The Power of Integrating at your Community

With all the technology available in today’s multi-family industry, we should be looking at the power of integration.  Integration is what happens when your PMS  (Yardi, OneSite, Entrata, etc) is connected with the systems that help run your community. Access control, parking and car charging, visitor entry, smart apartment, smart building Wi-Fi, all these systems can work seamlessly within a system you’re already using daily to manage your community. Imagine a world where your teams enter resident data one time at application. From there, specific resident information is shared digitally with each of the other organization systems. No longer will you need to log into each system individually to register or remove each resident. With system integrations, all of that is done automatically.

 When you integrate effectively, you can add hours back to your workday. Instead of your teams spending time operating different access control systems and issuing various fobs, a proper system integration simplifies the entire process. Another great advantage occurs at move out. Most integration systems feature the ability to automatically remove a resident’s credentials on an effective lease termination date. Once a resident’s scheduled move out date is confirmed, the credentials are automatically removed and unregistered from the security and access control systems in the building. Additionally, the lock is converted to a vacant lock and becomes available for vendors to get those turns started.

 Most of the systems that will integrate with your PMS are also expandable to allow for growth and upgrades. This means that once could install a new, fully integrated access control system for the amenity spaces at your community, and later that same system can expand to resident smart locks, smart apartment, and even a whole building Wi-Fi solution all in one integrated platform. Some of these systems will even allow self-guided tours with total ease.  Fun fact: in most cases, the newer integrated access control systems are very cost competitive or even a bit less than the traditional systems you all know well. This alone makes exploring these kinds of opportunities a must for every community looking to stay on top of the newest trends without breaking the budget.

Lastly, one of the most exciting features in integrated access control is the ability to use a mobile phone as the key to the castle… or community. Using a mobile device as the main credential is the way of the future, yet it is fully available now.  Say goodbye to the ongoing cost of key fobs and hello to an easier move in process.  Once an approved resident is entered into the PMS, an email or text will be sent to them automatically. After the resident completes registration, a link prompts them to download the system on their device and they instantly have access to amenity spaces, parking garages and their own new apartment home!

When you are considering upgrades or new build systems on your community, keep these things in mind. You can use today’s available technology to make property management life (a little bit) easier.