Customer service is a critical differentiator for modern businesses, putting increased pressure on call centers to deliver high-quality customer experiences while controlling operational costs. The increasing volume of customer interactions can overwhelm traditional support models, resulting in inconsistent customer experiences and reduced customer satisfaction as it becomes impossible to maintain context and personalization throughout the support process.
A leading real estate investment and management firm operating across North America faced this challenge head-on. With a proprietary resident portal already in place, the organization needed a way to unlock the value hidden in recorded support calls. Partnering with Effectual, they implemented generative AI solutions that transformed their call center operations, turning passive data into an active asset to drive faster resolutions, improve sentiment awareness, and lay the groundwork for future AI integration.
The Challenge
The customer’s proprietary resident management portal was recording thousands of resident and applicant phone calls, but the contents of those interactions remained largely untapped. Transcripts existed, but there was no systematic way to surface insights, identify sentiment, or tie calls to specific residents or applicants.
This blind spot limited the customer’s ability to quantify and measure the experience of those calling in or identify opportunities for improvement. Support teams were forced to rely on fragmented information, making it difficult to respond with speed or context. As a result, resident satisfaction and internal efficiency were both at risk, which could negatively influence property retention and brand perception.
The Solution
Effectual partnered with the customer to develop and integrate AI-powered call summaries into their enterprise resource planning (ERP) application. This initial integration enabled a swift, seamless expansion of functionality using existing infrastructure.
Implementing automated transcription and summarization of resident calls allowed support staff to leverage concise summaries and sentiment scores, visualized both numerically and via color indicators, instead of manually reviewing full call logs and transcripts. These summaries are stored and searchable within the ERP for 60 days, allowing teams to review historical trends, track recurring issues, and understand customer sentiment at a glance.
This foundation marked the beginning of the customer’s AI roadmap. Building on the success of call summaries, Effectual and the customer are now planning deeper integrations of generative AI capabilities. These next phases include internal agentic Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) chatbots, call-to-customer matching, and automation for lease documentation, HOA violation notices, and policy enforcement. Eventually, customer-facing AI agents could extend this functionality to applicants, residents, and prospects alike.
Realizing Tangible Benefits from AI Call Center Automation
The immediate impact of the project was significant, with internal teams now spending far less time reviewing transcripts and more time acting on insights. Effectual’s AI solution provided significant operational outcomes for the customer, regardless of call volume.
- Faster support, without sacrificing experience: Reduced wait times by quickly identifying needs and guiding responses, giving customers fast answers without feeling rushed. Every interaction was focused and personalized.
- More accurate resolutions, fewer follow-ups: Enhanced issue diagnosis and matching customers with the right solution the first time. That means fewer repeat calls and a smoother, more satisfying experience.
- Scales effortlessly, stays personal: Even during peak demand, Effectual’s AI solution maintained consistent, high-quality support, ensuring every customer gets timely, personalized help, no matter the volume.
New Features and a Vision for the Future
Sentiment analysis added a new dimension of visibility, so managers can identify at-risk customer interactions and proactively resolve concerns. Meanwhile, data from the last 60 days informs business decisions, highlighting patterns in service quality, agent performance, and customer satisfaction.
Most importantly, the project has reshaped the customer’s view of generative AI. What began as a modest integration is now seen as a strategic asset with transformative potential across departments. In the words of the customer, “This is just the first step in our journey of how powerful it can be.”
Effectual’s expertise didn’t just modernize a support process, it built a platform for continual innovation, creating space for broader AI adoption in property management operations.
Learn more about Effectual’s AI Accelerators and how they can help transform your business.
