The Challenge

Camden’s long history of operational reinvention, from Work Reimagined to its centralized leasing model, set a clear bar for AI: reduce speed to answer, lower hold times, and improve the renter experience.

The Solution

Camden deployed Funnel Voice AI inside its broader centralized operating model to reduce hold times, improve service, and drive measurable efficiency in the workflows teams already use.

The Results

Camden reduced hold times by 52% with Funnel Voice AI and brought average speed to answer under one minute, improving the renter experience, reducing team friction, and helping drive customer sentiment to its highest level ever.

KEY INSIGHTS

AI that actually moves the needle

Camden evaluates AI through a simple executive lens: does it solve a real operational problem, and can it prove measurable value?

“It has to move the needle,” said Kristy Simonette, Senior Vice President – Strategic Services and Chief Information Officer at Camden Property Trust.

That standard shaped Camden’s Voice AI rollout. Camden focused on one of the most important moments in the renter journey: helping prospects get the right answer, faster. Voice AI serves as Camden’s first line of defense, answering incoming questions quickly and consistently. When a prospect needs a human handoff, the inquiry routes to Camden’s contact center or site team, depending on where they are in the journey. The contact center supports new leads during the first 24 hours after guest card creation, giving onsite teams more focused capacity while keeping human support available when it matters.

The impact is clear: Camden reduced hold times by 52% and brought average speed to answer under one minute, improving speed, consistency, and service quality while supporting a broader centralized operating model built around specialized roles and teams.

From missed calls to modern operations

Camden’s approach to Voice AI builds on a long history of operational reinvention. During the Great Financial Crisis, Camden discovered through a pilot that 80% of phone calls were being missed by onsite teams, and 50% of those missed calls were sales calls. That insight helped lead Camden to launch its contact center, an early move toward centralization and a foundation for the operating model it continues to evolve today.

In 2022, Camden’s Work Reimagined initiative pushed that transformation further as they further centralized their operating model through regional hubs or “nests” of communities and specialized roles. This met customer expectations for a more self-service, flexible, digital experience. Voice AI is the latest chapter in Funnel’s partnership to support Camden’s centralized operations model.