Tabitha Givens Career Background
What is your biggest career achievement?
- In July of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic that has drastically altered our industry, I chose to move from my comfortable position at a stable asset to a newly acquired and under-performing asset. This property the very first asset that we took on with a new client, and as such, it was imperative that we made quick and effective improvements in the performance of the property to secure the confidence of the client and foster a positive relationship.
This was a challenging asset, and it was a stark contrast to the experience I had at my previous property. The residents had seen several different management companies on the property in the span of just a couple of years and were understandably frustrated at the transition. Additionally, the manager was new to her position and still learning her role, and, as many properties did during this period, we struggled to find employees and were almost perpetually short-staffed on both the office and maintenance sides. It truly took a team effort from all staff-members to keep the property running, and I often had to go above and beyond standard assistant manager duties to keep the maintenance team from being overwhelmed, including managing the turn schedule, assisting with make readies, maintaining grounds, and completing routine work orders.
Despite our challenges, we were able to make incredible strides at this property in a short amount of time. Even during the pandemic, we were able to greatly reduce delinquency, and we increased occupancy from about 78% to 95% within just 7 months. We turned the property’s performance around so quickly that the client was able to put the property on the market and secure a buyer within that timeframe as well – a feat that they had been struggling to accomplish for years prior due to the property’s consistently poor performance. Additionally, our work at this community proved the value of our management company to this client, and we now have an entire portfolio of assets with them in a variety of different markets. While this experience was extremely difficult and at times overwhelming, I am extremely grateful for and proud my time at this property because it showed me how much more I was capable of than I had previously thought possible.
What is your ultimate career goal within the rental housing industry?
- Success can be measured in a variety of ways. For some, success is attaining a certain job title or receiving a desired level of status or recognition. For others, it can be about reaching a specific benchmark or even just achieving a sense of confidence and empowerment in day-to-day tasks. For me, success is about continually pushing myself to grow and reach my greatest potential in an ever-changing industry. There is not necessarily a specific job title or level that I feel I need to reach; instead, I take pride in challenging myself to do better and achieve more than I did the day before. I thrive in an environment that encourages me to take on greater responsibilities and challenges.
My main responsibility in my current position is to support on-site teams, and I love this aspect of my job. I truly enjoy working with so many different people from a diverse set of backgrounds and perspectives, and I feel that I learn something new from both my on-site and leadership teams every single day. The past few years have really illustrated the dynamic nature of the rental housing industry and have shown us just how essential it is to be flexible and innovative in order to thrive. That is one of the aspects of my job that I enjoy most – staying abreast of the latest trends and working with my team to creatively problem-solve new issues that arise every day. In this ever-changing field of endless possibilities, my goal is to continue learning, innovating, and growing as much as I can. The sky is the limit.
What's one rental housing trend you have your eye on?
- In a world that is constantly pushing the boundaries of technology, I think many people are retroactively realizing just how valuable human interaction is. Virtual tours, digital communication, and online leasing have all become expected components of the prospect experience, and while the convenience of virtual leasing is undeniable, it is also important to retain a personal, human element. People want to know that there are real people at the property who they can turn to if/when they need something while living there. Leasing is an art, and it cannot just be replaced by a virtual tour online.
This is why I find AI chatbots to be such an interesting and valuable technology in the industry right now. To me, chatbots are a beautiful marriage of technology and humanity. While of course a chatbot cannot fully replicate the nuance of true person-to-person interaction, some chatbots can come shockingly close. These bots can conduct conversations that are so realistic that prospects often do not even realize that are not speaking with a real person. Programs like MeetElyse and PERQ have chatbots which sound so natural that, when prospects eventually step on-site, they will ask if Elyse is working that day so they can finally meet her in person. Additionally, these bots are available 24 hours a day, making leasing more convenient and accessible to prospects than ever. This is especially true properties that are struggling with staffing and/or other issues that are plaguing the industry right now. Chatbots also do not have elements of human error that sometimes hinder leasing, like forgetting to follow-up with prospects or not accurately/promptly updating guest card information. These bots free up time for leasing team members, which then allows them to focus greater attention and provide even better service in their interactions with prospects and residents.
While nothing can beat a true master leasing consultant, AI chatbots come pretty close, and they are bringing a human-adjacent element back into a world that has had to dive headfirst into primarily virtual interactions over the past few years. Lately, it sometimes feels that we are living in a world that has forgotten the value of customer service in the face of technology, and I am excited to see how chatbots are able to streamline the virtual leasing experience and make it more personal and personable for my teams.