Rukus Esi (SVP & Chief Digital Officer) Discusses Technology’s Role in Enhancing the Resident Experience

When it comes to lease renewal, a renter's decision isn’t as simple as a single factor—it’s influenced by a combination of elements that begin shaping their experience from day one. Understanding these ongoing factors is critical for property owners and operators looking to foster meaningful relationships with their residents. I recently spoke at RETCON, one of the industry’s leading real estate innovation conferences, about how strategic technology applications can boost resident sentiment, reduce turnover, and support operations. Here’s an overview of what I shared on stage:

While every resident’s decision is personal, cost and location are typically the first and most important considerations in the apartment selection process. These are the customer’s baseline for any property, but after these considerations are met, resident experience becomes the primary driver for how long someone will stay in your community.

The customer experience, both digitally and physically, is increasingly central to a resident's decision to stay. At its core, customer experience is about how easy it is for residents to resolve issues, how they are treated by staff, and whether they feel like they’re part of a broader community. In an age where convenience is paramount, residents expect digital-first processes and self-service tools that let them handle everything from rent payments to service requests without friction. These tools must be reliable, intuitive, and integrated into a broader digital ecosystem.

Technology can improve these tasks and touch points, but technology works best when paired with positive human interaction. A mobile app may allow residents to reserve an amenity space or submit a service request, but if technology fails, residents still want reliable and empathetic human support. The most successful properties balance digital innovation with strong, customer-focused human service.

To ensure residents are happy, multifamily companies must deploy an always-on customer insights strategy. This includes conducting surveys at key moments, such as during move-in and mid-lease, to gauge how resident sentiment evolves over time. These surveys provide valuable insights and allow us to vet the success of a technology-enabled experience.

In addition, gathering feedback during digital touchpoints—such as after submitting a maintenance request via an app or interacting with an AI assistant to book a tour—offers real-time insights into the customer journey. This allows property managers to make adjustments that benefit both the resident and the business, and it’s an opportunity to intervene early and address any issues before they multiply and impact retention.

It’s easy to focus on the resident's experience, but your associates, the community-based and remote teams who interact directly with residents and know your customers best, play a vital role in driving technology adoption. A happy, well-resourced associate leads to a happy, well cared-for resident.

At AvalonBay, this means ensuring that colleagues feel valued, supported, and equipped to provide excellent service – and that they feel connected to the broader corporate vision and understand their role in achieving those goals. They must have a seat at the table before, during, and after new technology is introduced on site.

By fostering a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing between cross-functional teams—including Product, UI/UX Design, Engineering, and Property Operations—companies can develop a proactive, coordinated approach. A continuous feedback loop on the company’s digital tools is invaluable in responding to emerging trends and refining those tools to be as effective as possible.

Today, smart home technologies are not just a nice-to-have, in many ways, they’re an expectation. From controlling lighting and temperature to smart locks and security features, these innovations improve residents' quality of life by making daily tasks easier. However, there’s a catch: while many residents want these added conveniences, most of them don’t want to pay a premium for them as part of their rent.

For property managers, this means being strategic and selective about which technologies are offered. Rather than automatically bundling expensive smart home features into rent, some properties allow residents to opt-in for the technologies they want, often purchasing them independently. That said, some essential technologies—such as internet connectivity and smart access—are seen as crucial for operational efficiency and need to be deployed at scale. For example, smart access enables self-guided tours, allowing our prospective residents to view properties outside of regular office hours. It also reduces the need for physical keys, streamlining operations.

Of course, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is another powerful application making waves in the residential space. AvalonBay uses AI to streamline routine tasks like answering frequently asked questions, processing maintenance requests, and following up on transactions. This automation frees up associates to focus on higher-value, less monotonous and mundane tasks, such as solving complex problems or addressing more personalized resident needs.

Looking ahead, the resident experience is rooted in hyper-personalization. With the vast amounts of data generated by digital platforms, property managers can offer experiences that are increasingly tailored to individual needs and preferences. Generative AI, for example, will allow properties to serve residents in highly specific ways, whether through personalized service recommendations or predictive maintenance.

As technology continues to evolve, the challenge for property managers and owners will be to keep up with changing expectations. Personalization and self-service will become the norm, and the best property managers will be those who can integrate these technological advancements into a seamless experience for their residents, while still relying on associates to deliver that invaluable human touch.

To stay competitive, property owners and operators need to leverage the power of data, create more streamlined and responsive systems, and provide exceptional human service when technology alone can’t meet a resident’s needs. By prioritizing both the digital and human elements of the experience, property managers will be well-positioned to meet the expectations of today’s savvy residents, building a thriving community that they are eager to call home for years to come.