Can Resident Rewards Become Your Next Leasing Advantage? - SHI 0145
Kevin Brent, CEO of Cassa Perks, discusses how their resident rewards platform helps student housing communities drive leasing and retention while reducing costs. The company has expanded their platform to include an influencer ambassador program that has gained industry recognition and generated significant returns.
Summary
In this interview at Optek, Kevin Brent, CEO and founder of Cassa Perks, discusses the company's success in the student housing market, particularly with clients like LV Collective. Based in Austin, Cassa Perks has established itself as a natural fit for student housing by helping communities address the competitive leasing and retention environment.
Brent explains that their primary value proposition centers on helping property management leaders identify and eliminate budget drains across their P&Ls. By harmonizing resident incentive strategies across entire portfolios using Cassa Perks' platform alongside other solutions, operators can simultaneously reduce costs and improve leasing and retention outcomes.
A significant innovation came from direct customer feedback. When existing customers asked how the company's resident incentivization capabilities could be applied to staff and influencers, Cassa Perks developed an influencer monitor and brand ambassador program. This expansion proved highly successful, generating strong returns and earning the company a nomination for an innovation award in the industry.
Brent expresses enthusiasm about Optek as a platform, noting the industry's positive reception to RSI's decision to establish it as a separate entity focused on innovation. He observes strong booth traffic and market interest in solutions that address the competitive pressures facing student housing operators.
Key Insights
- Property management leaders across portfolios have money draining from various parts of their P&Ls, which can be addressed by harmonizing strategies across entire portfolios
- Cassa Perks' influencer monitor and brand ambassador program was developed directly in response to customer feedback asking how resident incentivization could extend to staff and influencers
- The influencer ambassador platform has generated sufficient returns to earn the company a nomination for an innovation award in the industry
- The student housing market is characterized as highly competitive for both leasing and retention
- RSI's decision to establish Optek as a separate entity focused on innovation has received industry-wide applause and created an upbeat atmosphere attracting solution providers
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] you're doing so well incentivizing our residents. How about using it for our influencers? So, we really built built out an influencer monitor for brand ambassadors and that has taken off. We were up for um an innovation award in the industry. >> Well, I'm sitting at Optek with Kevin Brent, CEO and founder of Cassa Perks, also a student housing veteran yourself. >> Yes, I am. And uh yeah, you've made a [0:30] huge hit. Casper Porks has made a huge hit in studio housing with LV Collective. You guys are based out of Austin, correct? >> So student housing is just a natural fit for you guys anyway. >> Yeah. Yeah. Right. Right. It's just have we…
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