Harnessing Technology to Transform Multifamily Operations with Sarah Saglam from LeaseHawk

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Multifamily Women's Podcast. We have a wonderful guest for you today. Her name is Sarah Suklam. She is the VP of Sales and Marketing at LeaseHawk. Sarah, we're so happy you're here today. Thanks for having me here, absolutely. And so what was your journey into multifamily? What got you started and how did you end up at LeaseHawk? What got you?

started and how did you end up at LeaseHawk? Well, in 2012, I got an offer out of the blue to learn more about a company that provides technology solutions to the multifamily industry. So, stepping back a little bit, two years before that, my son lost his sight to a rare genetic disorder when he was in high school. So, after getting over the grief and stress and everything, we pretty much had to jump into gear and find solutions for him to be successful, and technology played a huge role in really helping him not only thrive but really excel in a lot of areas, and that's kind of what got me really excited about working for a company that offers technology solutions. So my background was primarily sales and marketing. I worked in nonprofit, and so when the opportunity came up, I was really intrigued and excited because I wanted to learn more about how technology can make your life easier, make you more productive and offer solutions to really take the next level and drive success within an organization or just our day to day lives.

Absolutely. That's wow. That's a really incredible story, and I love how technology has played such an important role in your life. That is really impactful. And so what was your path into finding LeaseHawk? And you've been there for almost 13 years now yes, wow. So what makes you stay there as long as you have as well?

So what makes you stay there as long as you have as well? So it was kind of a funny thing. Mike Mueller, the CEO and founder of Leesock, who's an industry icon and quintessential innovator, knew a friend of mine and said, hey, come talk to me. And it ended up kind of being a job interview and the more I heard his vision and kind of what he wanted to do for multifamily companies, I was just hooked because I saw the applications in technology and how it can really drive success and how it can help us be more productive, but leveraging AI and understanding its applications and not to be afraid of it but use it in a way that can help us be more successful and efficient. And really the reason I've been there so long is I'm constantly learning and I'm surrounded by people that we have a culture of innovation and trust and integrity and that really creates an amazing. You know, work, family.

Wow, that's really amazing. I love women in tech. I feel like this is such a great opportunity for women to have representation in technology, and so I love that you're embracing that. I'm right there with you. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about AI, and so that has grown into a number of other solutions.

So we offer virtual leasing assistant through voice chat and text for multifamily companies to leverage. That really acts as an extension of the leasing team. So when the team is doing you know higher value activities, this is your backup, this is your BFF, a member of the leasing team that can respond in a consistent way, qualify leads, drive appointments to the leasing team, and that really evolved into what we're now working on and getting ready to launch is our ACE insights, and what that does is it really analyzes all of your traffic as well as your leasing team. So we record, transcribe and score calls of the agents and give them basically metrics against an industry standard scorecard so we can give them training opportunities, we can identify top performers for management companies and give them those metrics to. Hey, what areas do we need to focus on? Where does my team need a little extra help to be more productive or to ask for the appointment or you know things that make them a high powered leasing machine? Wow.

And we talk so much on this podcast about the importance of that team and how that especially that they're the first line right Of the sale, the resident experience so that team. To have eyes like this on that team and be able to just kind of automate and keep, keep kind of a pulse on what's happening on site, is pretty incredible.

Yeah, and you really only have one chance to make a first impression. You know good first impression. So we know mystery shops don't usually cut it because it's not at the rate of frequency that it should be. It's like they might do one shop a quarter. Well, this is every qualified call. So we can give them metrics on hey, here's the areas where you really nailed it and here's areas where you might want to tweak. And then they feel like they're being empowered to perform at their best because it's going to help them.

You know, be better at handling prospect inquiries as well as resident inquiries. So we're also going to score every call, categorize it. You know, was that a resident call? Was it a prospect call and what were they asking about? So, having those insights into my ad source effectiveness, are these ad sources giving me qualified traffic? And then, what are these prospects asking for? So, say, I'm getting a lot of requests for people looking for a one bedroom, but I know I have a surplus of two bedrooms. Maybe it's time to run a special on those units and get them moved through so we can fill the units faster. And, you know, focus on filling our vacancies as quickly as possible.

That's incredible insight to have as an owner operator Just invaluable. So tell me more, too, about additional services that LeaseHawk does provide, because I know we're doing really innovative things as well. So what else do you offer and what do you provide your customers? What services do you provide them with?

So I'd say we are the leader in an AI platform, so we offer insights into how well their marketing performs, as well as their leasing team and then filling those areas that they have gaps with technology. So some management companies they're not sure what are my high times for traffic where I really need to staff up and then what are my low times where maybe I can reduce office hours or even close on a Sunday. We have some clients where, after analyzing their traffic, they realize Sundays we really didn't have a lot of you know, walk-ins or even phone traffic, so we can close the leasing office on that day and then offer a QR code, maybe on the you know the door of the leasing office that people can, you know, communicate with an AI assistant and fill that gap and also give the team a break, you know, to not have to work every Sunday and an efficient, consistent way to answer any prospect requests or resident requests.

Wow, that's really innovative. I like that a lot. So, being a woman in multifamily and on the side of technology which again I think there's a lot of representation there that's needed what advice do you have for women in our industry that are trying to become vice presidents and elevate their career?

So I think it's really be curious, you know, and form meaningful connections. You know, sometimes a lot of people feel like, oh, networking, I don't want to network, but just asking people about tell me about your job, tell me about your day to day. What's a day in the life of Lauren? I want to learn more about what you're doing and then it doesn't seem as untouchable. Or, you know, be open to listening to people's experiences and trying to make connections, because that's the only way you're going to grow and learn.

You know, I have a saying it's like grow through it, don't go through it, because you can't grow without learning and understanding people's different views and where they're coming from. And you can't do that without asking questions and being curious. And you know research. So much data is available online through blogs, through podcasts I mean, I listen to a lot of different podcasts about AI and technology as it relates to our day-to-day where AI is taking us and the pros and cons and understanding that. But I think just being open to find out about, you know, different person's roles in an organization, because then that'll help you understand oh, I really want to go into this area and seek out a mentor, you know. Seek out someone that is in that type of role that you can learn from, and most people are very happy to share their experience and you know the pros and cons and pitfalls of of what they've done and if they could have done something differently. You know that kind of thing.

Yeah, absolutely. I hear the mentorship answer quite a bit. It's it's very important in this industry to have mentors. We all have had them and that's why we are where we are today. So I think that's a great insight. And you I saw in your title are in both sales and marketing, which I love that you're thinking about that holistically. I feel like a lot of times that's kind of segmented.

Tell us about how that journey works and how you view that whole business essentially Well, if you think about it, marketing kind of acts, as they're the group that supports the entire organization. So understanding what sales needs from an operational standpoint and from a marketing standpoint is so important that we're all on the same page and you know what do they need as a resource that we can support them with. Is it collateral, is it a video, is it messaging or a story? And really digging into what they're experiencing on a day-to-day basis and what they're hearing from our clients. Because that's so important to really be the voice of the customer and understand. You know their pain points and how we're solving them. Because that helps us build out our product roadmap and making sure we hit the mark by constantly being locked in with the voice of the customer and then being aligned internally. So sales and marketing works lockstep to ensure the success of our clients.

I love that you see it that way too, because I, like I said, I feel like a lot of times they're seen kind of separately and we each have our duties in this process. Right, and it's so. We are a company that very much believes in brand and as the driver of all things so and content, obviously. So I very strongly resonate with what you're doing, so big kudos there. So you've been an attendee of the Women's Summit a few years now. Tell us about your experience there and some of the connections you've formed.

Well, I have to say, I love the focus that it's women in the industry, because sometimes it's very hard to make connections with people.

So it's kind of like a really amazing platform where all of us get together and share what we're experiencing A great opportunity to network and make meaningful connections with people you wouldn't normally be. You know, face-to-face with because there is something to be said about having an in-person experience versus just a virtual experience. You know you can experience seeing the person's smile on their face, the excitement that they're getting by learning something or meeting someone new. I try to I laugh about this and people laugh at me for doing this but I try to talk to three strangers every day and at the conference I found that when I went, nobody felt like a stranger. It's like we all have something in common. We're all from this industry, we're all women, we're all trying to, you know, grow and learn and excel in whatever our role is. And it's such a diverse group of people you can't help but make meaningful connections and, you know, take away some amazing experiences and growth from you know, attending Absolutely.

Yeah, I'm I'm really excited. This will be my first year, but from everything I've seen, you're going to love it. I'm so excited. I I've heard nothing but great stories and reviews, so again, I'm we're super excited to have you as a sponsor this year and as an attendee. So tell me more about some of the opportunities that are happening with LeaseHawk, what the culture is like and why again, why you like working there.

Okay, so I've been there, like you said, almost 13 years. That, to me, says a lot. You know, I am a pack animal. I'm the youngest of six kids, so if you think about all the time you spend at work, it needs to be in a place that fuels trust and innovation, and we operate like an amazing group of individuals that we're constantly challenging each other. We're setting goals for each other.

Everybody pretty much has an open door policy. So you want to come work with me for a bit? Let's talk about your growth opportunity and where you want to be, and I think that being a small company has its advantages because you have access to everybody. You know, when we're all in the office, we have a hybrid work environment, but you know, we have a few days where everybody's in the office and it just is bustling with energy and positivity, and you can go talk to the guy that runs the product team. You can go talk to our head of finance. You can talk to our president, mike's often in the office, and just having access to a CEO and the person that's driving our innovation is you just can't get that at any other company. And then the fact that we're smaller we have the ability to pivot and do things quicker than, say, larger companies.

And do you find, being a smaller company, that you're able to really obsess on the customer a little bit more and really offer that customer experience?

Yes, and I think that's one of the things that we have an incredible reputation for. We have a great customer success team that is so customer-centric and focused on listening to what our customer is looking for and what they value, as you know what they need to measure success with, and then constantly interviewing them and listening to them, because you really can't understand where they're coming from if you're not having those conversations. Where tell us everything that you're dealing with? You know what are you struggling with, what are your pain points as an organization and where do you want to be. You know a year from now, so we can identify what technology solution fits in with solving those pain points and helping them operate more effectively.

I think having that level of customization and customer-centric you know, active listening is going to be incredibly impactful moving forward, because I think a lot of people like to try to make that one-size-fits-all solution and not allow for that customization, because you really want to try to get the masses as much as you can, right. But I think that catered experience is going to become more and more beneficial to companies, especially PMCs and all of these different companies. So I love that you guys are thinking that way. Are there other innovations that you're very excited about at LeaseHawk that are on the horizon?

I'd say the ACE Insights. You know the piece about really helping supercharge the leasing team because there are, you know, there's so many, there's so much noise in the industry. How do you filter through that noise and identify the best solution that's going to help your team excel? Because you know, if you look at every website, there's a lot of promises that are made or you know we'll help you get to this point. But having you know the the, we have the reputation of you know tracking and analyzing over 150 million calls for the industry, so we know what people are calling about. We know industry best practices for how those calls should be handled to really ace every call and excel as a leasing team and then offer a solution that can help them not only work more efficiently but smarter, because we know that resources are stretched. The industry is constantly changing, you know, and so you have to pivot and leverage solutions that are going to help your team be efficient and productive.

And I like that you're staying very in tune with what sounds like AI news and what's. You know what's happening. Because one of the things I really like that it sounds like ACE is designed to work alongside your associates or the on-site associates, right. It's supposed to be kind of like a right-hand man to help out. And I think that's how a lot of people should be thinking about AI right now is how do we use it to just amplify our teams, right, and so this is the perfect use of AI to amplify a team, and it's kind of like a dial.

you know, depending on how little or how much you want to turn that dial to have it pick up the slack that's the beauty about it. You know you can ring the leasing office and give your teams a crack at answering the phone. But if they're not able to answer the phone, you know you have the next best thing that can offer the best customer experience to the prospect and the runners that are looking for a place to stay, which is so important in such a personal decision people are making. You want that first interaction to be the best interaction it can possibly be, absolutely.

And this is such a good example of leaning into the human element alongside AI, alongside the use of technology. Where does that fit in this process? And giving the customer control of that process right and I think that we've talked about that a lot is that I think people's fear with AI is how do I control how much of it we're using? And this sounds like it's very controllable, it's very manageable on their end.

And we work with clients to really understand you know what are you wanting to solve. Because as a telephony platform, you know that's what we started off. As we can route the call, we can decide how many rings you know happen before someone picks up and do all of that back end without them worrying about what if it doesn't answer or what if you know it's after hours. We can give them all of those solutions and map it out for them. So we really act as a partner for them to understand you know what are they trying to solve for and then create the best technology to solve that issue.

Wow, I really like that, the customer-centric thinking. I love that you're thinking about the resident. The resident experience is kind of that driving force, that North Star, as we say in marketing. So amazing. Is there anything else that you want our listeners to know about Lease?

Talk. No, I just I would love for them to visit our website and learn more about what we're doing in multifamily to supercharge the leasing team and help the entire management company be more efficient and effective, and giving them insights to make decisions on. Where do I need to tweak to offer the best customer experience that can ultimately, you know, fill units quicker and have our team work more productively and efficiently.

Wonderful. Well, again, you can visit. Is it leesockcom? Yes, To learn more and definitely reach out to Sarah. I'm sure you're available to take calls mentorships, all the things that we talked about today, and thank you so much for coming on the show today and thanks for everybody for listening and tuning in. Don't forget to grab your tickets on multifamilywomencom.