The Challenge

BH — 11th largest on the NMHC managers list, and 39th on the owners list — needed to standardize processes across 300+ communities that were each doing things their own way. The industry-wide combination of rising costs, renter expectations for “Amazon-easy” experiences, and overburdened onsite teams made this change urgent.

The Solution

BH turned to Funnel as the technology backbone and partner. With Funnel, BH embedded AI into their workflows and centralized key functions: leasing, renewals, account management, screening, and contact center operations.

The Results

• Employee experience: Centralization reduced turnover in shared services roles by 40%.
• Renter experience: 96% of applicants rated Funnel’s mobile-first leasing positively; application approvals are now 70% faster.
• Operational efficiency: Renewals happen faster and at higher rates; delinquency and fraud are down; appointment-to-tour and tour-to-lease ratios are up.
• AI impact: Funnel AI drove a 59% increase in leads handled and a 113% increase in appointments set in Q3 2024.

KEY INSIGHTS

Employee retention skyrocketed

For BH centralization created not only efficiency, but a stronger employee experience. By shifting repetitive, manual tasks into specialized shared-services roles, BH saw a 40% reduction in turnover compared to onsite positions. These new roles created clear career paths, with 90% filled internally, giving team members an opportunity to specialize and grow instead of burning out.

“We are seeing incredible numbers when thinking about the employee experience. Turnover just isn’t there in those centralized roles, and I think that is because they are doing higher level, specialized work than [they would] being a generalist,” said Christi Weinstein, COO, BH.

AI as part of the team

At BH, AI isn’t treated like background automation, it’s introduced to staff as a member of the team. Every property rollout includes the reminder: AI is part of your BH contact center. That framing helps employees embrace it as a partner, not a replacement.

With Funnel AI embedded across the renter journey, prospects experience smooth, consistent handoffs: conversations that start with AI flow seamlessly to human agents, without renters ever noticing a gap. And the results speak for themselves: in Q3 2024 alone, Funnel AI drove a 59% increase in leads handled and a 113% increase in appointments set.

Chief Marketing Officer Kelly Kutach explained: “AI is at the very center of the Mint Experience. You can’t build a tech stack that delivers immediacy and instant gratification without it. For us, AI is another member of the team.” Funnel Voice AI automatically updates guest cards with call summaries, key details, and next steps. Leasing agents walk into every call with full context, prospects never have to repeat themselves, and other team members can pick up exactly where the last conversation left off.

Renters rated the experience positive 96% of the time

Modern renters expect more than just a faster lease, they want an experience that feels effortless, personalized, and consistent at every step. At BH this is called the “Mint Experience” which is their branded customer journey.

“Expectations are sky-high. Renters insist on having a smooth, hassle-free journey — from the very first click to a renewal,” said Joanna Zabriskie, CEO of BH. “Centralization means putting our resident experience at the center of our focus. And Funnel is the tech that lets us do that.”

Funnel’s renter-centric approach aligned naturally with the BH approach to centralization and the new operating model at every step from initial inquiry, through leasing, and eventually mid-lease changes or renewals. After leveraging Funnel’s mobile-first online leasing solution with an end-to-end digital workflow, renters can apply, screen, and lease in under 10 minutes from their phones. The payoff: 96% of applicants rated the application process positively, and BH sped up application submissions by 42%.

Additionally, application approvals now move from application to signed lease 70% faster, giving renters quicker move-in timelines while ensuring compliance and reducing human error across the portfolio.

Higher renewal rates and more time for residents

Amid rising costs and shifting renter expectations, renewals are one of the most reliable levers for stability. BH shifted renewals, screenings, and account management into their specialized, centralized teams. Through this transformation BH built consistent workflows that protect occupancy, strengthen resident relationships, and reduce turn costs.

The result: renewal rates improved thanks to faster, more consistent communication from the Renewal Specialist team, while onsite staff were freed from administrative overload to focus on high-value, people-first interactions.

“Centralized leasing absolutely plays a role in becoming more efficient,” said Joanna Zabriskie, CEO of BH. “It’s already helping us with workflows for things such as payment plans and rent collection. By automating tasks in this centralized form, our teams will have more time to spend with their residents.”

COO Christi Weinstein added, “We’d overly burdened our onsite teams to where the customer was no longer first, which is unfortunate because that should be the mentality onsite. Lifting and shifting work allows them to focus on what really drives results at the community — prospects coming in for tours and resident satisfaction.”

Centralization as a third-party manager

For BH, centralization isn’t just an internal transformation, it’s a value proposition to their owner clients. As both the 11th largest manager and 39th largest owner, BH had to prove that shared services could deliver benefits across portfolios they don’t fully control. That meant building a model that worked for diverse assets and ownership groups while still creating consistency and scale.

“It took about a year for our onsite teams to truly embrace the impact, and now they want the technology. They don’t know what their lives would look like without these centralized groups,” said Christi Weinstein, COO of BH.

By shouldering administrative tasks centrally and leaning on Funnel’s renter-first platform, BH not only drove efficiency but also strengthened owner confidence that they could protect margins and improve resident experiences across every community they manage.