It's 10 PM. The AC comes to a screeching halt in the middle of summer… in Texas. Residents are literally heated and demanding maintenance support now.
Instead of interacting with a friendly face that greets them on the property every day, they’re met with a chatbot that sends them spiraling through multiple-choice questions and automated responses – far from the urgent support they need.
AI solutions are everywhere (shocker, I know). Some PropTech vendors are adopting these technologies to keep up with competitors by literally “bolting them on” while others genuinely seek to solve the issues at hand.
But most can't grasp the full complexity of maintenance operations – and I say this from years of working directly with PMCs and technicians who use the tools and keep properties running day in and out across over 5 million units on HappyCo’s Maintenance Management platform.
If you haven't changed an air conditioning unit, replaced a water heater, or fixed a thermostat in the middle of the night, you can't understand maintenance. It's not about marketing shiny new features. It's about solving real issues – middle-of-the-night emergencies – for real humans.
“The Bot Will See You Now”
The current implementations of AI bots are remarkably, maybe all too similar? – whether it's a chat-based bot, a voice bot, or an automated email system, they're all connecting to large language models, interpreting text through various indexes, and generating responses.
But these technologies are just the beginning of a much more complex conversation.
After processing millions of work orders, we have seen more than a few resident emergencies and some telling figures: only 6-9% of maintenance requests can be truly self-resolved. Which leaves me asking you this – what are your teams doing about the other 91% of issues?
Companies are approaching maintenance technology as a bolt-on solution. But maintenance is so far beyond slicing things up and solving one tiny piece of the puzzle. It requires a holistic approach–one in which MUST be driven by direct customer feedback and the tools and technology to back them up.
When something goes wrong late at night or during a weekend, residents don’t want an automated response. They want confirmation that their urgent issue is being taken seriously.
AI can manage initial communication, collect basic information, and route requests. But it cannot:
- Recognize the nuanced emotional state of a stressed resident
- Make real-time judgment calls about urgency
- Provide the empathetic reassurance that comes from human interaction
- Understand the intricate context of a maintenance challenge
We're seeing the emergence of agentic AI – reasoning models that go beyond simple search results. These advanced systems can potentially interact more effectively with customers, especially when provided with comprehensive data. However, they remain a tool, not a replacement for human expertise and empathy.
AI Can Think Fast—But It Can’t Think Like a Technician
Maintenance technicians are far more than repair workers – they're problem solvers, counselors, and lifelines for residents facing urgent and often stressful situations. And, above all else, humans just like the residents they interact with every day.
And the job is complex. “Fixing things” is just the tip of the iceberg.
Understanding the human impact of any maintenance malfunction carries a ripple effect far beyond the initial ticket. A heating system failing in the middle of winter becomes a safety concern. A leaking roof isn't just a structural problem – someone’s home and sense of security being compromised.
TLDR: Residents want to be heard, understood, and assured that their problem matters, interactions that a bot cannot “triage” when pipes are bursting in the middle of the night.
We’re Not Automating Empathy—We’re Augmenting It
Maintenance is at the heart of every property and there will always be an element of the human and the bot (the right one, of course) coexisting.
At HappyCo, this is at the core of our technology–never to replace the invaluable expertise of maintenance professionals, but to provide them with tools that amplify their capabilities, improve their efficiency, and ultimately deliver a better experience for residents.
We're committed to developing technology that supports, enhances, and empowers maintenance teams, not one that attempts to replace them.
In the spirit of listening, learning, and always improving on behalf of our customers and residents, we want to hear from you. What challenges are you facing that technology hasn't solved? Or, are you ”team bot”?
Email me directly: ben.nowacky@happy.co (zero chatbots involved)
Ben Nowacky is the President at HappyCo and leads the product development and engineering teams across North America and Australia. In this role, Ben is responsible for executing the company’s overall product strategy while ensuring business continuity and data security. He leads with a customer-first methodology and promotes alignment between the product, engineering, and go-to-market teams. Prior to joining HappyCo in 2022, Ben was the Chief Product and Security Officer at Axcient and brings more than 20 years of product and technology experience to his role.
Ben Nowacky is the President at HappyCo and leads the product development and engineering teams across North America and Australia. In this role, Ben is responsible for executing the company’s overall product strategy while ensuring business continuity and data security. He leads with a customer-first methodology and promotes alignment between the product, engineering, and go-to-market teams. Prior to joining HappyCo in 2022, Ben was the Chief Product and Security Officer at Axcient and brings more than 20 years of product and technology experience to his role.
