With AI, the Role of the Multifamily Digital Agent Is Expanding

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From voice search and chatbots to sharper virtual representatives, this type of artificial intelligence is getting more important in operations.

Long gone is the time when robot assistants existed solely in the Jetsons. With the first quarter of the “new” millennium nearly gone, voice search and voice-based technologies have been part of our tech landscape for years. Siri and her contemporaries have been part of our world for well over a decade. And in recent years, the real estate sector has been keeping up, sometimes quietly but often doggedly.

Perhaps more than any space, leasing has been at the center of voice search and voice tech adoption. For many of these firms, AI-powered chatbots have been key to innovating new ways to explore and interact. “They’re always looking for ways to be responsive but also automate and be efficient,” said Sarah Yaussi, vice president, business strategy at the National Multifamily Housing Council. “Those who adopted the AI chatbots early on are further down that path and it’s a little bit more seamless. Maybe their chatbot has more of a personality or tone to it.”

Potential residents have received digital agents fairly well, Lela Cirjakovic, managing director of multifamily property management, JLL, told Multi-Housing News earlier this year. “AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can answer resident and prospective resident questions accurately 24 hours per day,” she said.

“Everyone’s playing around with (AI) and kind of stretching it, testing it and seeing where it can be useful,” Yaussi explained. “The integration piece is always where the rubber meets the road.”

New tech meets old tech

While some leasing firms are on the cutting edge of chatbot technology, the era of the phone call is hardly over. “Many of them also have call centers,” Yaussi said. “I do know of several companies that are piloting solutions around AI-powered voice when it comes to call centers.”

The idea of a call center may seem like the antithesis of the sleek, modern chatbot, but AI-based voice technology is shaping up to be a major player in phone communications. Automated representatives who engage with callers are a kind of cousin of the online chatbot. These automated systems, which have been around longer than chatbots, may not necessarily have the best reputations, but companies are determined to improve their quality.

“It seems like a natural evolution, but, at the same time, there are others who see voice connection, like the telephone part of it, as something extremely personal and where they want to have a human touch,” Yaussi said.

Efficiency is key to engaging with both online chatbots and telephone bots. “On the operator side there is concern that if there’s too much AI that’s not delivering the information that people need then it’s just getting in the way,” Yaussi said. Many younger consumers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, are already phone-adverse, preferring to communicate over text or email. “It already takes a lot to get somebody to pick up the phone,” she explained. “If they pick up the phone and it’s not a great experience because the AI isn’t super sophisticated or isn’t working properly… (leasing agents) could lose a lease over that.”

The very “automated” nature of automated technology is something that still causes some concern. “There’s opportunity that I think people see and efficiencies that will someday probably be realized, but there’s also trepidation that putting it on autopilot is not going to deliver the experience that operators want to have their prospects and residents have,” Yaussi said. Despite this, she noted that continued modification results in a better product. “There are some operators that are playing around with (AI and voice technology) and piloting it and learning from it. And that’s the funny thing about AI—the more you use it, the better it gets.”

Weighing AI risk

The Wild West of AI is causing much concern about how the technology could be abused and how it should be regulated, with some multifamily users implementing their own internal checks. “On the legislative and regulatory side, there’s a lot of concern about of AI,” Yaussi said. “A lot of the operators that we are talking to are starting to develop a framework for policies on how they’re going to approach AI.” Companies are “definitely working on developing their own internal policies and approaches to AI-powered technologies,” Yaussi clarified. “There are some potential pitfalls and there definitely need to be some guardrails.”

There is also the risk of losing out on personal relationships, Tess Gruenstein, senior vice president of acquisitions and portfolio management at wealth management firm Bailard, told MHN earlier this year. Regardless, she noted that that AI can also allow you to “maintain the staff you have, without having to increase the size of your on-site management team.”

Can voice tech bridge a generation chasm?

While Gen Z is not picking up the phone, many seniors are unlikely to get their information from a chatbot. However, automated voice tech is ingratiating itself into their lives as well, as developers integrate voice tech into senior communities.

Sunrise Senior Living, with joint venture partners Hines and Welltower, debuted The Apsley, a 19-story luxury senior living property on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, earlier this year. The property, which has 80 assisted living and 76 memory care units, offers an advanced suite of voice technology options, including suites that are outfitted with Amazon Echo Dot devices with software designed to connect residents to different services. While some at the community might feel uncomfortable with this at first, Tom Cana, the property’s general manager, said there is an opportunity for educating older residents and allowing them to feel confident with the technology.

“It can be daunting if you’ve never used an Amazon device before, for example, but our staff helps each resident get comfortable with using their new device and are always available to answer their tech questions,” Cana said. “We’ve found this to be incredibly helpful and the rollout to be quite successful as a result.”

Renters can use voice technology to ask about the daily menu in the dining room and daily events, as well as ask for help from an on-site team or place telephone calls. “Amazon devices are touchless and completely voice-controlled, making it simple for residents to access lots of information about a variety of topics by simply using their voice,” Cana noted. “This gives family members peace of mind and keeps residents engaged.”

Consumer engagement will be meticulously tracked as AI, voice search and the broader world of voice technology continue to evolve. “Multifamily is super customer-centric right now, they realize the customer is in the driver’s seat,” Yaussi said. And while voice technology itself will continue to be tweaked in the years to come as it pertains to both marketing and amenities, its trajectory indicates that it will continue to be a marketing boon for multifamily.

Source: Multi-housing News