At our 2023 REfresh conference for Yardi users, we asked property managers about their careers, tech and long-term visions in the industry. These questions and answers took place in our first-ever virtual Ambassador Lounge, a place where Yardi Ambassadors could mingle with us and each other.
But before we get into the questions and answers, we should cover a couple of things:
- What is a Yardi Ambassador?
- What is REfresh?
What is a Yardi Ambassador?
Anyone who uses our software can become a Yardi Ambassador (e.g., property managers, accountants, leasing staff). They are part of our program designed to promote client success with Yardi through a variety of mutually beneficial co-marketing activities. Some conduct interviews with our team to boost their visibility, share their expertise and help their peers find the right tech solutions. Others speak at virtual and in-person events. Ambassadors can earn rewards and perks depending on their level of activity.
If you’d like to become a Yardi Ambassador or learn more about the program, we invite you to check it out here.
What is REfresh?
Refresh is an annual conference we hold exclusively for North American Breeze Premier clients. The two-day event is free, and all classes are on demand. This makes it easy to tailor your conference experience based on your time and interests. This year, we hosted over 90 educational sessions. We covered general Breeze Premier functionality, an assortment of optional add-on overviews and deeper dives into virtually every aspect of the platform.
Some quick stats to give you a sense of how it went:
- 3,700 clients joined the conference (that’s 1,000 more than 2022!)
- 90+ courses were viewed 12,000 times (that’s about 2,200 hours of time watched)
- 1,800 messages were shared on the chat walls
- 2 new client panels on marketing, leasing and management best practices
- 55 new users joined the Ambassador program
From 2,400 class surveys, our clients gave us some impressive reviews:
- Ability to relay course content clearly and effectively: 4.6/5 stars
- Applicability of course content in relation to their business: 4.5/5 stars
- Did courses meet or exceed expectations: 99.5% said yes
Without further ado, here’s some of what our Yardi Ambassadors have to say about property management in 2023. Are you thinking along similar lines as these property managers?
What has you excited about property management in 2023?
I am excited about the opportunities to use my skills to look at new ways of managing and saving my clients and tenants money.
Eileen Lewis
I am very excited to learn all the time-saving techniques Yardi has to offer.
Lynette Lyons
We are still in the process of implementing Yardi, and I am SO excited to have everything in one place (resident info, maintenance, accounting, invoices, etc.). Our business was established in 1991 to provide affordable housing. Our team is already so excited to see how much Yardi is going to help simplify everyone’s workload!
Lydia Alston
I finally got the boss to approve automated payables a few months ago (after I broke my wrist and was having trouble typing) and it has CHANGED MY LIFE! Excited for more automation!
Jocelyn Lozier
I’m excited about the Yardi Breeze mobile app! This is very, very exciting!
Shea Shockley
Looking back to the start of your career in property management, what would you have done differently?
I would have invested in Yardi sooner and worked towards obtaining my CPM earlier in my career. Yardi has saved me hours each week and allows me to focus more on my clients and tenants while I grow my portfolio.
Danielle Drozdek
I wish I had better time management boundaries in terms of separating work and personal life. I also wish I had tried harder early on to network with other property management professionals! We are so excited to be implementing Yardi at my current job and can’t wait to see how much it streamlines everyone’s workload.
Lydia Alston
I would have organized expenses much better. Having software like Yardi Breeze would have made that possible in the storage space.
Jamal Omar
I would have switched over from what we were using (spreadsheets and QuickBooks) to Yardi sooner. Calculating CAMs while tracking leases, rent steps and everything else is SO much easier in Yardi!
Shea Shockley
What’s your favourite feature in Breeze Premier & why?
There are so many great functions. I’ve worked on Yardi products from the beginning. There is much more you can do in the software compared to years ago, such as emailing tenants and vendors from the software or being able to have two screens open at once to make updates. Thank you for continuing to make improvements. I look forward to using the mobile app to track my maintenance workers’ time.
Pam Michalak
My favorite feature is the maintenance requests. I love that it attaches to the tenant records and provides a history that you can go back and review.
Eileen Lewis
I love the ease of marketing and having all applications in one app! It makes many things so much easier, including screenings!
Mandie Yanetti
If you made it to REfresh this year, thank you for making the conference a resounding success. We hope to have even more property managers back in 2024!
