What's In Your Tool Belt to Help Build-in Quality?

Interesting MultiFamily Executive article highlighting the growing demand for new housing and resultant labor constraint issues. The demand for labor has emerged as an issue for both single- and multi-family builders, nationwide.

FieldCollaborate
Quality Inspection Checklist

Do you know the last time builders reported such widespread labor shortages was just before 2001?

The demand for labor has forced the use of "B" and "C" quality trades, which will result in more issues and increases the demand for more oversight. Without a well-qualified and experienced labor force, builders are facing increasing quality issues. Field Managers were already being asked to produce more; how best to produce more with better quality?

Technology should be top-of-mind as a way to consistently survey, assess and respond to quality issues. And, mobile technology allows Field Managers to work directly from the job site -- yet remain in contact with vendors and the corporate office.

Quality issues can be observed and reported for followup as punch items and builders are able to create Quality Inspection templates aimed at catching issues as early and consistently as possible.

One big gain with mobile in the quality world is real-time reporting. Take a look at CPS' FieldCollaborate. Field Managers are able to record a quality issue, automatically email the vendor, post the issue to the Portal (including pictures) for vendor review and then close the ticket when resolved. All from their truck or construction trailer.

And, there's also the ability to analyze data over time -- in real time. Are today's problems consistent with issues last week or last month? Is this vendor consistently late or slow to complete tasks? All of that information is available on the mobile device while dealing with today's quality issue.

FieldCollaborate also provides scheduling, punch and safety tools -- as well as a homebuyer information Portal to keep builders in 24/7 communication with their clients.

How to: Tell Your Amenities and Lifestyle Story Effectively

Bill Greene, with Atlanta-based multifamily developer Wood Partners, notes in a recent Multifamily Executive article, "The bar's being raised higher and higher on these communal amenities." He continues, "Millennials expect them. Besides wanting to live close to work, they expect every amenity you could probably find in a single-family suburban market, but all in one area."

Using interactive technology to tell your story!

And, actually, the same might be said for Boomers and their interest in a more urban environment. They want amenities associated with their previous suburban life such as pools, fitness spaces and large-scale theater rooms along with the lifestyle associated with a metro environment.

Location, of course, is still critical, as Jerry Davis with UDR notes, "The biggest community amenity is always the neighborhood."

One (perhaps) unexpected amenity of the moment is meeting/conference rooms.  With more and more people working from home, there's an interest in relaxing socially on-property as well as the ability to engage in community-centric activities such as wine tastings, dinners and game-nights.  Davis comments, "When it comes time for their lease to expire, if your residents have more friends that live at the community, they're more likely to renew."

The property not only needs the amenities but the ability to effectively tell their story.  Our suggestions include adding an interactive touch-screen based presentation to the leasing office with a clear focus on neighborhood and lifestyle. CPS' SalesTouch visually tells your story -- location, neighborhood and amenites.  Add CPS' Social Media Wall to engage prospects and residents in a property conversation -- and leveraging your social media, as well.  Ask us; we'll help you tell the story in the context of your community and amenity set!

How to Leverage Your Social Media into Engaging Experiences

There's a great recent article in Multifamily Executive featuring an interview with Holli Beckman, VP Marketing at WC Smith.  She's distinguished herself as one of the industry's leading social media experts.

One of the takeaways was this question/response:

Start Social Media conversation in your sales/leasing office!

Q: Is Social Media more about engaging with current residents or attracting new ones?

A: Both. Social media is where your customers are every single day and multiple times a day. 

Take a look at CPS' Social Media Wall and consider how it creates opportunities for leveraging your social media content creation and conversation to your community location.

The Wall takes traditional marketing copy and content (think video, images) and integrates social media content to create an ever-changing, constantly evolving story about your brand, community and audience -- Instagrammable moments, engaging experiences.

Everyone in your audience (current residents, home shoppers, your marketing staff) can join the conversation with a post to specific Twitter and Instagram hash tags -- and you have the ability to curate posted content before it displays on the Wall. Now, your social media content is available to everyone walking into the sales/leasing office.  You're creating a new conversation space!

Some hashtags will always display -- as will traditional marketing copy and images.  But...have a St. Patricks Day event coming up? Create a special hash tag and generate specific audience content just for a couple days. Same for your upcoming Spring Special Savings event and Homeowner's Friday Night Mixer!

Have you seen the recent Reevoo study finding 70% of consumers place peer recommendations and reviews above professionally written content?  Take advantage of 2016's marketing hot topic, CGC (consumer-generated content), to engage your audience and start conversations in your sales or leasing offices with CPS' Social Media Wall.

Multifamily Marketing: Keeping the 12 Must-Haves in Mind

Great article in Multifamily Executive suggesting developers and property managers need to be sure their property responds to the 12 "must-haves" in order to stay competitive and applealing to Gen-Y.  Take a look at the article by Jane Wolkowicz, based on discussion with KTGY's Rohit Anand and Bozzuto Group's Jeff Kayce, here -- it focuses on areas ranging from fitness centers (please, don't call them "rec" centers!) to finishes to sustainability.

Some of the "must haves" might seem cross-generational (e.g., location, location, location!); however, two standout because they probably apply more to Gen-Y than any other segment:

(1) The Leasing Experience today is not what it once was

Keeping your leasing space relevant & creative!

Remember private leasing agent spaces -- so necessary for lease signing? Gen-Y renters don't value that private space, as much. 

They're more interested, according to Kayce, in using leasing office space as a lounge for socializing with current and prospective tenants.

CPS' experience with SalesTouch, our interactive touchscreen system, bears this "must have" out; agents tell us tenants come back into the leasing office and use the touchscreen system after move-in.  They're interested in locating restaurants, shopping, recreation -- all the items displayed as "hot spots" in the touch presentation.  And, they bring their friends with them!

So..not only does the leasing office need an area to encourage socializing but..it has to be relevant to your renters.  Not just a space, in other words!

(2) Staying creative is key

Innovation, says Kaye, is critical as Gen Y wants environments that are fresh, creative and distinctive. 

Here at CPS, we suggest installing an interactive touchscreen system signals an innovative owner/property manager, one that keeps up with the latest in technology and delivers on that message.  Turns out, that's a great signal to send Gen-Y prospects!