There’s a direct correlation between maintenance efficiency and resident satisfaction.
A shortage of skilled maintenance technicians in multifamily housing, coupled with high turnover rates in the position, means operators must find ways to do more with smaller maintenance teams. Workflow efficiency is essential, not only for property upkeep but also resident satisfaction and retention.
Mobile maintenance was the first step toward efficiency by streamlining both the submission and management of service requests. Maintenance technology took another huge stride forward in productivity when workflow platforms incorporated artificial intelligence (AI).
AI-powered maintenance systems optimize workflow efficiency, mitigate large-scale property issues, reduce managerial responsibilities and ease compliance concerns. And its potential still remains largely untapped.
Understanding AI Applications in Apartment Maintenance
Traditionally, service requests were submitted by residents on paper forms, and those service tickets were picked up by technicians in the leasing office or maintenance shop. After completing a task, technicians returned to the maintenance shop to retrieve another service ticket and the process repeated throughout the workday.
Mobile maintenance platforms replaced paper tickets. Technicians receive service tickets and manage their workflow through smart devices and remain in the field, saving valuable time by not backtracking to the office between each task. Mobile workflow apps allow technicians to communicate with residents in real time, ask questions and update expected arrival times. Workflow apps also create transparency for technicians, supervisors and residents alike, establishing a channel for resident feedback.
While mobile platforms introduced significant improvements for teams, the emergence of AI and machine learning offered new opportunities for efficiency. AI assists with logistics, task assignment and task management. At communities equipped with risk mitigation devices like moisture sensors and leak detectors, AI also syncs with those technologies to create emergency work orders in the event of a detection. It effectively reduces response times and completion times and improves both property upkeep and the quality of service provided to residents.
Maintenance techs can submit and update work orders 70% faster using a voice-to-text AI process, according to SmartRent.
Streamlining Maintenance Operations with AI
The predictive capabilities of AI are instrumental in preventing operational oversights and costly property damage stemming from large-scale infrastructure failures. Installation and service dates for key property systems and in-home appliances are monitored by AI, which initiates a digital service request for preventive maintenance at key intervals. Routine tickets for filter changes, laundry vent cleanings or HVAC flushes are automatically added to the maintenance workflow by AI. Notifications for appliance replacement are initiated prior to the end of their service life. AI can track weather forecasts to trigger sprinkler system blowouts prior to the arrival of freezing temperatures. It also sustains a proactive maintenance approach by automatically scheduling annual property inspections to ensure property compliance.
On a day-to-day basis, AI is leveraged for task optimization. AI develops workflow schedules based on task submission date and urgency, as well as technician availability. It tracks technician location within the community and assigns tasks to the nearest technician to reduce walking time between jobs. AI also strategically assigns tasks requiring specific skills or certifications to technicians with the right credentials. HVAC or plumbing tasks can be routed to technicians with those specialties. By ensuring that qualified technicians are tasked with jobs that leverage their skill sets, AI ensures that jobs are completed quickly and done right the first time. Deliberate resource allocation creates more productive maintenance teams and reduces operational risk.
“The efficiency of our maintenance teams has a direct correlation to not just resident satisfaction but overall asset performance,” says Ian Bingham, SVP of Business Development for Buckingham Companies. “Mobile workflow apps were a tremendous step in the right direction, but the implementation of AI-powered maintenance solutions allow us to take a strategic approach to task management. We save valuable time by assigning routine tasks to the nearest available technician, and we save ourselves headaches and improve resident relations by assigning more complicated tasks to the right technician. When we ensure that all maintenance requests are completed correctly the first time, without follow-ups or subsequent repairs, it improves the quality of life for our residents. Strategic AI task assignment also enables our technicians to utilize their specific skill sets and training, which enhances associate job satisfaction and retention.”
AI never sleeps and continuously collects property data. Capturing daily maintenance information enables AI to pinpoint workflow trends and macro-level property issues. Once patterns are identified, AI can develop informed maintenance strategies to further enhance efficiency and streamline operations.
Improving Response Times and Resident Satisfaction
More than anything, residents submitting a service request want that request to be acknowledged by the property team. With traditional paperwork orders, residents would submit a service request and wait to hear back to schedule an appointment. Through mobile maintenance apps, residents can track their service requests from start to finish. Teams can confirm receipt of service requests in real time. Residents can also ask questions, post photos of the issue, monitor repair schedules and stay in communication with the maintenance team throughout the process. That transparency and communication creates an interactive maintenance experience that residents value.
From a resident perspective, the AI-enhanced workflow process facilitates even faster response times and higher-quality repairs, which enhances overall satisfaction. The tailored maintenance workflow system established through AI demonstrates to residents that their needs and time are prioritized by onsite teams.
“Today’s renters expect immediate feedback from their property teams, whether it’s a question about their lease or a maintenance request,” says Bingham. “AI-equipped maintenance workflow management systems empower real-time communication and immediate acknowledgement of service requests. That feature alone is invaluable, but the tactical approach to non-routine requests—assigning tasks to technicians certified in plumbing or HVAC, for example—shows residents that we believe their needs deserve specialized and professional attention. That advanced level of maintenance service is a differentiator right now in multifamily.”
AI also develops customized training for maintenance technicians. Virtual simulations and scenario-based learning activities accelerate skill development and job proficiency. AI-based training tools free up supervisors to focus on property upkeep with the peace of mind that technicians are receiving consistent and updated instruction. Operators can also use AI training platforms to ensure associates have updated training to remain current on necessary certifications. AI-powered performance analytics track and report technician performance metrics so supervisors and management companies can identify areas of improvement or modify training to address needs. The attention to detail afforded through AI establishes a collective maintenance experience that directly contributes to resident retention and NOI.
Future Direction and Innovations
Moving forward, the rental housing industry could deploy AI to not only schedule service, but initiate procurement of replacement parts and materials. AI’s intuitive capabilities could allow technicians to diagnose a problem, and AI will initiate the process to replace the necessary inventory.
Some companies have already started using AI-controlled drone technology to view and diagnose roofing issues, and such computerized vision solutions could expand to other areas of communities to alert owners and operators of property needs.
AI-driven maintenance platforms also help to identify opportunities for automation. The efficiencies delivered through automation help to mitigate overtime for technicians and curb overworking practices to help avoid burnout and retain maintenance associates.
AI’s predictive potential could even impact future insurance costs by proactively alerting operators to inevitable property issues and helping to optimize preventive maintenance plans.
The potential of AI is limitless in terms of protecting and maintaining properties. It provides a more efficient and thoughtful workflow system for maintenance teams, making them more responsive and productive. It customizes the maintenance experience for residents, improving transparency throughout the process and increasing resident satisfaction and retention. And it helps to ensure that maintenance needs don’t slip through the cracks, improving the integrity of communities and driving overall asset value.
Doug Pike is a Content Specialist for LinnellTaylor Marketing.