In the U.S., one in every two cell phones is a smart phone, making the smart-phone-toting renter fast becoming the rule rather than the exception. With instant access to the Internet and a website designed for the mobile web, you can deliver 24/7 interaction to prospects and residents in the palm of their hands.
In fact, how long until we have QR codes on the side of our buildings or on the front door of the leasing office to link our future and current residents to our mobile websites?
"(QR Codes) Quick-Response codes are mobile bar-codes that allow bar-code-reading software in a mobile phone camera to act as a scanner. They can be placed in real world settings & scanned with the phone camera and decoded.
There are two sides to this mobile coin; one is how our customers interact with our product (apartment homes), the other side is utilizing the technology to better operate our assets.
From marketing to inventory control QR codes are permeating our lives. Every magazine has QR codes guiding us to "learn more" with a click of our smart phone. Mobile "apps" are already making an impact by shortening make-ready time, affecting inventory control and providing "real time" access to property level data.
We have one plumber where each service tech has an iPad. Property manager's e-sign their estimate and e-sign again upon work completion. Invoices are immediate emailed. One of our appliance providers delivers to the site and has the property manager e-sign the invoice on his iPhone.
If there is any question about whether or not smart phones are taking over the earth consider that RIM (Blackberry) market share has dropped from 12% to 4% in just two years. I admit to being one of the many converts.
How long until we have a bar code, of sorts, on each unit door tied to an off site server with unit level, property level and portfolio level information available to employees with company controlled access levels?
To learn more about utilizing QR codes, smart phone, tablet and other computer enabled mobile devices at your multifamily community, visit my friends at 365connect, the multi-award winning leaders in delivering technology solutions to the multifamily housing industry.
You can also stay informed on what is trending in the multifamily industry, by visiting MultifamilyBiz.com, the Next Generation Internet Platform and the place to be for everything touching multifamily housing. MultifamilyBiz.com is the ultimate resource for the latest news, blogs, videos and upcoming industry events.
About This Blog
Multifamily Insight is dedicated to assisting current and future multifamily property owners, operators and investors in executing specific tasks that allow multifamily assets to operate at their highest level of efficiency. We discuss real world issues in multifamily property management and acquisitions. This blog is intended to be informational only and does not provide legal, financial or accounting advice. Seek professional counsel from MultifamilyInsight.