The Challenge

Their legacy tech solutions didn’t allow the Cortland team to treat renters the way they wanted. The experience — for both renters and the onsite staff — was disconnected and frustrating because vital information didn’t flow between multiple tech solutions and properties.

The Solution

Rather than bending their operating model around legacy solutions’ technology constraints, Cortland added Funnel’s CRM, AI, automation, and contact center. They now have the freedom to build a centralized, renter-centric operating model with the mission of better serving and communicating with prospective residents, particularly those who may be looking for more than one Cortland community.

The Results

With Funnel, Cortland had the freedom to operate their business, and serve their renters how they wanted (not how their tech constrained them to operate). With a centralized approach, 12% of renters became residents in a different Cortland community than where they initially inquired. Meaning Cortland teams cross-sold nearby communities that matched renter preferences rather than letting in-market leads leave the portfolio.

KEY INSIGHTS

Making in-house feel like home

Cortland wants to make prospective renters feel known and cared for from the first interaction. Prior to onboarding Funnel, Cortland worked with a third-party contact center to manage the first point of contact with a prospective renter. This created a disconnect between the initial lead follow-up and the Cortland team.

Now, with Funnel’s Contact Center, AI, and automation built on top of Funnel’s CRM they brought the first point of contact in-house. This allows them to provide a welcoming, on-brand experience that helps to differentiate their communities from competitors. “There is seamless communication transition from one team to another,” said Bri Bocker, Director of Marketing Technology at Cortland.

Platform empowers centralized specialized teams

Centralization means different things to each property management company because it’s not a one-size-fits-all-portfolios operating model. The foundational bones of Funnel’s renter-centric technology, paired with their consultative approach aligned with Cortland’s needs.

Pre-Funnel, Cortland felt constrained and locked into working the way their software platforms dictated that they run their businesses, which was property-by-property.

“Working with Funnel allowed us to create business model flexibility,” said Scott Moore, CTO at Cortland. “It’s that flexibility that’s allowed us to identify places where it makes sense to centralize some functions off-site or to leave them on-site and improve the experience.”

Instead of an all-or-nothing approach, Cortland thoughtfully identified areas where in order to create a better resident and renter experience, it made sense to bring workflows or specialized tasks to a centralized in-house team.

Using data to predict staffing

In addition to freeing onsite teams to focus their attention on renters, Cortland leveraged the data insights provided by the Funnel platform to create smart staffing models for their centralized leasing offices. By assessing the volume of communication — text messages, phone calls, and emails — that the centralized leasing hub handled they predicted the staffing levels needed. So, instead of leasing professionals either feeling bored or overwhelmed resulting in overall team disengagement, Cortland can optimally staff in order to provide a positive work environment for team members.

Happy staff build happy renter experiences

With industry-wide staffing shortages, onsite teams are often asked to do more with less leaving them feeling burnt out and stretched thin, but not at Cortland. By adopting a centralized model, Cortland strategically took some of these to-do’s off of their onsite teams’ plate, resulting in happier employees and happier renters.

“We believe if we can create a fantastic associate experience where they enjoy coming to work every day, they feel inspired, they feel empowered, they believe in the mission, they model the core values of our company, then that in turn can enable and hopefully be realized as a great resident experience,” said Mike Gomes, Chief Experience Officer, Cortland. “It’s hard to have unhappy people create happy customers, so we want to make sure we have happy, engaged associates who can in turn create a really wonderful living environment for our residents. If we do that we have the fundamental faith that business results will follow.”

Automation supports centralization

Centralization and automation create different efficiencies that are vital. AI and automation shorten lead follow-up time because they’re built for speed. Leveraging AI is a component of centralization because it is part of restructuring the intersection of people, processes, and tech to create efficiencies.