Unified Residential's AI Revolution: How Kelsey Elevated Leasing Operations 

Unified Residential Management: Building Communities with Purpose

Unified Residential Management is committed to creating exceptional living experiences across their multifamily portfolio. With properties spanning multiple markets, Unified believes in the power of human connection and community building.

Under the leadership of VP of Business Development Dalia Kalgreen, Unified has embraced innovation while staying true to their core value: people first. Their dedication to both residents and team members drives everything they do.

The Challenge: Leaky Lead Funnel

Before implementing Kelsey, Unified Residential faced operational challenges that were impacting both team morale and the bottom line. Despite having passionate team members and a strong company culture, operational inefficiencies were creating cracks in the foundation.

Every missed lead, every delayed follow-up, and every awkward collections conversation eroded revenue, efficiency and team confidence. The issues were systemic, woven into the fabric of their daily operations. Unified needed a fundamental shift in how work got done but without disrupting the workflows of their onsite teams:

• The Lead Problem: Nearly 50% of all incoming leads were simply missed, phone calls went unanswered, email follow-ups fell through the cracks, and prospects moved on to competitors who responded faster.
• The Staff Turnover: Staff turnover was constant, and training new team members was a heavy lift. Employees struggled to understand workflows in their Yardi CRM IQ system, didn't know how to move prospects through the pipeline, and lacked confidence in customer service conversations.

"Prior to Kelsey, we had a lot of struggles in the training department, and it wasn't necessarily training as much as it was enforcement and doing it," recalls Dalia.

The accountability gap was real: Staff didn't follow up in time, prospects ghosted them, and the cycle continued. As Dalia notes, "If somebody's ghosting you from delinquency, that means they don't plan on paying. Somebody's ghosting you for renewals, that means they're currently shopping. If someone’s ghosting you on a tour inquiry it means they booked a tour elsewhere.”

Solution: Kelsey, The AI Assistant, That Delivers Results

After discovering Zuma through the Humans of Multifamily podcast, Dalia knew she'd found something different. Unlike the chatbot era that sent generic responses, Kelsey offered intelligent, cross-functional workflow automation. 

With the agentic AI technology behind Kelsey, Unified Residential found a solution that didn't just respond to inquiries, it actively managed entire workflows from start to finish. Kelsey could understand context, make decisions, take action across multiple systems all while adapting to different situations. This wasn't automation that needed constant babysitting; it was an AI agent that actually worked alongside the team, handling complex tasks that previously required multiple touchpoints and follow-ups.

What sets Kelsey Leasing AI apart:

For Unified, Kelsey Leasing AI meant no more missed opportunities. Prospects received instant, personalized responses regardless of when they reached out—eliminating the lead leakage that had plagued the team. With qualified tours automatically filling calendars and real-time feedback revealing what prospects actually thought, leasing assistants could focus on closing deals rather than chasing down cold leads.

• Seamless Yardi Integration: Plug-and-play setup that worked perfectly with existing systems.
• 24/7 Lead Engagement: Intelligent conversations across all channels that felt genuine.
• Tour Feedback: Post-tour insights that revealed the truth about property performance.

The Impact: “Kelsey was the best hire we made in 2025”

"Kelsey is phenomenal, she is our best leasing assistant" says Dalia. After piloting on four properties, word got out. Other properties were  demanding to test out Kelsey,” says Dalia. The reason? Teams love that Kelsey is handling the repetitive tasks required in multifamily leasing. Now, the Unified Residential people teams are freed up to do more human-centric work. 

The Personalized Approach Returns:

"Touring people all day long, that is fun," reflects Dalia. "You meet people and you get to really hone in on the community side of it. Our teams have been able to throw more resident events, engage more with the residents." That is really a testament to Kelsey, taking a significant amount of work off of our onsite teams plates.

Collections Transformation: 

At the struggling Memphis property, Kelsey collected 95% of rent income in her first month up from 80%. Across the entire portfolio, collection rates climbed from 84% to 96%. In fact, "even my CEO was looking at the delinquency of that same Memphis property. And she goes, wow, it's just night and day. I'm like, I know. That's because of Kelsey. That's sincerely because of Kelsey."

Organizational Transformation:

Kelsey operates seamlessly in the background, requiring no active management from onsite teams. This AI tool simply feeds our onsite team qualified leads and pre-worked tasks to complete. Staff members log in each day to find their usual workflows intact, just with better results: more tours booked, more leads qualified, and collections already handled.

• Stronger Leasing Assistants: Armed with better information and better qualified leads.
• Centralized Collections: A small team handles what Kelsey can't (which is minimal)
• Time for Community: Staff can now throw resident events and build real relationships

The Bottom Line: A New Era of Multifamily Technology

Within months of implementing Kelsey, Unified Residential's transformation was undeniable. The metrics told a story of operational excellence, but the real victory went deeper than numbers. From struggling properties to portfolio-wide success, Kelsey had fundamentally elevated Unified Residential’s business operations.

• $1M+ in lease value generated in 3 months
• 3,000+ (3x) after-hours prospects captured and engaged
• 93 tour reviews providing invaluable qualitative insights
• 95% rent collection rate across the entire portfolio
• Zero additional positions needed despite portfolio growth

For Dalia, the real victory isn't just in the metrics: "I care about how our teams felt about all the adoption and how they were working with her and they love Kelsey."

The proof? When Dalia runs her lease analysis reports, "these people will straight up leave Kelsey's name" on closed tours and applications. This AI Leasing Assistant has become such an integral part of the team that she's credited alongside human employees.

Looking Forward: AI + Humans in the Loop

Unified Residential’s's experience with Kelsey demonstrates what's possible when AI augments rather than replaces human expertise. As Dalia envisions it: "People can actually get to know who they are. We call these places communities, but are they really? AI is enabling humans to be more human and build real communities, one personal connection at a time."

Ready to transform your operations like Unified? If you're struggling with missed leads, training challenges, or collection headaches, Kelsey might be the AI Leasing solution you've been searching for. Let's chat about how Zuma can help your team focus on what matters most: building thriving communities.