By Deena Cook

Published Oct 24, 2024

Updated Oct 24, 2024

Ensuring a smooth move-in process is what matters most for Channel Club Apartments Community Manager Trisha Philipps. Since the Bainbridge Companies community incorporated Updater | Onboarding Pro, move-in workloads have gone from heavy to streamlined.

Trisha, who’s been in the apartment industry for 11 years, says the move-in stressors during her career have covered the whole board — from managing late moving trucks to answering a million questions, things often and quickly turn disorganized. 

Since adopting Updater in late 2023, she’s seen a significant shift, and one of the biggest time-savers has been Updater’s follow-up capabilities. The app’s automated, pre-scheduled emails link up with a resident’s move-in date to ensure they receive all information and documents in a timely manner — without Trisha having to remember those timelines or manually send emails.

“Updater assists in the follow-up with future move-ins to decrease the time on the phone and email for team members,” says Trisha. 

One of the app’s standout features, for Trisha, has been how clearly Updater outlines tasks for future residents — it’s like giving them a checklist for success. Whether it’s scheduling movers, blocking off elevator times, transferring utilities, forwarding mail or setting up TV and internet, Updater makes sure everyone is ready to relax and enjoy their new space on move-in day with no surprises.

“The future resident’s ability to know what they are responsible for, and to check those tasks off as they are completed, streamlines [the process],” she explains. It also minimizes mistakes that could otherwise slow down the move-in.

Residents have responded positively at Channel Club Apartments, especially when they have questions about specific tasks, and that engagement shows Trisha that they’re using the platform effectively.  Even in its first year, Trisha is confident Updater is laying the groundwork for even better lease renewals down the road.

Looking forward, Trisha has her sights set on optimizing Updater even further. “We need to be able to add notes, update the directions for our bulk cable package, and provide instructions for elevator reservations,” she says.

But over at Updater, we’ve already got a solution for Trisha’s suggestion! Our custom tasks feature. Since no two communities are alike, we know that unique situations can arise requiring a tailored approach. With this feature, Trisha can enter a custom task with its own title, detailed description, a URL for more information, and instructions for how residents should complete the task. Tasks can be designated as required or optional, and can easily be edited or deleted any time.

And it can only get better at Updater, as we’re always improving and growing. For now, Trisha and her team have already made the app an essential tool for ensuring seamless, stress-free, and enjoyable move-ins. Now that’s what we call an upgrade!

Deena Cook

Deena grew up in New Jersey, but has lived in various places around the world to satisfy a love of travel and adventure. She holds a degree in Journalism, and loves the freedom that comes from being able to write from wherever she may be living.