Executive Summary
By deploying the full suite of EliseAI products, Kittle Property Group drove substantial leasing conversion rate improvements, including a 65% reduction in median lead-to-lease timeline and a 15% increase in tour-to-lease rates, while simultaneously cutting 40% of their overall advertising spend. Kittle also leveraged AI to drive significant delinquency reductions.
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Introduction to Kittle Property Group
Kittle Property Group is a national leader in multifamily housing with deep roots dating back to 1948. As a successor to companies with over 60 years of experience in multifamily home development and management, Kittle has built a comprehensive portfolio spanning 18 states across the Midwest and Gulf Region. Today, the company manages approximately 18,000 apartment homes across 170 properties in 20 states, representing investments totaling more than $3.5 billion, with a focus on both market rate and affordable communities.
But, like many other operators in a post-COVID world, Kittle Property Group identified slow response times to inquiries and poor lead nurturing as two areas to improve in 2024.
Challenges Kittle Property Group Set Out to Solve
For Chris Fields, Senior Director of Marketing and Corporate Communication at Kittle Property Group, having prior experience working in the eCommerce industry gave him exposure to the seamless, on-demand buying experience B2C consumers have come to expect. When he compared that experience to the experience prospective renters went through when trying to schedule a tour of one of Kittle Property Group’s apartments, he realized that the lengthy time prospects had to wait for a team member to follow up was limiting Kittle’s ability to capitalize on that person’s readiness to buy.
Chris and the Kittle team felt that if they could inject the instant gratification and “always on” nature of eCommerce into their lead nurturing process they could improve conversion rates, but faced limitations due to the hectic schedules of their onsite teams and the high percentage of after-hours inquiries Kittle received.
Fortunately, the Kittle Property Group team found EliseAI to help them rapidly respond to prospect and resident inquiries around the clock.
Results of AI Deployment at Kittle Property Group
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As a result of deploying EliseAI’s LeasingAI, ResidentAI, and VoiceAI products, Kittle Property Group realized both a noted increase in overall leasing performance as well as a positive impact on rent collection efforts. With LeasingAI and VoiceAI handling inbound prospect inquiries around the clock, Kittle Property Group drove a 65% reduction in overall lead-to-lease timeline while simultaneously allowing Kittle to reduce marketing spend by 40%. With LeasingAI nurturing leads throughout the leasing funnel Kittle Property Group achieved a strong 8% lead-to-lease percentage, as well as a 15% increase in tour-to-lease rates as a result of the AI managing post-tour follow ups.
One of the most acute impacts of the EliseAI product was felt at a community that was looking to fill an empty leasing agent role when the pilot began. The Kittle Property Group team chose not to backfill that vacant role, trusting the AI to manage the majority of leasing-related tasks, and in turn saw that community post the 2nd highest conversion metrics of the 11 communities included in the pilot. With the LeasingAI product automating 91% of all leasing related messages for Kittle Property Group, it’s now possible for them to maintain preferred staffing ratios while still capturing all incoming leads, including after hours.
ResidentAI has also driven a positive impact on Kittle Property Group’s rent collection efforts. Through automated and persistent follow-ups the AI also managed to recover $241,034 in aged receivables (30+ days) or balances aged 30 or more days, while automating 27 hours of work per community per month during the pilot. The AI sent over 10,000 delinquency related communications and made 269 outbound calls on behalf of Kittle Property Group, encouraging residents to pay while taking unpleasant work off the plates of Kittle’s human team members.
Why EliseAI?
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EliseAI is the leading provider of AI and automation solutions designed for the needs of modern multifamily operators, with over 400 different organizations utilizing EliseAI’s products in millions of units across the US and Canada. EliseAI’s products automate the most tedious parts of the resident lifecycle, from sending tour follow ups to scheduling work orders to circulating renewal offers and more, enabling onsite teams to focus on building meaningful connections with residents while delivering improved financial performance and ROI on tech spend.
Chris, as a veteran of the software industry, brought a high-level of expertise with both AI and product development to the table when it came time for Kittle Property Group to compare and contrast existing AI solutions. With that background in mind, Chris and the Kittle team found that EliseAI’s level of responsiveness, laser-focus on customer-driven innovation, and openness to feedback made them the ideal vendor partner for Kittle’s AI rollout.
Beyond the fact that EliseAI’s products boasted higher automation rates and better conversation quality than other vendors in the space, the willingness of the EliseAI team to include customers like Kittle in beta testing was a key factor for Chris when he was comparing AI products. EliseAI’s focus on co-developing features and functionality with customers, taking real feedback into account and rapidly iterating on user requests, differentiates the pace and quality of development of EliseAI’s tools from other AI vendors.
Keys to AI Success for Kittle Property Group
While the quality of the EliseAI products helped drive strong results, Kittle Property Group’s structured change management strategy and innovative approach to property marketing were other key drivers of conversion improvements during the AI rollout. Chris and the Kittle team conducted a series of structured group training sessions followed by regional, site-level, and individual sessions, putting an emphasis on smaller sessions to encourage employee comfort and better adoption. By hosting small sessions where team members didn’t have to be worried about asking “dumb” questions in front of their peers, the Kittle team was quickly able to pick up the finer points of EliseAI’s products and drove high adoption rates across the pilot communities.
Chris also reduced Kittle Property Group’s reliance on expensive ILS platforms, instead choosing to allocate marketing budget to pay-per-click campaigns on other platforms including Google and Facebook. With increased opportunities for competitive bidding and more affordable rates compared to typical ILS platforms, Chris leveraged better ad targeting with the always-on lead nurturing powers of EliseAI to capitalize on every cent of marketing budget at the team’s disposal. By driving improved conversion rates with AI and better budget allocation, Chris developed buy-in from Kittle Property Group’s SVP of Property Management, COO, and other senior executives to expand their partnership with EliseAI.
Looking to the Future of Kittle Property Group and EliseAI Partnership
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Given the success of the initial rollout of EliseAI’s products at Kittle Property Group, Chris and the Kittle team are excited for the further deployment of EliseAI tools. Today, the EliseAI and Kittle Property Group partnership continues to expand, with EliseAI’s products being rolled out across larger portions of Kittle’s market-rate portfolio. Chris and the Kittle team are also particularly excited about upcoming development of EliseAI’s LeasingAI product, which is anticipated to help qualify leads more effectively, particularly for the affordable segment of the Kittle portfolio. Chris is also excited about the prospect of new EliseAI marketing and ad-spend optimization tools to come on the back of EliseCRM’s new marketing reporting functionality.
With innovative operators like Kittle Property Group collaborating with the EliseAI team, the future of AI-powered property management continues to take shape before our eyes. Through partnerships and co-development, EliseAI is proud to continue supporting forward-thinking organizations who aren’t content with the property management status quo. Keep an eye on Kittle Property Group as they continue to leverage AI to deliver best-in-class experiences, drive costs down, and create new operational efficiencies.
Introduction to Kittle Property Group
Kittle Property Group is a national leader in multifamily housing with deep roots dating back to 1948. As a successor to companies with over 60 years of experience in multifamily home development and management, Kittle has built a comprehensive portfolio spanning 18 states across the Midwest and Gulf Region. Today, the company manages approximately 18,000 apartment homes across 170 properties in 20 states, representing investments totaling more than $3.5 billion, with a focus on both market rate and affordable communities.
But, like many other operators in a post-COVID world, Kittle Property Group identified slow response times to inquiries and poor lead nurturing as two areas to improve in 2024.
Challenges Kittle Property Group Set Out to Solve
For Chris Fields, Senior Director of Marketing and Corporate Communication at Kittle Property Group, having prior experience working in the eCommerce industry gave him exposure to the seamless, on-demand buying experience B2C consumers have come to expect. When he compared that experience to the experience prospective renters went through when trying to schedule a tour of one of Kittle Property Group’s apartments, he realized that the lengthy time prospects had to wait for a team member to follow up was limiting Kittle’s ability to capitalize on that person’s readiness to buy.
Chris and the Kittle team felt that if they could inject the instant gratification and “always on” nature of eCommerce into their lead nurturing process they could improve conversion rates, but faced limitations due to the hectic schedules of their onsite teams and the high percentage of after-hours inquiries Kittle received.
Fortunately, the Kittle Property Group team found EliseAI to help them rapidly respond to prospect and resident inquiries around the clock.
Results of AI Deployment at Kittle Property Group
As a result of deploying EliseAI’s LeasingAI, ResidentAI, and VoiceAI products, Kittle Property Group realized both a noted increase in overall leasing performance as well as a positive impact on rent collection efforts. With LeasingAI and VoiceAI handling inbound prospect inquiries around the clock, Kittle Property Group drove a 65% reduction in overall lead-to-lease timeline while simultaneously allowing Kittle to reduce marketing spend by 40%. With LeasingAI nurturing leads throughout the leasing funnel Kittle Property Group achieved a strong 8% lead-to-lease percentage, as well as a 15% increase in tour-to-lease rates as a result of the AI managing post-tour follow ups.
One of the most acute impacts of the EliseAI product was felt at a community that was looking to fill an empty leasing agent role when the pilot began. The Kittle Property Group team chose not to backfill that vacant role, trusting the AI to manage the majority of leasing-related tasks, and in turn saw that community post the 2nd highest conversion metrics of the 11 communities included in the pilot. With the LeasingAI product automating 91% of all leasing related messages for Kittle Property Group, it’s now possible for them to maintain preferred staffing ratios while still capturing all incoming leads, including after hours.
ResidentAI has also driven a positive impact on Kittle Property Group’s rent collection efforts. Through automated and persistent follow-ups the AI also managed to recover $241,034 in aged receivables (30+ days) or balances aged 30 or more days, while automating 27 hours of work per community per month during the pilot. The AI sent over 10,000 delinquency related communications and made 269 outbound calls on behalf of Kittle Property Group, encouraging residents to pay while taking unpleasant work off the plates of Kittle’s human team members.
Why EliseAI?
EliseAI is the leading provider of AI and automation solutions designed for the needs of modern multifamily operators, with over 400 different organizations utilizing EliseAI’s products in millions of units across the US and Canada. EliseAI’s products automate the most tedious parts of the resident lifecycle, from sending tour follow ups to scheduling work orders to circulating renewal offers and more, enabling onsite teams to focus on building meaningful connections with residents while delivering improved financial performance and ROI on tech spend.
Chris, as a veteran of the software industry, brought a high-level of expertise with both AI and product development to the table when it came time for Kittle Property Group to compare and contrast existing AI solutions. With that background in mind, Chris and the Kittle team found that EliseAI’s level of responsiveness, laser-focus on customer-driven innovation, and openness to feedback made them the ideal vendor partner for Kittle’s AI rollout.
Beyond the fact that EliseAI’s products boasted higher automation rates and better conversation quality than other vendors in the space, the willingness of the EliseAI team to include customers like Kittle in beta testing was a key factor for Chris when he was comparing AI products. EliseAI’s focus on co-developing features and functionality with customers, taking real feedback into account and rapidly iterating on user requests, differentiates the pace and quality of development of EliseAI’s tools from other AI vendors.
Keys to AI Success for Kittle Property Group
While the quality of the EliseAI products helped drive strong results, Kittle Property Group’s structured change management strategy and innovative approach to property marketing were other key drivers of conversion improvements during the AI rollout. Chris and the Kittle team conducted a series of structured group training sessions followed by regional, site-level, and individual sessions, putting an emphasis on smaller sessions to encourage employee comfort and better adoption. By hosting small sessions where team members didn’t have to be worried about asking “dumb” questions in front of their peers, the Kittle team was quickly able to pick up the finer points of EliseAI’s products and drove high adoption rates across the pilot communities.
Chris also reduced Kittle Property Group’s reliance on expensive ILS platforms, instead choosing to allocate marketing budget to pay-per-click campaigns on other platforms including Google and Facebook. With increased opportunities for competitive bidding and more affordable rates compared to typical ILS platforms, Chris leveraged better ad targeting with the always-on lead nurturing powers of EliseAI to capitalize on every cent of marketing budget at the team’s disposal. By driving improved conversion rates with AI and better budget allocation, Chris developed buy-in from Kittle Property Group’s SVP of Property Management, COO, and other senior executives to expand their partnership with EliseAI.
Looking to the Future of Kittle Property Group and EliseAI Partnership
Given the success of the initial rollout of EliseAI’s products at Kittle Property Group, Chris and the Kittle team are excited for the further deployment of EliseAI tools. Today, the EliseAI and Kittle Property Group partnership continues to expand, with EliseAI’s products being rolled out across larger portions of Kittle’s market-rate portfolio. Chris and the Kittle team are also particularly excited about upcoming development of EliseAI’s LeasingAI product, which is anticipated to help qualify leads more effectively, particularly for the affordable segment of the Kittle portfolio. Chris is also excited about the prospect of new EliseAI marketing and ad-spend optimization tools to come on the back of EliseCRM’s new marketing reporting functionality.
With innovative operators like Kittle Property Group collaborating with the EliseAI team, the future of AI-powered property management continues to take shape before our eyes. Through partnerships and co-development, EliseAI is proud to continue supporting forward-thinking organizations who aren’t content with the property management status quo. Keep an eye on Kittle Property Group as they continue to leverage AI to deliver best-in-class experiences, drive costs down, and create new operational efficiencies.