Offering bulk tech amenities—which could include internet, streaming TV, or cutting-edge smart home solutions—is a great way to increase property value in the multifamily real estate industry, providing residents with an enhanced living experience and driving revenue for the owner. However, a poorly managed tech amenity implementation can lead to headaches for everyone involved. Technology is an integral part of life; fast, easy access to tech services like the internet is indispensable when it comes to school, work, and everyday communication.
Because technology is so important, any technology implementation must be handled carefully to ensure success. After an owner procures a technology service—whether it’s internet, TV, smart home solutions, or all three, often from multiple providers—the process doesn’t end there. A property must also handle all that comes next, including coordinating with various stakeholders, aligning expectations in the launch lead-up, training on-site staff to field resident requests, developing resident communications and enrollment incentives, and ensuring a seamless go-live that enhances the resident experience.
So, how can property owners and their teams successfully coordinate all these moving parts leading up to implementation? Let’s explore four of the most important factors property owners and their teams should know to launch an incredible tech amenity implementation that delights residents and boosts NOI.
Managing Expectations
Getting everyone on the same page when it comes to expectations is often difficult. When it comes to large changes that affect everyone, from residents to management, managing expectations is even more important—it’s essential to carrying out a successful implementation.
Stakeholders and those who are or will be affected by any changes need to know what to expect during each step of the community’s technology amenity implementation. For example, if any services will be interrupted or any construction is to be carried out to upgrade the property’s tech, everyone should know what to expect concerning impact and duration. Not knowing what to expect can turn an inconvenience into a major frustration for both residents and on-site staff alike.
Communicating Clearly and Proactively
Communication is the foundation of any relationship, whether it’s between a business and its customer or a tenant and a landlord. In the case of a community’s tech amenity implementation, it’s both. Management needs to communicate early and often when it comes to any changes to the residents’ living experience. Implementing and launching a brand-new technology offering can be exciting, but residents must be informed and educated on the offering for it to be successful. From notifications on how to enroll in the amenity program to steps to upgrade services, there’s a lot to share with residents. And it doesn’t end there: Communication also needs to be strong between management and the (often disparate) vendors providing the technology services.
There are many stakeholders involved in each implementation. From owners and on-site staff to multiple service vendors and their respective technicians, the implementation project manager needs to ensure that every stakeholder is on the same page at all times. Otherwise, one stakeholder may be left with unclear expectations and fail to accomplish what truly matters: giving the resident the best experience possible.
If certain parties aren’t aligned or engaging in proper communication, expectations won’t be met, and residents or management will become frustrated. It’s hard to overstate the importance of communication in these sorts of projects.
Driving Timelines and Service Quality
Going over time and over budget is one of the most common pitfalls when it comes to complex projects like tech amenity implementations. While some setbacks may be unavoidable, it’s important to have one point of contact to drive adherence to timelines and ensure service quality. Whether it’s a team or an individual, helping everyone stick to the project timelines while maintaining quality is important. An implementation roadmap, coupled with a project tracker of who needs to complete what and by when, is an indispensable tool for a successful project delivery.
Failing to meet KPIs, timelines, and service quality standards is likely to cause frustration for residents and everyone else involved in the implementation process. From on-target profitability to resident satisfaction and retention, monitoring success measures is essential to a successful tech amenity program.
Educating and Engaging Residents
As the demand for high-speed internet and smart technology continues to grow, the need for a robust technology management partner will only increase. Onboard’s expertise in streamlining these programs while providing reliable support to ownership groups, residents, and on-site staff ensures a streamlined and successful bulk program.
The Role of a Customer Success Team
If this all sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it is! Managing competing expectations, communicating clearly to all stakeholders, driving timelines and service quality, and engaging and educating residents is often more than a property management team can take on internally. That’s why Onboard ensures that its clients are on track for success at every step of their tech amenity implementation, thanks to our specialized customer success team. As a third-party management partner, we serve as the one point of contact for handling all implementation details, keeping the multitude of stakeholders on track, and ensuring a seamless technology experience for each resident. In fact, we’ve helped scores of rental communities of all sizes carry out successful implementations.
After working closely with you and our service provider partners to create a profitable tech amenity program, we then serve as your de-facto project manager, handling all of the complexities that are involved with a property-wide technology implementation. Onboard takes care of managing resident communications about the program, encouraging enrollment, and offering long-term, dedicated resident and community support. We also perform charge audits to ensure that the right residents are getting the correct rates added to their property statements while never losing sight of driving long-term performance outcomes, providing ongoing community and resident support, and adding even more ROI-centric value throughout your time with Onboard. If you’re interested in learning more, contact us to get started.
