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Pillar Properties Grows Its Business with Yardi Single-Platform Multifamily Solutions
[January 23, 2014]

Pillar Properties Grows Its Business with Yardi Single-Platform Multifamily Solutions


SANTA BARBARA, Calif. --(Business Wire)--

Anticipating sharp business growth, Pillar Properties recently sought new technology to streamline its property management operations. "As we dramatically added apartment units, we wanted to take the opportunity to bring our various operations onto one comprehensive platform that we could manage centrally. We felt we would benefit from one strong relationship for all of those business functions, as opposed to distinct relationships that were always changing," said Carol LaMotte, vice president and chief accounting officer for The R.D. Merrill Company, the parent company of Pillar Properties.

Toward that end, Pillar Properties adopted the Yardi Marketing Suite™, composed of RENTCafé™, Yardi Leasing Pad™, Yardi Call Center™ and Yardi PopCard™, plus additional products from the Yardi Multifamily Suite™ and Yardi's mobile solutions. Since then, Pillar Properties has grown revenue and increased resident satisfaction with new online and mobile services.

"Gen Y and Gen X, our primary target audience, are mobile and want to be able to walk in, see the apartment, sign the lease, and pay online. We saw that Yardi was developing its product line to meet those needs and provide a best-in-class experience for our residents and our team members," LaMotte said.

Yardi Leasing Pad, Yardi Call Center and Yardi PopCard combine to make the leasing process easier both for Pillar Properties and its customers. "Using Leasing Pad, our leasing team can pick up a lead and turn it into a resident quite quickly and easily," LaMotte said. "Call Center provides great backup to our leasing teams to keep up with the volume of calls and traffic we get. We don't miss prospects when people who can't reach us move on to another bulding. Whether someone walks in or phones us or reaches out to us through our website, PopCard lets their guest card information be easily shared and used by team members who can follow up on the lead. All of our leasing agents have iPads with them when they show units, and Leasing Pad lets them complete the leasing process without having to return to the office. Prospect information from all of our sources comes into our Yardi Voyager® property management and accounting system and doesn't have to be rekeyed."



LaMotte added, "Along with making rent payments easily online, our residents use RENTCafé to reserve amenity space or notify us on various matters. It's a convenient one stop-shop-for them; if they need to reach our site management team, they don't have to wait until the management team is available but can contact them online anytime. Yardi Energy Solutions™ adds even more convenience by letting them pay utilities with their rent payments."

Yardi RENTmaximizer™ helps Pillar Properties maximize both occupancy and rental income with trends-based methodology and dynamic business rules. "We have noted significant revenue growth in properties where we have used RENTmaximizer for a significant period of time. The metrics it provides let us place appropriate weight on various factors that drive pricing. Our leasing teams don't have to spend a lot of time doing their own market comparison work. RENTmaximizer gives great information that helps them drive revenues like we need them to."


Other solutions, including Yardi PAYscan™ Mobile, and Yardi Maintenance Mobile™, give Pillar Properties another dimension of convenience and access. "It's very important to us that the mobile apps are fully integrated with Voyager so that's it's seamless for our users. Whether they're traveling and using their mobile app or at their desk, they have the same real-time information and the visibility into the business that comes with it," LaMotte said.

Pillar Properties leverages additional Yardi Multifamily Suite products to screen prospective renters, manage asset maintenance, and automate invoice processing.

"There's a lot of strength in using one platform for all of our operations because a user can sign in to Voyager and see the information they need. Our leaders can get anything they need to make decisions and guide the business. The accounting team can combine information into financial reporting for our owners, investors and lenders. We have a much easier time meeting deadlines and performance targets by being on one platform," LaMotte said.

About Pillar Properties

Seattle-based Pillar Properties develops, owns and manages apartment residences that express the unique personality and vitality of Seattle's signature neighborhoods. We understand the character of the area and work hard to bring that energy into the spaces we design. For more information, visit www.pillarproperties.com.

About Yardi

Now in its fourth decade, Yardi® is committed to the design, development and support of software for real estate investment management and property management. With the Yardi Multifamily Suite, Yardi Commercial Suite, Yardi Investment Suiteand Yardi Orion Business Intelligence, the Yardi Voyager® platform is a complete real estate management solution. It includes operations, accounting and ancillary processes and services with portfolio-wide business intelligence and platform-wide mobility. Yardi is based in Santa Barbara, Calif., and serves clients worldwide from offices in North America, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.yardi.com.


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