Background  on Mobile Acceptance and the Need for Mobile Solutions

“Over 15 percent of apartment seekers are using a mobile device today and the growth is accelerating,” said a key executive at MyNewPlace.  “We expect over 50 percent of apartment seekers to be using a mobile device by 2014, making a mobile-optimized website a critical part of the mix for apartment marketers.”

Due to the faster adoption rate on new technologies the Silicon Valley can be as much as 2 years ahead of the rest of the country.  The on the go lifestyle here requires being connected all the time.  In order to be competitive and meet the needs of mobile savvy tech workers that spend more time away from home and need to utilize on the go time apartment communities need to provide communication tools that allow access while their tenants are between desktop computers

Options available to Apartment Communities

There are several options for apartment communities to introduce mobile technologies and take advantage of either some or nearly all of the requirements for tenant and prospective tenant interaction.  These include "off the shelf" mobile apps that meet a specific requirement but are usually fairly narrow in scope, semi-customized mobile apps that meet a broader set of functionalities but likely still be limited in scope and fully customized apps that can be designed to integrate into existing systems and workflows providing a seamless integration and minimal adoption pains. 

Mobile Advertisement with Text integration is a Good Fit for "Off the Shelf" Mobile Apps

"Off the shelf" apps can be valuable to property managers but probably not in the operations of an apartment community.  Well run apartment communities already have systems in place that help manage operations.  Adding another system on a canned mobile app would either mean replacing a working system with another system or adopting two working systems and duplicating efforts that would need to be merged together at some time or another.  More work and more staff cost manually integrating systems would be self defeating.  Leasing and property exposure though, is an area where duplicate system types on two different platforms can reach two different groups of people and extend the reach of the apartment community to new potential tenants.  Exposure Elements Mobile Site 4 Property Managers features just such an app.  Designed with a browser based platform this mobile app uses a sophisticated mobile device detection – which enables it to provide an optimum mobile experience for any visitor’s mobile phone. iPhones, Androids and other smart phones experience a product that feels like an app – without any installation required.  Older feature phones get a more basic text message experience with clearly visible and accessible information.  This app uses text messaging to access the mobile site, a technology that everyone is used to considering that text messaging is today the most popular type of communication on the earth and available on every mobile phone internet enabled or not.   Property managers can also take advantage of several other amazing attributes of text messaging such as lead generation and usage reporting.  And if the question is QR codes or Text Messaging you can use both but don't expect to get the ubiquitous distribution of text messaging from QR codes nor the lead generation and usage reporting capabilities.  Text codes can offer an unique branding opportunity as well that can extend your communities name recognition in a way that no other technology can!  Mobile Site for Property Managers can also get your community pictures on your prospective tenants internet enabled phone giving you a tremendous advantage over your competitors in familiarity and availability not to mention the potential for viral distribution among tenant's friends and family. 

Exposure Elements Mobile Site 4 Property Managers is truly the ideal "off the shelf" mobile app for apartment communities

What about Semi-Custom Mobile Apps?

Off the shelf mobile apps can represent a great value but as property managers expand the implementation of mobile tools to all of their properties they can realized the limitations point tools.  They are great for promoting a specific community but limited in showing all of the offerings that a property manager can offer and lack a review system that is driven by existing tenants.  Mobile Site for Property Managers links all related sites together and even provides a page that shows the other links but the number of mobile keywords becomes less manageable, leads need a central point of accounting to assure management that all leads are being followed up on and integration starts to take on a more valuable role in the cost structure.  After all, the cost of your leasing staff is a significantly higher cost than the cost of a semi-custom mobile app.  Review systems are becoming common place tools on the desktop for evaluating the experiences of existing customers as a method of product selection.  If your community is delivering the essential living experience that your tenants expect a review system can be the difference between 100% occupancy and vacancies. 

Semi custom mobile apps start to create a blur now between custom apps and semi-custom apps.  As more functionality is demanded by tenants there becomes a larger need for more custom integration with existing desktop applications that are the legacy of the property management firm. 

The case for a custom mobile app

Once a property management firm recognizes that their tenant base wants to interact on their mobile device the real question is how do I offer this to my mobile base while still keeping the legacy services I have in place for the tenants that won't immediately adopted mobile communication tools.  The answer is custom design. Today's software developers are amazing at leveraging existing systems and Exposure Elements, through our TxT2Look mobile development partners, have an incredible development team that can help you assess your existing systems and tenant services then develop a mobile solution that will integrate seamlessly into your existing system. 

They can add services that are needed and were out of financial reach at the time your current system was in place and many times, improve on the delivery of the system you have in place now. There are many areas we have identified as potential benefits to property managers that could more suitably be delivered by mobile such as (1) advance pre-qualification integration with property interest sites such as Mobile Site 4 Property Managers, (2) Security notifications using Text message integration, (3) in app payment systems and rent notification systems, (4) work order request submissions and a review system from existing tenants that is tied to the lead generation system such as Mobile Site 4 Property Managers.   

The next step in Mobile - An Advanced Browser Based Mobile App

Security notifications

Mobile distribution of security through text message assure that the message gets out and read by the widest audience.  Since text messaging is integrated into virtually every mobile phone in the US and these messages are associated with priority notification on mobile phones issues such as broken water mains or heat disruptions can be sent out, received and read sooner by a larger audience.  More people use text messaging than any other kind of communication.  It only makes sense to build a 2 way text message security system into your mobile app.  Your tenants are more secure and property managers can get emergency information out to masses of people quickly with high readership.

Advance Pre Qualifier Page

Advance prequalification makes sense for the renter and the property manager.  Both can experience a quicker documentation signing time if the details arrive in advance of your leasing.  When tied with a tool like Mobile Site 4 Property Managers prospective tenants can save considerable time and understand the information necessary to lease with you before they arrive to sign.  This means there is also much less likelihood of getting to a lease signing without necessary information that could cost the property manager a day's rent and the leaser an extra day's moving time.  With a mobile app your prospective renters will get a firsthand look at your mobile advantages before they sign the lease agreement. 

In App Payment and Rent Notification

No more than 15% participation typically, renters lag in on line solutions but have a much higher incident of mobile participation.  Many properties spend a full week of every month putting resident retention and leasing activities, if not on the back-burner, a little lower on the priority list, in order to focus on rent collection and payment posting. What if a large percentage of  that time during rent week were available for more profitable pursuits?

How many hours a month are lost to processing checks?

By display current balance due in app tenants are more aware of rent due dates.  Renters will likely not check this though, unless they have additional value or lifestyle based reasons to get involved with their community app.  By offering an engaging and informative app tenants will get more involved with their community app providing more opportunities for rent collection awareness.  Custom integration of payment into the mobile app that includes a balance reminder and the elements of engaging information assures property managers that they will get higher mobile participation in rent collection which will significantly raise the availability to pay timely rent. 

Work Order Submission by Mobile App

A highly effective way to engage your tenants in a mobile app is to include a work order submission form on the mobile app.  Integrating the work order submission using both web based forms and text messaging can build a dialogue with your tenants when they perceive there is a problem in their living environment.   Automating the initial responses with text messages shows your concern for their request and gives you the opportunity to take action while your tenant has been acknowledged.  Sending automated completion messages confirms your attentiveness and action taken.  In many cases the work order submission on the mobile app is integrated during development with your existing processes creating a seamless and personable response to a tenant concern building long term value in your tenant relationships.

Mobile Reviews from tenants

The benefits of including a mobile review system in your custom community app can be invaluable. Integrating a review system into a tenant facing app and prospective tenant facing app adds a powerful tool that helps property managers judge tenant satisfaction and drives demand for your community at the same time!  The mobile aspect of this program is what makes it so powerful.  Your tenants have the ability and power to speak their mind in an open forum.  Many times tenants won't clearly speak their mind personally where they will in a review format.  Prospective tenants want to know what current tenants think of the property.  We have already shown how mobile apps can build tenant loyalty so sending that message out to prospective tenants is a good thing.   Prospects are 63% more likely to purchase a product if reviews are available. 

Over 3 billion YouTube videos are watched per day.  YouTube's growth in the past 2 years has been nothing short of phenomenal and largely due to the fact that YouTube is a standard feature on virtually all internet enabled mobile phones.  This creates a unique opportunity for a property manager to post YouTube videos on your channel and link to the community mobile app.  By enrolling them on your YouTube channel when they sign on to the mobile app you have an opportunity to send your tenants an engaging message by video when appropriate and use text messaging as the notification.  Your YouTube channel can also be tied to the prospective tenant facing side of your app to deliver an engaging stream of video information about your community to your interested prospective tenants, ultimately retaining high interest levels in your property continuously.

Suggested Services from valued Partners

Many communities today lease space to stores within the community and have established partnerships with outside vendors.  Promoting these partners with advertising pages increases your value to your partner and can provide the maintenace cost for your mobile app while providing another form of engaging information to your tenants.

Benefits

Tenants that pay with mobile one month are 85% more likely to pay the same way next month so continuous adoption efforts mean higher participation and more realized benefits.

By picking up clearinghouse fees property managers may realize up to 90% higher participation.  More participation means more realized benefits.

Property managers that include digital rent reminders have a 57% higher on time rent payments.

Work Order Request w/ Pictures integrated increases work order efficiency- send pictures of problem with work order request. Cameras are on virtually all internet enabled phones and can be easily integrated into apps.  A picture really does say 1000 words.  

Some internet reports suggest that there is a lower incidence  of NSF issues from Mobile payments

Why custom mobile solutions?

Since mobile adoption comes at the heels of many communities with established online desktop solutions there are many services that mobile delivers that are currently handled by existing desktop systems.  These systems still have value and will likely deliver for several years to come.  Integrating mobile though, is a must so that systems are not duplicated and many of the database services can be integrated directly into the desktop systems through custom mobile sites which will offset some of the cost compared to off the shelf systems such as databases and finance systems.  Mobile apps in this way are much cheaper to produce and become cost effective when the added value of workflow considerations is included.  Exposure Elements mobile solutions can integrate text messages into mobile apps improving the mobile experience and providing engagement and notification services that can't be done any other way more efficiently. 

Value to Tenant

Today's tenants are on the go much of the time.  Desktop space is limited in apartment style living so more renters are adopting a mobile computing only lifestyle.  Without a quality mobile app that integrates text messaging property managers are losing vital contact with a growing percentage of their tenants.  Tenants need this kind of tool to keep in touch with their community.  They need the infallible notifications of a text message system when emergency vehicles are in the area, when a rent balance is due or a water main breaks so they can plan accordingly.  Tenants want to engage with their living community in one place that is ALWAYS available to them. 

Value to Property Manager

Everyone knows your property needs curb appeal to get prospects out of their cars and into the leasing office. However, first impressions are less likely to occur on the roadside than they are to happen on the information superhighway.  A quality mobile app with integrated text message services assures your tenants and future tenants that your community is progressive and works the way they work.  A mobile app that has a rent hunter facing access and supports text messaging will provide the property with qualified leads from people that are on the property visiting.  These leads can improve the confidence of the property owners and provide a responsive source to filling vacancies as many of these mobile site visitors have already been on the property visiting friends and associates.

What is next?

There are more and more mobile developer options available today but most of those app developers don't have a text message platform available to their team of developers.  Exposure Elements' mobile service provider TxT2Look has a fully developed text message platform built to integrate with mobile development services.  We can offer engagement with your tenants in a way that most mobile developers can't replicate.  Our development team is an expert with systems integration, assuring you that if your systems can be shared we will be able to develop effective mobile additions to it.  Contact us to review your systems and show you how we can create a mobile app that can work for your managed communities and engage all those interested in your property.