Recently released results from J Turner Research’s nationwide survey found that of the top five apartment resident complaints, three were directly related to the quality of communication with staff.
 
In an age of constant communication, most apartment residents want to hear from their communities. When important events or interesting news occurs in a community, residents certainly benefit from being in the know. This is especially important in the case of community-wide emergencies.
 
Plus, today’s apartment dweller is more connected than ever. And with so many new ways to connect - from emails and texts to smartphones and social media - residents are constantly changing the ways communities communicate with them.
 
But for the apartment industry, effectiveness is often measured by the timeliness of the message.
 
Our team at Epproach Communications discovered this firsthand. Since 2004, we’ve provided community-wide WiFi service to apartment communities, and from the start we noticed that effective, real-time communication between residents and property management was severely lacking in most communities.
 
Property staff was using outdated, time-consuming methods to reach renters. From posting paper flyers around the community to using ineffective bulletin boards, management teams were often spending lots of time and energy trying to communicate but rarely reaching their residents in time – or at all.
 
From power outages to community-wide emergencies, many of the messages that need to reach residents are time-sensitive. Here are some simple ways to start to effectively and efficiently reach your residents.
 

Be Short and Sweet

Communicating with today’s residents in a 140-character-limit world means competing for their attention. Their eyes are scanning hundreds of messages and subject lines everyday, with only the best and most interesting pieces of information sticking. When you’re competing with messages from their friends, family or work, it can be difficult to get your messages and updates to stick. That’s why it’s best to craft a message that is concise, engaging and to the point. Short and sweet messages have a much better chance of “sticking” with your residents.

 
Give Your Residents the Power to Choose

In an age of constant communication, residents are inundated with information everyday. That’s why it’s important to give your residents ways to choose how they receive their community’s communications. If they can’t opt out of emails or texts, even if it’s just one message a month, then they will feel like they are getting spammed. By allowing residents to choose how they receive their communication – from text messages and emails to in-app notifications – messages are able to leave a much greater impact.
 
A few years ago, our team created a communication service, dubbed Communiqué, that takes these tips into account by providing property management and residents with a branded-as-your-own mobile smartphone app. Our app and its communication service can send out mass text messages, emails and app notifcations all at once, making it easier than ever for property management teams to more effectively reach their residents.
 
And in today’s hyper-connected world, clear, direct communication is a feature residents expect in apartment communities. 

Denver Hollingsworth currently serves as Epproach Communication’s Director of Marketing. After graduating from East Carolina University with a BS in Communication and a concentration in Journalism, Denver relocated to Wilmington, NC, to join the Epproach team. As Epproach has transitioned from a Managed WiFi vendor to a full-scale technology provider for the apartment industry, Denver has been responsible for all aspects of the company’s marketing, from nationwide ad campaigns and industry tradeshows to innovative social media engagement.