Build an AI Receptionist That Actually Helps Tenants
Choose a voice AI provider based on its ability to integrate with your existing property management software. The best providers offer custom call flows that handle maintenance requests, leasing inquiries, and after-hours emergencies.
A custom build is for firms that find off-the-shelf interactive voice response (IVR) systems too rigid. The project scope depends on the number of call types to handle and the specific property management software (PMS), like AppFolio or Buildium, we need to integrate with.
We built a system for a 15-person firm managing 400 residential units that was missing 30% of its leasing calls. The AI receptionist went live in 4 weeks, captured 98% of inquiries, and automatically scheduled 15 property viewings in its first month.
What Problem Does This Solve?
Most property management firms start with their VoIP system's built-in auto-attendant. These systems can route calls with "Press 1 for leasing," but they cannot understand natural language. A tenant saying "my third-floor apartment is flooding" gets routed to the same non-urgent maintenance queue as a tenant with a squeaky door, causing expensive delays.
Off-the-shelf conversational AI platforms seem promising, but their integrations are superficial. They can create a ticket in a generic helpdesk but cannot check a tenant's lease details in AppFolio to confirm their address before logging a request. This failure forces your staff to manually look up every detail, defeating the purpose of the automation.
Consider a 10-person firm with 250 units. A prospect calls asking "Do you have any two-bedrooms available at Elm Street?". The bot, disconnected from the live availability in Buildium, can only say "Please visit our website for listings." The prospect hangs up. At 20 calls a day, that represents significant lost leasing opportunities.
How Does It Work?
We begin by mapping your top 5 call types: new leasing inquiries, tenant maintenance requests, resident lockouts, vendor questions, and rent payment queries. We use the Claude API for natural language understanding and deploy the system on AWS Lambda for cost-effective, event-driven processing.
The core of the system is a FastAPI application that processes transcribed audio. For a maintenance request, it extracts the tenant's name, unit number, and the issue. It then calls your AppFolio or Buildium API to verify the tenant exists and logs a complete work order in about 800ms. Emergency keywords like "flood" or "fire" trigger an immediate SMS alert to on-call staff via Twilio.
We use the httpx library for asynchronous API calls to your existing systems. The AI queries your PMS in real-time to answer leasing questions like "Are pets allowed?" or "What is the rent for unit 3B?". Call transcripts and outcomes are stored in a Supabase database, creating an auditable log. For one client, this system handles an average of 150 calls per day.
We provision a phone number and connect it to a service that provides real-time transcription. The FastAPI endpoint processes the transcribed text and generates a response using a text-to-speech engine. The entire round-trip from a caller speaking to the AI responding is under 2 seconds. The hosting costs on AWS Lambda are typically under $50 per month for a firm handling 3,000 calls.
What Are the Key Benefits?
Answers the Calls Your Team Is Missing
The AI operates 24/7, capturing after-hours leasing inquiries and emergency maintenance calls. It reduced missed calls from 30% to under 2% for a 400-unit portfolio.
One-Time Build, Not a Monthly Subscription
A single fixed-price engagement with optional flat-rate maintenance. No per-seat licenses or unpredictable per-minute charges that penalize you for being busy.
You Get the Keys to the System
We deliver the full Python source code to your company's GitHub repository. You are never locked into our service and can have any developer manage it in the future.
Knows Your Properties, Not Just Keywords
By integrating directly with your PMS like AppFolio or Buildium, the AI provides specific answers about unit availability, rent details, and pet policies.
Fails Gracefully, Not Catastrophically
If the AI cannot understand a request after two attempts, it automatically transfers the call to a human. We use structlog for detailed logging of every interaction.
What Does the Process Look Like?
Week 1: Call Flow Mapping
You provide read-access to your PMS and recent call logs. We analyze common call types and design the conversational flows. You receive a flow diagram for approval.
Weeks 2-3: Core System Build
We write the Python code, set up the FastAPI service, and integrate with your PMS API. You receive a private phone number for testing the AI with sample scripts.
Week 4: Deployment & Live Testing
We port your main business number and the system goes live in a monitored state. You receive access to a dashboard showing call volume and resolution rates.
Post-Launch: Monitoring & Handoff
We monitor the system for 30 days, tuning responses based on real call data. You receive the full source code, API documentation, and a runbook for maintenance.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does a custom AI receptionist cost to build?
- The cost is based on the number of unique call flows and the complexity of your PMS integration. A system that only handles leasing inquiries is simpler than one managing multi-step maintenance triage. We provide a fixed-price quote after a 30-minute discovery call where we map out your exact needs. Book a call at cal.com/syntora/discover.
- What happens when a caller has an issue the AI can't handle?
- The AI is designed to escalate gracefully. After two failed attempts to understand, it will say "I'm having trouble understanding, let me connect you with a team member" and transfer the call to a pre-defined number. This ensures no caller is stuck in a loop. All failed interactions are logged for our review and system tuning.
- How is this different from a generic answering service?
- Answering services employ humans who don't have real-time access to your systems and follow a static script. Our custom build integrates directly with your PMS, so it can check live unit availability or confirm a tenant's identity before logging a work order. It is your specific business process, fully automated and available 24/7.
- Do we need an engineer on staff to run this?
- No. The system runs on serverless infrastructure like AWS Lambda that requires no direct management. For the optional monthly maintenance plan, we handle all updates and monitoring. You receive a runbook that any Python developer can use if you choose to take over maintenance yourself. The goal is complete ownership without requiring a dedicated hire.
- What property management systems can you integrate with?
- We can integrate with any PMS that has a documented API. We have built successful integrations for clients using AppFolio, Buildium, and Yardi. If your system has an API, we can connect to it. This is a key part of our discovery process; we verify API access and capabilities before starting any build.
- How does the AI sound? Is it robotic?
- We use modern text-to-speech engines that produce natural-sounding voices. You can choose from a library of voices and even adjust the speaking rate and tone to match your brand. The goal is a professional and helpful experience, not the robotic IVR voice callers are used to. We provide samples during the build process for your approval.
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