As FEMA, the financial meltdown and BP have demonstrated so well, it is always a good idea to have a well-thought out and technologically viable response plan before a crisis… and that includes multifamily.
Conor Lee became interested in this issue when he produced the Apartment Internet Marketing (AIM) Conference and observed crisis situations unfold on several multifamily companies. It became clear to him that most firms were not as prepared for a crisis as they would have liked to believe. Lee developed and launched ResidentC to provide multifamily with an affordable way to manage crisis situations both to improve safety and preserve financial stability.
Resident C is a web-based service that provides 2-way mass communication which can be very useful for crisis and risk management. It can be used at the site level and/or by regional and corporate staff, making it invaluable for larger, national companies. What does it do? The technology allows management to initiate communication with residents either through the Internet or a mobile phone within seconds. Resident C’s powerful platform then permits contact with residents, staff, emergency crews and the media through SMS (text), landlines, voice mail, mobile phones, email, social media or any other programmed website .
The platform is a simple to use web-interface designed for owners who manage a large number of residents, but the system may also be practical for smaller operators. Below are a few examples when or where the platform might be launched for greater resident safety:
- Beachfront apartments in tsunami areas
- Northern areas where winter weather can freeze pipes
- Planned or emergency interruptions to water or sewer service
- Areas that get windstorms, ice storms, freezing rain or blizzards
- Fires in the subject or adjoining buildings
- People problems – domestic violence, people with mental issues, criminals on or near the property
- Next-of-kin contacts for seniors, dormitory or apartment residents (in the case of illness, flu epidemics, accident or death)
- Tenant inconveniences like broken pipes inside/outside the building
- Tracking and communicating with residents trapped in a building
- Dormitories on campus, daycamps and campgrounds where children are in large groups and there is an emergency
- Checking on residents in all kinds of situations when physical access may not be possible or wise
The ResidentC system allows for an escalating alert level too. If there is a tornado warning but it becomes a hit-your-cellar broadcast, this can be managed immediately. When there is good communication during any sort of event, injuries and property damage might also be minimized. As ResidentC can be controlled remotely, off-site staff can manage communications with residents if on-site staff is busy.
Lee (pictured right) does recommend management communication be standardized and approved as part of the set-up of the platform. This ensures that template messages are available, always appropriate and consistent. This also eliminates the concern that staff might inadvertently notify someone of information protected by privacy laws or send a miscommunication that might later instigate a legal action against the property owner.
Emergency messages do not need to contain great detail and it is suggested they be more along the the lines of this message:
“This is an emergency. Please evacuate your apartment by the fire escape. For further information call Happy Apartments Management at 800-we-r-safe.”
Lee states that beyond resident safety, risk mitigation is a primary goal of the system and a concern for most clients. He also indicated that liability insurance premiums may be lowered with the use of risk management platforms and fully defined emergency policies and procedures.
The current interface does have a feature that allows posting on the property portal, as well as polling capacity to allow residents to respond by pressing a key. For example, when asked a question such as, “Are you safe now?”, the caller would be instructed to, ”Please press 1 for yes and 2 for no.” This polling feature allows management (or emergency personnel) to communicate before, during and after an incident. Once residents are encouraged to use the system – as easy as using the internet, a landline or mobile phone - they may be more inclined to report suspicious activity or potential property hazards too.
The greatest benefit of the system, however, is its 30 second timing. A full blast out can hit all channels simultaneously, including the social media sites, or an individual blast can be programmed only to make robo calls, send an email, post on media sites or send a text message. Conor does warn managers not to overdo it with the SMS and voice features. He cautions that residents would prefer management keep those messages to a minimum - a few per month maximum - but tenants will appreciate getting important information via email.
What’s next for ResidentC? In the next few months they will launch a new version of the software which will aid in marketing and promotion and streamline inter-company communication. These new features should be valuable to any size operator:
- Marketing features to increase drive-by leads
- Automating service requests by phone
- Different pricing for regular (non-crisis) resident communication
- Automated conference call features that patch staff into a bridge line
- Advanced risk management features to further reduce insurance costs
The monthly cost of the system for high-end users is around $100, based on the number of units. However, a smaller landlord weighing the cost against the benefits might also look at staff time. Could the property be better managed with the use of this communication platform? Does the property’s particular geographic area experience many emergency weather events? Has there been an emergency in which 2-way communication would have made a difference in resident welfare? Everyone will answer differently, of course, but small or large, every property manager needs to have a solid emergency plan.
For information on the system, please contact Conor Lee, ResidentC Founder and CEO, at 415-742-1033 or visit the website, www.ResidentC.com. Have you been in a crisis situation? Have you been in a situation when this interface would have been useful? How did your management team handle a crisis or emergency situation? Were you endangered or were conventional methods sufficient to protect you and other residents? Comment below or send us an email.
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