Stop Answering Tenant Calls. Let an AI Agent Handle It.
The best voice AI for small property management is a custom agent that answers tenant calls and logs requests. It integrates directly with your property management software without per-seat fees or long-term contracts.
Scope depends on the complexity of your call flows and which property management software (PMS) you use. A firm needing to handle only maintenance requests for a portfolio on AppFolio is a straightforward 2-week build. A firm that needs to triage maintenance, answer leasing questions, and route billing calls across a Yardi system requires a 3-week build.
We built an agent for a 15-person firm managing 400 apartment units. They were losing 5-10 maintenance calls a week to voicemail. The system went live in 12 business days and now handles 70% of their inbound call volume, capturing every single maintenance request directly in their PMS.
What Problem Does This Solve?
Most property management companies start with a standard phone system IVR from a provider like RingCentral or Dialpad. These systems use rigid "press-1-for-this" menus that frustrate tenants. A caller with a leaking pipe has to navigate a menu instead of just saying what is wrong, and the system can only forward the call, not create a ticket.
A search for better tools leads to generic chatbot platforms or virtual receptionist services. These are not built for property management. They struggle to distinguish an emergency like a gas leak from a routine request for a new air filter. Their integrations are basic, often just sending an email or a generic webhook that fails to populate the specific fields your PMS needs, creating blank tickets that your staff has to fix manually.
Consider a 500-unit portfolio using a virtual receptionist service. A tenant calls about a ceiling leak at 10 PM. The receptionist takes a message and emails the general maintenance inbox. The on-call technician doesn't see the email for an hour. By then, the water damage has spread to the unit below, turning a small repair into a multi-thousand-dollar remediation project.
How Does It Work?
We start by mapping your call types and connecting to your PMS API, whether it is AppFolio, Buildium, or Yardi. We analyze your past 6 months of maintenance tickets to train the system on the specific language your tenants use. This ensures the agent understands the difference between a clogged drain and a burst pipe.
The core system is a Python application built with FastAPI. It uses a transcription service to get the caller's text, then feeds it to the Claude API to understand intent and extract key information like unit number, problem description, and callback number with over 95% accuracy. The entire analysis, from spoken word to structured data, completes in under 800ms.
The application is deployed on AWS Lambda, which keeps hosting costs under $50/month for a typical firm handling 1,000 inbound calls. We provision a phone number through Twilio that forwards to this system. Once the agent captures the necessary details, it makes a direct, authenticated API call to your PMS, creating a perfectly structured ticket or lead record with no human intervention.
We build in safeguards. If the agent cannot understand a caller's request after two attempts, the call is automatically routed to your main office line or an on-call number. A full transcript of the failed interaction is posted to a Slack channel, so your team can follow up immediately. This ensures no call is ever dropped.
What Are the Key Benefits?
Live in 3 Weeks, Not 3 Quarters
From our first call to a live system answering tenant calls is a 15-day process. No lengthy sales cycles or complex onboarding.
One-Time Build Cost, Not Per-Unit Fees
A single, fixed-price project with a small flat monthly maintenance fee. Your costs do not increase as you add more properties to your portfolio.
You Own the Code and the System
We deliver the complete Python source code to your company's GitHub account. You have zero vendor lock-in and can modify the system as you grow.
Triages Emergencies 24/7 Without Fail
The system identifies emergency keywords like 'fire' or 'flood' and immediately escalates the call to your on-call technician's cell phone.
Direct Integration With Your PMS
Connects directly to the APIs for AppFolio, Yardi, Buildium, and other platforms. It creates structured tickets, not just email notifications.
What Does the Process Look Like?
Workflow Mapping (Week 1)
You grant read-only API access to your PMS and walk us through your current call handling. We deliver a technical specification document detailing the planned call flows.
Core AI Build (Week 2)
We build the agent logic with Python and the Claude API. You receive a private demo number to test the agent with real-world maintenance or leasing scenarios.
Integration and Deployment (Week 3)
We connect the agent to your live PMS, deploy it on AWS Lambda, and configure your office number. We deliver a runbook detailing the system architecture.
Monitoring and Handoff (Weeks 4-6)
We monitor 100% of calls for accuracy and performance for two weeks post-launch. After this stabilization period, we hand over full ownership of the system.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What determines the project cost and timeline?
- The primary factors are the number of distinct call flows and the quality of your PMS API. A system that only handles maintenance requests is simpler than one that also must answer leasing questions and check rent balances. Supporting multiple languages or integrating with older, poorly documented software can also extend the timeline from 3 weeks to 4.
- What happens if the AI misunderstands a tenant?
- If the agent fails to understand the caller's intent after two tries, the call is automatically transferred to a human operator or a designated voicemail. A transcript of the call and the reason for failure are posted to a Slack channel for immediate review by your team. This ensures every tenant issue is still captured.
- How is this different from a virtual receptionist service like Smith.ai?
- Virtual receptionists are humans who follow a script. They can take messages, but they cannot create a structured maintenance ticket directly in AppFolio with the correct priority level and category. Our system is a software integration that writes data directly into your business-critical applications, eliminating manual data entry and potential for human error.
- Can the agent handle calls from prospective tenants?
- Yes. We can build a knowledge base from your website and marketing materials. The agent can answer common questions about unit availability, pricing, pet policies, and amenities. It can also integrate with a calendar system like Calendly to book property tours automatically, creating a lead record in your PMS at the same time.
- Can we use our existing main office phone number?
- Yes. We use Twilio to either port your number or set up call forwarding from your existing carrier. From the tenant's perspective, they are calling the same number they have always used. There is no need to update your website, business cards, or building signage. The transition is completely transparent to your callers.
- Is any of the call data stored by Syntora?
- No. The system processes the call audio in memory and is designed to be stateless. Call transcripts and extracted data are passed directly to your PMS or logging systems. All data resides within your own infrastructure (e.g., your AWS account, your PMS). We do not store any personally identifiable information or conversation data on our systems.
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