Multifamily operators are investing heavily in technology, automation, AI, amenities and marketing.

But when a prospect can choose from five comparable apartment communities within a few miles—and several are offering aggressive concessions—the competitive advantage may be much simpler:

How does your property make people FEEL?

That idea surfaced repeatedly in my conversation with Anna Kunkel, VP of Property Management at Compass Communities. Anna has taken an unconventional road into multifamily, but that journey helped shape a leadership philosophy centered on service, accountability, empowerment and genuine human connection.

Her experience offers an important lesson for operators: people-first property management isn't the opposite of strong financial performance. Done correctly, it helps create it.

QUICK SUMMARY BEFORE YOU READ:

5 Key Takeaways

1. Your onsite team can be a stronger competitive advantage than your amenities.
2. AI should improve response time while giving employees more time for human interaction.
3. Before replacing an employee, determine whether the real problem is training, systems or support.
4. Resident satisfaction should be measured and managed like any other operational KPI.
5. Empower onsite employees to solve problems—but teach them the financial consequences of their decisions.

5 Questions to Discuss With Your Team

1. What experience do residents receive at our property that they can't get from the competitor next door?
2. Where could automation give our team more time to personally serve residents?
3. Do employees have enough authority to solve resident problems without constantly seeking approval?
4. Are we measuring resident satisfaction consistently enough to identify trends?
5. When performance slips, do we investigate the system before assuming the employee is the problem?

Your Team May Be Your Best Amenity

New construction has raised the bar across markets like Nashville. Newer communities can offer upgraded finishes, elaborate amenities and aggressive concessions.

Older assets can't always compete dollar-for-dollar.

But they can compete on experience.

Anna's philosophy is straightforward: residents are choosing a home, not simply renting a unit. This is where they'll celebrate birthdays, raise children, experience setbacks and live their everyday lives. The way the onsite team treats them becomes part of that home.

That changes the competitive equation.

Instead of asking only:

"What amenities do our competitors have?"

Operators should also ask:

"What experience do residents receive here that they won't get next door?"

A maintenance technician who waves to residents from the golf cart may contribute more to retention than another expensive amenity nobody uses.

Practical Play

During property walks, evaluate the human experience alongside the physical asset.

Are team members making eye contact? Do maintenance and office teams communicate well? Are residents greeted by name? Are vendors treated professionally?

Those small interactions are your brand.

Create Systems That Give Employees Permission to Care

One of Anna's most interesting examples was Compass Communities' Acts of Kindness SOP.

The idea emerged after a maintenance employee hesitated to help an immobile resident with terminal cancer take out his trash because he worried doing so could create a Fair Housing issue.

Instead of allowing policy to eliminate compassion, the company created a framework for kindness.

Teams are given parameters for spending time or money on thoughtful resident gestures—from helping someone experiencing hardship to leaving flowers for a newly engaged resident.

That's an important operational lesson:

Don't simply tell employees to provide great service. Build systems that allow them to do it.

"You can't standardize every human interaction—but you can create a culture that gives people permission to care."

AI Should Create More Time for Humans—not Replace Them

Anna shared a compelling statistic: approximately 58% of their leads arrive after hours.

By implementing an AI leasing solution, prospects can receive responses within seconds. Anna said roughly 46% of those who responded after submitting an inquiry were able to schedule a tour.

That's exactly where automation shines.

AI handles speed.

Humans handle connection.

The mistake would be assuming that because AI can answer questions, humans no longer need to follow up.

Anna's teams still call prospects personally.

That's the model operators should be considering:

Automate the transaction. Humanize the relationship.

As more competitors adopt similar technology, technology itself becomes less of a differentiator.

Human service becomes more valuable.

Don't Assume a Performance Problem Is a People Problem

One of Anna's best leadership stories involved taking over a struggling property.

She was warned that the existing staff wasn't very good and that replacing them might be necessary.

Instead, she observed. She asked questions. And she discovered something different.

The employees weren't necessarily incapable—they lacked training, tools and support.

Once those things changed, the team changed. Employees who might have been dismissed ultimately progressed into management and commercial real estate careers.

That's a lesson every regional and executive should remember.

Before concluding "this employee isn't performing," ask:

• Is this a training problem?
• Is this a systems problem?
• Is this a communication problem?
• Is this a workload problem?
• Or is this actually a people problem?

The distinction can save good employees.

Measure Resident Experience Like You Measure Occupancy

Culture and customer service can sound subjective.

They don't have to be.

At one struggling property, Anna's team began closely tracking resident satisfaction while reorganizing a significant maintenance backlog.

Instead of simply supervising maintenance, leadership began project managing the workload—prioritizing issues, communicating more frequently and organizing execution.

The property's satisfaction score improved from 2.7 to 4.8.

The lesson isn't simply "send surveys."

It's this:

Give employees evidence that their work is making a difference.

When a team is fighting through a difficult turnaround, open work orders and delinquency reports can make every day feel like failure.

Resident feedback provides another scoreboard.

And sometimes your team desperately needs to see that scoreboard moving.

Empower Employees—but Teach Them the Economics

People-first leadership doesn't mean saying yes to everything.

Anna gave a great example: a leasing professional may hear a resident requesting new flooring and think:

"Let's take care of them."

Leadership may hear the same request and think:

"$2,200."

Both perspectives matter.

The answer is financial education.

Employees throughout the property should understand expenses, budgets and the financial consequences of operational decisions.

Then give them authority within reasonable parameters to solve problems.

"Empowerment without financial education creates risk. Financial education without empowerment creates bureaucracy."

The sweet spot is both!

Listen to the Full Episode

Hear my full conversation with Anna Kunkel on The Property Playbook for more lessons on resident experience, AI, employee development, multifamily leadership and building a management company around values that actually mean something.