Mobile Doorman is the concierge your apartment building doesn’t have; it’s the 24-hour receptionist you notify when your faucet breaks; and it’s the idea that your apartment life can be managed like your social media. It’s all just one swipe away.
Sample notifications sent by management to residents
Mobile Doorman was started by Bob Matteson, who stumbled upon the idea when he was working for a tech company in the Bay Area.
“Here I am at the epicenter of the tech world, and the technology in my building is crazy,” Matteson said. “Why isn’t there an app for my building?”
Thus, Mobile Doorman.
A beta version was launched in the fall of 2013, mostly in student housing communities, and the app saw more than 20,000 user interactions in the first year.
“If this is something you tell your residents they need it to, say, add visitors, they will use it,” he said. This approach also makes it less about simply downloading the app because it’s available, but that it serves a specific purpose and need affecting people living in apartment buildings.
Residents can schedule dog walkers, visitors, arrange package pick-ups, and generally swipe through what normally would require a phone call or a written request.
Mobile Doorman is a white label company, so each community’s app is catered to, and only limited by, the amenities and services.
Mobile Doorman allows residents to view gym usage in real-time
Mobile Doorman is now moving into even more data-gathering by implementing beacon technology. Beacon technology, much like GPS tracking is capable of, can provide targeted messaging via smartphones at opportune moments. Building management can send out floor-specific notices regarding renovation, or notify an entire living complex with an urgent message.
This also makes the app as much a property management resource as it does a resident resource.
How often is an area being utilized, or underutilized? Where can a small investment or slight change improve the lives of the residents?
“We went live with them at the beginning of 2015, and it was very new for us,” said Sam Groppi, operations manager at Wheaton Center Apartments.
He said the ability for residents to schedule packages and be notified when they arrive significantly cut down on stored packages. Groppi also said it’s ideal for reaching all six buildings in the Wheaton Center development for important renovation news.
“The missed opportunity is that the real estate world isn’t taking advantage of this. They are not creating a network with their residents to engage them in an app that allows them to manage their apartment the way they would manage their social life or their work life or other interests, and all other media content that they consume on their phone,” Matteson said.
