Executive Summary
Through a combination of strategic change management initiatives and best-in-class AI deployment, Mill Creek Residential significantly increased its lead-to-tour rates and resident satisfaction scores.
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Introduction to Mill Creek Residential
Mill Creek Residential is a national rental housing company offering comprehensive services across investment management, development, construction, acquisitions, and property management. With a mission focused on creating meaningful relationships and extraordinary places, Mill Creek manages over 30,000 homes nationwide supported by 650+ property management associates.
Between a construction division that has built nearly 41,000 rental homes, a development team with unparalleled local market expertise, and an investment arm that has raised $8.4 billion in equity, Mill Creek Residential is well-positioned to continue expanding its portfolio across the country. Above all else, Mill Creek distinguishes itself through attention to detail, exceptional service, and best-in-class resident experiences for the thousands of people who call Mill Creek communities their homes.
But, like all operators, Mill Creek Residential has not been immune to the impact of changing consumer behaviors in an “on-demand” economy, with customers expecting faster-than-ever replies regardless of the time of day.
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The Challenge: Repetitive Work for Onsite Associates, Low Call Center Conversion Rates
With over 30,000 units under management and a sterling reputation, Mill Creek Residential has consistently received very high lead volume at its communities. This, in turn, meant that their onsite associates had to spend a large portion of their day-to-day managing repetitive communications with residents and prospective residents. Instead of having the time to walk their communities or helping to make move-ins and outs smoother and simpler, Mill Creek Residential’s onsite team members were instead responding to basic inquiries, scheduling tours, and spending their first few hours in the office working through their inbox backlog.
The Mill Creek team also recognized that the way they were handling phone calls could be improved. In order to effectively manage their phones, Mill Creek Residential had a contract with a leading call center to take overflow calls. Unfortunately, the call center was converting leads to leases at a sub-1% rate. The Mill Creek Residential team, recognizing the importance of being available over the phone for both residents and prospects, knew they needed a voice component to whatever new solution they brought on to help with their inbound and outbound communications.
Fortunately, the Mill Creek Residential team brought on EliseAI, the leading provider of AI and automation technology for the multifamily industry, to help them reinvent both their leasing and resident services workflows.
Measuring AI’s Transformational Impact for Mill Creek Residential
Implementing the full suite of EliseAI’s conversational AI products across 110 of Mill Creek Residential’s communities has contributed to significant conversion rate improvements and boosted customer service scores, as well as increased operating efficiency and introduced new cost savings. As a result of improved lead nurturing, Mill Creek Residential’s lead-to-tour conversion rate increased dramatically from 14% pre-AI to 35% post-AI. Throughout the last six months of 2024, EliseAI nurtured almost 100,000 leads for Mill Creek Residential, with an average of 5 touchpoints per customer.
The positive impact of deploying EliseAI’s solutions at Mill Creek Residential doesn’t end at the prospective resident experience. Customer service scores improved significantly, with the Mill Creek Residential team achieving record-high ratings by the end of 2024. They achieved these gains both through the attentive and always-available ResidentAI support, as well as increased opportunities for onsite teams to handle high-value resident interactions now that lead management and other low-value tasks were off their plates. Bad debt went down and collection rates went up, as EliseAI automated payment reminders and outbound delinquency calls to residents.
In addition, Mill Creek Residential recognized serious savings by using VoiceAI to eliminate their contract with the overflow call center, turning a low-percentage service off in favor of a best-in-class voice AI product that over 90% of their residents have interacted with. Finally, Mill Creek Residential has been testing one of EliseAI’s newest products, Lease Audits, with early results suggesting the potential for both significant labor savings and improved compliance oversight.
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Why Mill Creek Residential Chose EliseAI
With 30,000+ units under management, Mill Creek Residential knew they were going to need an AI vendor partner who was capable of the support and innovation at scale. In Mill Creek Residential’s eyes, that partner was EliseAI for a variety of reasons. For one, EliseAI was one of the first AI and automation vendors in the multifamily space, serving over 400 operators across millions of units of rental housing. Mill Creek Residential was confident that EliseAI was ready for primetime, with a proven track record of delivering strong results for some of the largest operators in the country.
The quality of EliseAI’s products compared to other, newer vendors on the market also set EliseAI apart in Mill Creek Residential’s eyes, with a wider breadth of end-to-end AI offerings than other providers who focus solely on either delinquency or leasing. Keeping all their AI with one provider as opposed to cobbling together several other less proven tools suited Mill Creek Residential’s objectives well in that regard.
Beyond the existing quality of EliseAI’s solutions, the Mill Creek Residential team also cited the fast-paced, iterative nature of EliseAI’s product development cycle as a key differentiator. The Mill Creek Residential team has consistently been a vocal and active co-development partner for EliseAI, helping shape the future of EliseAI’s product offerings. Through collaborative, open, and rapid development cycles, Mill Creek Residential has regularly been at the forefront of innovation alongside the EliseAI team.
Implementation and Change Management at Mill Creek Residential
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Implementing EliseAI’s products across 30,000+ units was largely made possible through a strategic rollout with extensive interdepartmental buy-in. The push was led by three powerhouse property management leaders, Samantha Chalmers, Innovation & Integrations Director, Taryn Silva, Vice President - Learning & Development, and Valerie Gibson, Vice President - Community Support. They leaned into Mill Creek Residential’s company ethos “Work Hard, Smart, and Together”, encouraging team members to build “tolerance to discomfort” in order to deliver better experiences for residents and prospects alike.
By ensuring multiple teams were involved in the process, from the innovation team, to learning & development, to asset management and community support, the Mill Creek Residential team made it clear that AI wasn’t a point solution but rather a key driver of a completely overhauled management model.
Rolling out AI across a portfolio the size of Mill Creek Residential posed a unique set of operational circumstances for Samantha, Taryn, and Valerie to overcome. First, they strategically piloted the full suite of EliseAI products at a collection of different properties to both evaluate the effectiveness of the AI and to gather data that could be used to support a larger rollout.
From there, they worked to compile data needed to drive organization-wide buy-in, continuing to monitor the AI and make iterative adjustments informed by real-time feedback and performance data. Once they had enough data to support a portfolio-wide rollout, they needed to ensure that their onsite associates would be receptive to implementing “Milly,” their AI assistant, at their communities. So, the Mill Creek Residential team hit the road for the “Milly Roadshow.”
Over the course of a year, the Mill Creek Residential Learning and Development team traveled to every single market in which they had communities using EliseAI, teaching onsite associates how to effectively partner with Milly. This commitment to focused, in-person upskilling and AI education allowed them to effectively manage change across 110 communities, driving high buy-in and getting onsite associates excited about the prospect of working closely with AI.
The overwhelming success of the “Milly Roadshow” in generating hype around AI deployment reflects Mill Creek Residential's commitment to working “hard, smart, and together” with their team members, led by an innovative, personalized, and hands-on approach to L&D.
Looking Ahead
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Moving into the second half of 2025 and beyond, Mill Creek Residential’s continued innovation trajectory is one to watch. With a strong leadership team focused on leveraging technology to deliver best-in-class resident experiences across 30,000+ units, customer satisfaction scores should only continue to improve, as well as leasing conversion rates. But what is truly so remarkable about the Mill Creek Residential story is the collaborative, intentional, and strategic change management process that made it all possible.
Implementing AI and drastically overhauling established processes at an organization the size of Mill Creek Residential is no easy feat. Fortunately, Samantha, Taryn, and Valerie, leaning into Mill Creek Residential’s “tolerance for discomfort” ethos, were more than able to take on this new, complicated initiative, with a laser focus on supporting team members and residents alike. Keep an eye on Mill Creek Residential as they continue to blaze an innovative path forward, with a little help from EliseAI.
Introduction to Mill Creek Residential
Mill Creek Residential is a national rental housing company offering comprehensive services across investment management, development, construction, acquisitions, and property management. With a mission focused on creating meaningful relationships and extraordinary places, Mill Creek manages over 30,000 homes nationwide supported by 650+ property management associates.
Between a construction division that has built nearly 41,000 rental homes, a development team with unparalleled local market expertise, and an investment arm that has raised $8.4 billion in equity, Mill Creek Residential is well-positioned to continue expanding its portfolio across the country. Above all else, Mill Creek distinguishes itself through attention to detail, exceptional service, and best-in-class resident experiences for the thousands of people who call Mill Creek communities their homes.
But, like all operators, Mill Creek Residential has not been immune to the impact of changing consumer behaviors in an “on-demand” economy, with customers expecting faster-than-ever replies regardless of the time of day.
The Challenge: Repetitive Work for Onsite Associates, Low Call Center Conversion Rates
With over 30,000 units under management and a sterling reputation, Mill Creek Residential has consistently received very high lead volume at its communities. This, in turn, meant that their onsite associates had to spend a large portion of their day-to-day managing repetitive communications with residents and prospective residents. Instead of having the time to walk their communities or helping to make move-ins and outs smoother and simpler, Mill Creek Residential’s onsite team members were instead responding to basic inquiries, scheduling tours, and spending their first few hours in the office working through their inbox backlog.
The Mill Creek team also recognized that the way they were handling phone calls could be improved. In order to effectively manage their phones, Mill Creek Residential had a contract with a leading call center to take overflow calls. Unfortunately, the call center was converting leads to leases at a sub-1% rate. The Mill Creek Residential team, recognizing the importance of being available over the phone for both residents and prospects, knew they needed a voice component to whatever new solution they brought on to help with their inbound and outbound communications.
Fortunately, the Mill Creek Residential team brought on EliseAI, the leading provider of AI and automation technology for the multifamily industry, to help them reinvent both their leasing and resident services workflows.
Measuring AI’s Transformational Impact for Mill Creek Residential
Implementing the full suite of EliseAI’s conversational AI products across 110 of Mill Creek Residential’s communities has contributed to significant conversion rate improvements and boosted customer service scores, as well as increased operating efficiency and introduced new cost savings. As a result of improved lead nurturing, Mill Creek Residential’s lead-to-tour conversion rate increased dramatically from 14% pre-AI to 35% post-AI. Throughout the last six months of 2024, EliseAI nurtured almost 100,000 leads for Mill Creek Residential, with an average of 5 touchpoints per customer.
The positive impact of deploying EliseAI’s solutions at Mill Creek Residential doesn’t end at the prospective resident experience. Customer service scores improved significantly, with the Mill Creek Residential team achieving record-high ratings by the end of 2024. They achieved these gains both through the attentive and always-available ResidentAI support, as well as increased opportunities for onsite teams to handle high-value resident interactions now that lead management and other low-value tasks were off their plates. Bad debt went down and collection rates went up, as EliseAI automated payment reminders and outbound delinquency calls to residents.
In addition, Mill Creek Residential recognized serious savings by using VoiceAI to eliminate their contract with the overflow call center, turning a low-percentage service off in favor of a best-in-class voice AI product that over 90% of their residents have interacted with. Finally, Mill Creek Residential has been testing one of EliseAI’s newest products, Lease Audits, with early results suggesting the potential for both significant labor savings and improved compliance oversight.
Why Mill Creek Residential Chose EliseAI
With 30,000+ units under management, Mill Creek Residential knew they were going to need an AI vendor partner who was capable of the support and innovation at scale. In Mill Creek Residential’s eyes, that partner was EliseAI for a variety of reasons. For one, EliseAI was one of the first AI and automation vendors in the multifamily space, serving over 400 operators across millions of units of rental housing. Mill Creek Residential was confident that EliseAI was ready for primetime, with a proven track record of delivering strong results for some of the largest operators in the country.
The quality of EliseAI’s products compared to other, newer vendors on the market also set EliseAI apart in Mill Creek Residential’s eyes, with a wider breadth of end-to-end AI offerings than other providers who focus solely on either delinquency or leasing. Keeping all their AI with one provider as opposed to cobbling together several other less proven tools suited Mill Creek Residential’s objectives well in that regard.
Beyond the existing quality of EliseAI’s solutions, the Mill Creek Residential team also cited the fast-paced, iterative nature of EliseAI’s product development cycle as a key differentiator. The Mill Creek Residential team has consistently been a vocal and active co-development partner for EliseAI, helping shape the future of EliseAI’s product offerings. Through collaborative, open, and rapid development cycles, Mill Creek Residential has regularly been at the forefront of innovation alongside the EliseAI team.
Implementation and Change Management at Mill Creek Residential
Implementing EliseAI’s products across 30,000+ units was largely made possible through a strategic rollout with extensive interdepartmental buy-in. The push was led by three powerhouse property management leaders, Samantha Chalmers, Innovation & Integrations Director, Taryn Silva, Vice President - Learning & Development, and Valerie Gibson, Vice President - Community Support. They leaned into Mill Creek Residential’s company ethos “Work Hard, Smart, and Together”, encouraging team members to build “tolerance to discomfort” in order to deliver better experiences for residents and prospects alike.
By ensuring multiple teams were involved in the process, from the innovation team, to learning & development, to asset management and community support, the Mill Creek Residential team made it clear that AI wasn’t a point solution but rather a key driver of a completely overhauled management model.
Rolling out AI across a portfolio the size of Mill Creek Residential posed a unique set of operational circumstances for Samantha, Taryn, and Valerie to overcome. First, they strategically piloted the full suite of EliseAI products at a collection of different properties to both evaluate the effectiveness of the AI and to gather data that could be used to support a larger rollout.
From there, they worked to compile data needed to drive organization-wide buy-in, continuing to monitor the AI and make iterative adjustments informed by real-time feedback and performance data. Once they had enough data to support a portfolio-wide rollout, they needed to ensure that their onsite associates would be receptive to implementing “Milly,” their AI assistant, at their communities. So, the Mill Creek Residential team hit the road for the “Milly Roadshow.”
Over the course of a year, the Mill Creek Residential Learning and Development team traveled to every single market in which they had communities using EliseAI, teaching onsite associates how to effectively partner with Milly. This commitment to focused, in-person upskilling and AI education allowed them to effectively manage change across 110 communities, driving high buy-in and getting onsite associates excited about the prospect of working closely with AI.
The overwhelming success of the “Milly Roadshow” in generating hype around AI deployment reflects Mill Creek Residential's commitment to working “hard, smart, and together” with their team members, led by an innovative, personalized, and hands-on approach to L&D.
Looking Ahead
Moving into the second half of 2025 and beyond, Mill Creek Residential’s continued innovation trajectory is one to watch. With a strong leadership team focused on leveraging technology to deliver best-in-class resident experiences across 30,000+ units, customer satisfaction scores should only continue to improve, as well as leasing conversion rates. But what is truly so remarkable about the Mill Creek Residential story is the collaborative, intentional, and strategic change management process that made it all possible.
Implementing AI and drastically overhauling established processes at an organization the size of Mill Creek Residential is no easy feat. Fortunately, Samantha, Taryn, and Valerie, leaning into Mill Creek Residential’s “tolerance for discomfort” ethos, were more than able to take on this new, complicated initiative, with a laser focus on supporting team members and residents alike. Keep an eye on Mill Creek Residential as they continue to blaze an innovative path forward, with a little help from EliseAI.