these guys got game. I’ve seen industry conferences of national audiences that struggle to get this sort of online buzz. And here this conference in San Antonio was the talk of the town — because you see, if hashtags were municipalities, #TAA2012 was booming like Skagway during the Klondike great gold rush.
Well, curiosity got the better of me. Using online stalking skills innate to all people under 30 — with maybe the exception of those associated with amish communities — I got in contact with Joel Nihlean, TAA’s
Product Development Update - April 27 2012
April 27th, 2012
This development update is the combination of the previous two weeks of development. We’re excited about the pace our development teams have achieved and the value we’re driving for our clients. Many of the changes below come from direct feedback received from our clients. Take a look:
Lead Management
- Resident Activity Log now shows a prospects previous Lead Activity. Think of this as a stream of updates similar to a Facebook or Twitter feed.
New MoneyGram Integration Solves the Cash Conundrum
April 20th, 2012
Pundits have been predicting the demise of cash for at least a decade. But chances are you still have a number of residents who can’t or won’t pay their rent any other way. Many properties recognize the problems of accepting rent payments in cash, from the increased risk of theft and fraud to the increased time needed to count, reconcile, and transport funds to the bank. Unfortunately, the most common alternative for cash-free communities, the money order, has its own security and processing risks. The solution? Go ahead and let your residents pay with cash. Just send them to their nearest MoneyGram location to do it.