Want to train your leasing agents to perform with fewer errors and more confidence? Research shows that learning something once isn’t enough. If you want your staff to retain long-term software skills, you need learning software that implements immersive learning and repetitive practice. But how do you implement those features without overwhelming staff? How to train staff for long-term skill retention The key lies in seamless integration. Related training is the newest feature in Yardi Aspire designed to help staff gain long-term skill retention. Available within several Yardi solutions including RentCafe CRM Flex, Yardi Procure to Pay and RentCafe Affordable Housing, related training embeds continuous learning directly into staff workflows, giving staff easy access to skill information where and when they need it most. With easy access to relevant training right before an employee performs a specific task, they can reduce potential costly errors and complete tasks with greater efficiency. Information fades over time, but with help from experiential learning, employees can actively refresh their memory, enhance their understanding and create a more meaningful learning experience — without the hassle. How does related training for Aspire work? A tab will appear on the right side of the screen when an employee uses any related training-compatible solution, like the ones previously mentioned. This tab will directly link them to Aspire training courses associated with the task they’re currently performing. Users can then choose from available training options, followed by a key concept review and short quiz. Once finished, they can continue learning in Aspire or return to their task with greater confidence. It’s that simple! Those who use the integrated Yardi Help tool can find the new related training feature in their Help window. From there, they can review course details and launch a recommended course from the Help screen. Training success starts here Educating your employees efficiently can be one of the most challenging aspects of running a real estate management company. Yardi Aspire is committed to helping you make it easy with innovative learning technology that educates and empowers. Ready to improve training efficiency? Here’s everything you need to support your developing...

It’s the end of the year, and you are starting to feel sluggish. Scrolling social media endlessly or putting off tasks are everyday bad habits that society picks up in December. Why not start now with some New Years’ resolutions and download some productivity apps that can help get you out of that slump? We’ve done some research and found a few apps that can help. Here are four apps to increase productivity for the end of the year and the start of next year: 1. Todoist App (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome, Safari, Firefox). Todoist is a task management tool that promises to make complex to-do lists manageable. This app is for individuals, helping you track your tasks and ensure nothing gets forgotten. Key features of Todoist include task management, prioritizing tasks, project goals, and reports. Todoist offers a slick, cross-platform interface that makes it quick and easy to manage functions if you struggle to keep on top of your to-do list. 2. Trello App (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and web). Trello is like Todoist, except it is for collaborative teams. Tasks are added and organized on “to-do,” “going,” and “done” statuses, which helps teams keep track of progress. Tasks can be grouped into boards and cards, which contain multiple functions in themselves. Individual duties can be assigned to groups or team members with deadlines and checklists. Key features of Trello include project management, to-do lists, Trello boards, working with anyone, and instant messaging. Instant messaging makes it easy for teams to communicate and collaborate, especially in today’s world of working from home. 3, Zapier App (Windows, Mac, iOS, Andriod, and web). Zapier is a simple automation tool that can save teams vast amounts of time on repetitive tasks and switching between different apps. Zapier sends data between apps like Trello and Outlook, so emails are automatically sent out when anything changes in Trello. Add all these automations together, and your team will collectively spend much less time on menial tasks to focus on more critical ones. Key features of Zapier include the integration of apps, automation of tasks, and custom automation. Zapier is a very gentle introduction to business automation, but it can impact the day-to-day tasks that often slow down collaborative teams. 4. Forest (iOS and Android). This is more of a quirky app to keep you from scrolling social media all day. It is designed, so you stop spending so much time on your phone and/or tablet. Forest essentially gamifies downtime away from your mobile devices. When you want to focus, you plant a “tree,” and the more time you spend away from your smart device, the more it grows. Spend enough time away from your phone to produce an entire forest. The best perk of this app is that you can earn virtual coins by staying focused on your tasks and use them to grow real-life trees from the app. Forest key features include productivity, gamification, and growing actual trees. Forest not only increases a bit of fun into productivity but also helps you make the world a better place while improving your workflow. So far, Forest has planted over a million trees! We hope these apps have given you some inspiration so you can get your productivity game up. These are here to help productivity and not add stress to completing everything on your to-do...

Life for a college student today is much different than it was 20 years ago. Students expect to have the connectivity that they are accustomed to at home. As we dive into student housing tech, one priority is clear: college students demand a fast, reliable WiFi connection. As for Mom and Dad, parents will appreciate the security of electronic locks and cameras, especially when it is their children’s first time off to college. According to a recent article from the National Apartment Association (NAA), for student housing management companies, smart technology offers many advantages: It can alert authorities to danger fasterPeace of mind that no stranger or unauthorized visitor can pick up a key or keycard to get inside the buildingProtect staff by tracking movements in and out of apartmentsSave energy during summer and winter breaks with smart thermostats and alerting if there has been a window left openFree staff from security monitoring to do other tasksDetect leaks in fire and water lines or utility disruptions Security transformation Gone are the days of propping open doors with rocks or losing keys frequently and racking up fines. Smart locks at every entrance mean no more keys or even magnetic cards to carry. Codes are also on the way out since many will share with friends and roommates might not feel comfortable anymore. Bluetooth credentials are the new ways to open doors. Keys, fobs, and codes all can be copied but a Bluetooth credential cannot. Since student housing has a lot more likelihood of damage than your typical multifamily complex, cameras all around the building will also provide security and help staff to see if there was a drunken incident or a pet that is not allowed. Smart doorbells and window security in all units along with a video image of the main entrance intercom on the unit’s touchscreen will benefit for student residents to see who is at the door before admitting them. The window security will alert when a window has been opened and will benefit for winter and summer breaks. Smart locks also allow for contact tracing. “With COVID, once a student or other user reports becoming ill, Servitas LLC can trace his or her movements through the building and alert authorities and other recent users of the same doors and study rooms,” says the NAA article. Smart home shortcomings All the benefits of smart home technology come with some drawbacks as well. Can a building’s network withstand 100% of usage? Students come with myriad WiFi demands such as smartphones and tablets, laptops, TVs, gaming consoles, and more. Student housing property management companies are constantly having to upgrade and maintain bandwidth and equipment, and deal with resident complaints if anything goes down for more than a minute or two. For many years, most companies made eight- to 10-year Internet service agreements; “now I won’t do longer than five years,” says David Braden, Servitas senior VP of operations. Student housing provider Landmark decided a wise choice to handle in-unit tech was a hybrid smart-home hub for each housing unit.  The hub handles devices like unit and bedroom locks, door/window open notification, leak detector, thermostat, smart dimmable light switches and video visitor management. Residents can also customize with items like a smart speaker or smart outlets. Apps are managed through a touchscreen.  Saving time and money Comprehensive software platforms for leasing, rent pay and maintenance requests are saving student housing staff a lot of time and freeing up extra money for other expenses. Students can log into their accounts to sign leases, and select a perfect roommate with a questionnaire that asks compatibility questions. Chatbots are also becoming more common. Artificial intelligence has improved tremendously and can help those who do not take the time to read the marketing website. “In the first quarter of 2022 alone, the bots responded to 52,000 inquiries, saving the company more than 16,000 staff...

For an industry where detail, timeliness and accurate metrics mean so much, the investment world still relies too heavily on manual processes and duplicate data entry from disparate systems. Entering data in multiple spreadsheets and relying on disparate systems is inefficient and can be error-prone, especially when sharing information between investment, investor and accounting software. However, technology is a driving factor behind the growth of automated investment management. Investors now expect on-demand service and self-service access to key metrics, capital transactions, important documents and reports. Beyond financials, investors are also asking for an analysis of an asset’s operating and ESG performance. Yardi’s Investment Suite creates better value for investors, increasing investor confidence. The Investment Manager product specifically improves communication between you and your investors, automates the subscription agreement process and provides easy access to performance metrics. The system is available wherever, whenever access is required. Improve communication Managing relationships with existing and prospective investors is vital to growing any investment business and raising capital. Yardi Investment Manager provides a platform that makes communicating with current and prospective investors more efficient, easier and error-free. For MG Properties Group, a single spreadsheet reported contained as many as 450 tabs. “Having the right technology gives you the ability to produce better net operating income, which in turn creates better value for the property and for your investors, as well,” said Joe Anfuso, CFO. With Yardi’s solutions, they are now delivering statements, capital calls, distribution notices and other information online and via mobile devices. “You increase investor confidence by giving them the information they can be confident is correct,” Anfuso said. Organizations benefit from a single connected tool that helps: Centralize communications with existing and prospective investorsManage capital call and distribution notices with investorsEasily send out correspondence, track activities and follow up tasks quicklyEnable better collaboration with new investment opportunities Increase transparency and accuracy Challenges arise when investment, investor and accounting data are maintained in separate systems. Disparate systems or maintaining spreadsheets outside a system increases the opportunity for errors and the time to produce reports and metrics for stakeholders. With an integrated solution, data from the investor to the asset is available, allowing for increased accuracy and visibility for stakeholders. This single source of truth approach is also beneficial when automating other investment functions like fundraising, as all the back-and-forth is contained within one system. Additionally, onboarding is streamlined to provide a quick and easy transition for investors into your platform. By easily compiling and communicating accurate information, Yardi Investment Manager strengthens investor relationships with superior service, as it did for Cohen Asset Management, allowing the company to maintain a lean organization. Scott McGinness, CFO, said, “To be able to log in to Investment Manager and see what trusts or entities a client has invested with, what actual investments those are in, and the returns they’re receiving have been incredible. I can’t put a price on it.”  “By being able to deliver information when it’s needed, we don’t have to follow up with the investor later, which is easier on both parties. We get a lot of compliments from investors about our service, and Investment Manager is a major reason for that,” McGinness added. Yardi Investment Manager is a single source of truth for investor and investment information. Access information easily In addition to investment and property metrics, Yardi Investment Manager makes it easy to publish reports, tax documents, subscription agreements and more to investors through an online branded portal. This allows your investors’ self-service access to information. Since the portal can take on your company’s personalized branding, it will offer a customized, highly professional experience for investors. They receive automatic alerts and notifications when new documents have been published and secure access to new investment opportunities in a virtual data room setting. Manage portfolios on the go Yardi Investment Manager provides access to investor and investment information on any device. It...

One of the major challenges in investment management is providing visibility to investors. Driving transparency between owners and investors leads to increased investor confidence, reduced risk and a healthier relationship for all parties involved. Communicating with investors and allowing them access to reports and data is critical when it has become evident that in-person meetings will be less and less common.  Technology platforms streamline day-to-day tasks and provide greater efficiency to reduce the risk for human error. Chris Barbier, Yardi industry principal, explained this premise on a REF Club podcast. For example, you could simply enter a number wrong into a formula. An employee who operates the spreadsheet could leave the business, and interpreting data could become a strenuous task. Numbers have to be auditable. There has to be integrity to the data as it rolls up the ownership structure, as Barbier explained. “As an investor, you get the confidence of knowing there is a platform behind a number and that it’s not just being calculated manually in a spreadsheet,” he said. Transparency is also vital for members of the organization beyond the accounting department. “Folks in investor relations, portfolio management, asset management, fund management, they may be the consumers of the accounting information but may not have direct access to the accounting system,” Barbier said. These roles speak directly with investors. Internal departments’ visibility can help them pull up data faster, answer questions, provide details, and broaden the overall transparency between the company and its investors. The pandemic highlighted communication as a value proposition with stakeholders even further. Tech solutions have improved collaboration and communication between teams internally, making remote work more successful than most organizations anticipated. But these tech platforms have also allowed for business continuity in which investors still felt connected to the organization. They were still receiving distribution checks or payments in a timely fashion and never lost visibility into the financial status of a company during a very uncertain year. Investors justifiably had more fear or concern about their portfolio over the past year. Yardi addresses those questions with their investment management solutions. Investors are often asking, “do I have that in my portfolio?” as Barbier explained. “Is that impacting my return? How is that impacting my investment?” Barbier said these were the common questions from investors. “We’ve done a lot in the investor communication side in the past year because we’ve seen clients want to adopt the technologies. COVID accelerated that, but some clients were already going in that direction,” he added. Tech platforms such as Yardi’s investment solutions are a driver for growth and operational performance. Organizations can scale, build value and gain investors without adding staff or additional costs for multiple solutions due to the added efficiency of a single connected platform. Additionally, as Barbier explained, tech provides a new level of asset oversight and risk management, with better access to asset-operational data. “New tools provide that visibility, so [you have] more proactive discussions and less reactive. That starts to gain some efficiencies over time in terms of getting ahead of things that come up at the operational level,” he said. Allowing clients to find ways to squeeze additional value and return yield from the assets. Investors want to have the ability to answer their questions and find the data they’re looking for when they want it. “They’re checking in, at least monthly, to see their positions, their information and where they are with their investments,” Barbier said. But the key is that investors are more involved and more knowledgeable about their standing now than when clients were passively sending information out to investors via email or other avenues. Tech platforms provide that window for self-service that investors seek.  “We’ve seen a trend for a few years now in the U.S. where many investment managers are moving from best of breed to a single integrated solution,” Barbier said. Owning the data...

The last two-plus years have changed the senior living industry, presenting unforeseen challenges for providers. Mainly, they’re tasked with finding effective systems and strategies to meet the needs of residents, families and staff as the industry navigates a new normal. So which solutions are important, now more than ever? For providers and other healthcare leaders, implementing a software solution may have the greatest impact. According to research like this piece from Ziegler, the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of tech-enabled solutions across the healthcare industry like never before. Implementing the right software solution is key in streamlining operations, increasing resident satisfaction, delivering quality care and the list goes on. But not just any software solution is beneficial. To meet the needs of their communities, providers need a full suite of integrated tools that are mobile, intuitive and efficient. Benefits of integrated software When selecting senior living software, it’s important to know the difference between disparate and integrated systems. With disparate tools, you’re operating communities from several platforms that don’t necessarily speak to each other. That leads to time wasted navigating multiple systems, challenges in bringing staff up to speed, the risk of pulling inaccurate data and more. Ziegler’s white paper notes the importance of choosing a single connected solution to stay ahead of the curve. With an integrated system, every facet of your business is united in one place. That offers ease of use for staff, reduced costs and time savings — all leading to streamlined operations and enhanced care. That’s where the Yardi Senior Living Suite comes in. As an integrated system that eliminates the gap between senior living property management and clinical services, the Senior Living Suite gives providers everything they need to manage their communities. The key differentiator? The union of property management, finance, marketing, business intelligence and resident care on a single platform. At a glance, here are five ways the Yardi Senior Living Suite sets your communities apart: Combine property management, finance and business oversight for improved efficiency, reduced costs and responsive resident services with a comprehensive management tool, Yardi Voyager Senior HousingKeep residents and families connected through a secure online portal, RentCafe Senior LivingMake smarter, faster decisions with actionable information for your entire portfolio through Yardi Senior IQ, a business intelligence solution for senior livingKeep health records error free, limit liability and empower staff to deliver the best resident care with Yardi EHR, a full-service electronic health record solution  Attract new residents, nurture your leads and increase resident retention with RentCafe Senior CRM, a mobile-friendly sales and marketing solution Learn more about Yardi software for senior living There’s no denying the importance of software solutions for businesses — especially those that provide interconnected tools. This holds true for the senior living industry, both through the pandemic and beyond. Still curious about how a single connected solution can transform your business and care services? Explore the Yardi Senior Living Suite and reach out to book a demo with our...

Editor’s note: The following interview was originally published on The Breezeway, the official blog of Yardi Breeze. Chris Voss is currently a vice president at Yardi, but he’s been working in affordable housing for over 20 years. In that time, he’s worked on the investor side of the business, putting together tax credit deals to help developers get their properties built. He later shifted gears and spent a number of years working directly with operators. He’s experienced in helping property management companies optimize and modernize with the help of affordable housing and compliance software. Chris is the perfect person to discuss the future of affordable housing. Keep reading to see how he’s helping Yardi revolutionize affordable housing and simplify compliance. What’s the goal of Breeze Premier?We’re looking to bring everyone on our legacy systems over to Yardi Breeze Premier. This will help us better support our clients with newer software and get upgrades out faster. It also provides a portal for applicants and residents to apply online, make payments and enter work orders. Are there any features that tend to convince people to switch or migrate?One of the bigger points of interest for our residential clients is the ability to launch branded corporate and property websites with RentCafe. This is our marketing and leasing solution built into Breeze and Breeze Premier to support online leasing. It also includes options for integrated screening and renters insurance. Historically, rent collection and work order management have been done manually, so to have an integrated system is really compelling. The most-used feature of RentCafe is probably the resident portal, which automates rent collection and centralizes online maintenance requests. And residents love the RentCafe Resident app. Looking back, what made the previous generations of Yardi software relevant in their time?Years ago, Yardi Genesis and Yardi Genesis2 were some of the most powerful property management systems around. This was especially true for small to mid-sized companies. They didn’t need everything a system like Yardi Voyager had to offer. However, a lot of that functionality was built in to help clients with activities in the back office such as bookkeeping, financial reporting and resident tracking. The reality is that a lot of employees at smaller affordable companies wear multiple hats. They do more than back-office activities. That’s where Breeze Premier come in. What’s making Breeze Premier relevant in our time?In addition to accounting, operations and reporting, our latest property management software includes built-in marketing and leasing tools plus a host of optional add-on solutions to do even more. We’ve implemented text messaging to better communicate with residents and introduced a CRM queue to track customer communications and initiate follow-ups. We leverage artificial intelligence to communicate with potential residents using our RentCafe Chat IQ chatbot. We provide the option for clients to outsource their utility billing and utility invoice processing, among other features. Not to mention, we just rolled out maintenance call center services to Breeze Premier clients with RentCafe Connect. If you were to reimagine affordable housing, what might it look like?Reimagining the future of affordable housing is really about finding ways to reduce the costs and complexities of operations. It starts by reducing the friction that is involved with finding and applying for an affordable home today. RentCafe.com is an internet listing service available for our residential clients. Even a person who wants to move to a different state can now easily apply online. They can also complete the entire certification process without ever having to walk into that out-of-state property. We’re also trying to eliminate fair housing complaints from even arising. With RentCafe Affordable Housing, the certification and application process are done online, so the manager never has influence over the application process. So even if that household ends up being denied, they can’t point back and say the property manager was discriminating against them. Put it this way: In every respect, the future...

Senior living operators build community, and community is increasingly defined by its technology — the tech used by residents, staff and family. These integrated systems are a community’s lifeblood, enhancing key aspects of the day-to-day experience for both residents and staff. They help staff communicate, empower residents and ease concerns for family members. Ultimately, these systems keep senior living communities in sync. That’s the focus of a brand new Yardi-sponsored white paper, Technology is community: How to bring residents, family and staff together. Published by Senior Housing News (SHN), the resource offers an inside look at how providers are using tech to connect their communities in creative ways.   See below for a snapshot of what the white paper entails. Using tech to connect residents, families and staff While the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions changed communication in every industry, the pandemic’s risks to seniors made communication in senior living even more important, and more challenging. Today, operators need ways to connect families with their loved ones in communities, and ways to help staff deliver quality care no matter the circumstance. That’s why it is crucial for operators to implement technology tools that streamline communication. Drawing insight from operators Validus Senior Living and Maplewood Senior Living, the white paper shares how solutions like RentCafe Senior Living — a secure online portal — help staff members communicate with each other, with residents and with resident family members. Additionally, how this integrated solution helps users make online payments, review health and wellness information, sign forms electronically and submit maintenance requests. From Validus, you’ll learn how RentCafe Senior Living works to improve communication, streamline billing and even enhance medical care. Through the Maplewood spotlight, you’ll see exactly how this Connecticut-based company is using RentCafe Senior Living to enrich residents’ quality of life in four key areas. That includes socialization, entertainment, safety, exercise and health tracking. Top benefits of improved communication systems New technologies have improved senior living for residents, giving them enhanced experiences in their finances, health, socialization and more. Leading communication tools have also improved the experiences of staff and family. With RentCafe Senior Living, three of the industry’s major stakeholders — residents, staff, families — share a communication tool that is easy-to-use and wide-ranging in impact. Areas of impact include: Resident surveysEasy community communicationPaperless paymentsActivities and wellness calendarsHealth updates for familiesElectronic signatures and document management Explore the white paper for a detailed look at each of these areas. Read more As the pandemic has largely affected senior living communities, it’s imperative for operators to implement technology that enables communication anytime, from anywhere. Read the white paper in full to learn how tech solutions like RentCafe Senior Living make the...