Ah – The Jetsons! “Meet George Jetson, his boy Elroy, daughter Judy, Jane – his wife!” Can you hear the theme song that brought the promise of a space-age tomorrow to Saturday morning televisions across the country? Although the single-season cartoon was originally only aired from September 1962 to March 1963, it lived on in syndication for decades and somehow stayed in the zeitgeist as the gold standard of the future.
Artificial Intelligence and touch-free engagement were once the stuff of science fiction. Today, it’s ubiquitous across all business sectors and therefore in the daily lives of consumers everywhere. When was the last time you wrote a check? For anything? From online payments to virtual leasing, the daily highly repetitive tasks formerly managed by site teams are rapidly transitioning to automated systems. All transactions are becoming frictionless as we work to eliminate pressure points and bottlenecks.
Optimizing tech solutions allows operators effortless access to clean data and trends. Of equal importance, they meet the demands of consumers who have completely adapted to seamless, on-demand, and touchless interactions. Everything from groceries to automobiles can be purchased without ever leaving the comfort of your device – wherever that may be.
COVID-19 taught the world the critical value of low-touch efficiency. Companies that had been on the fence about making the technological shift scrambled to convert work processes and create virtual customer engagement. The pandemic forced the slow-to-adopt multifamily industry to get on board the expanded tech train. Now that the pandemic is beginning to wane, companies are considering the future. While some are eager to get back to business as it was, the companies that embrace the lessons learned in 2020 will likely become even more streamlined and tech focused which will continue to change the way our team members work and the tasks they perform.
These inevitable changes will reorient our workforce. Property teams will likely become more dedicated to delivering elevated boutique-style customer brand experiences. As AI expands in the multifamily space, the need for a human-centric approach grows with it. While consumers seem to want less face-to-face time, the expectation is clear – when face-time is required, it must be top notch, deliver on brand promises, and elevate the consumer experience.
AI is here to stay. So are the humans.