Customer Story

WPD Management: Exceeding Expectations With Robust, Customizable Software.

WPD Management

Location: Chicago, IL \ Portfolio: Multifamily \ Business structure: Fee management, Owner-operator, Investment management
WPD Management takes pride in providing an elevated level of service to their clients and residents, making them one of the most trusted property management companies on Chicago’s South side. Mac Hay, Vice President of Facilities, told us about how they do it and the technology that has helped them get there.

Established

2012

Units managed

4,000+

“Our vision and mission is to be the best property management company on the South and West sides of Chicago for our clients, for our residents, and for the people that work at WPD. And to be the best, AppFolio is the clear choice as a technology partner.”

Mac Hay
Vice President of Facilities, WPD Management, 4,000+ units

Maintenance Done in Half The Time

Mac joined the company around the time they started on AppFolio Property Manager. His team uses the platform extensively, relying on many different features to accomplish their goals. One that sticks out in particular is Smart Maintenance.

“Smart Maintenance has helped our property managers tremendously. They used to have to field thousands of calls per month. The AI and automation aspects of Smart Maintenance have totally eliminated that from their slate. It’s less work for them, so they’re happier, and residents get immediate service, so they’re happier. It’s a win-win.”

And the efficiency gains are measurable.

“The amount of hours spent on a work order per tech has dropped significantly. Before we started using Smart Maintenance, our average used to be around three to four hours; it’s now 1.9 hours per work order.”

The Big Business Solution

Mac was a key player in WPD Management’s transition to the newest level of AppFolio built for large operators focused on customization, data insights, and driving revenue: the AppFolio Property Manager Max plan. Since transitioning to the Max plan, Mac notes the immediate benefits they’ve experienced:

API

“One of the biggest things that our department wanted was API access. We've been working on building automated systems for some of our processes, especially for work orders and closing them out, and just trying to automate that as much as possible.”

Custom Fields

“Custom Fields is really helpful for us because there's a lot of information that didn't have a designated spot to ‘live’ in. We found ourselves making up a spot or adding data into a spot that wasn't being used for anything. So now that we can add these custom fields, we can add extra data. An example is meter numbers. Now, we can track that in AppFolio in an organized fashion, and we can also pull it into reports using the Report Builder.”

Report Builder

“Report Builder is super helpful for us because it allows us to get all of our data in one place and pull it out in a way that works for the business and property owners. We use it a lot.”

Giving Back to The Community

WPD is committed to not only managing their portfolio to the highest standards, but also to contributing positively to the community at large.

“We have our WPD Cares program, which includes working with local organizations, one of them being ‘My Block, My Hood, My City,’ to collaborate with service providers, other property owners, and business owners on renovation projects. These projects often focus on cleanup activities and enhancing the appearance and condition of properties, and entire blocks, within the community.”

Slow And Steady Wins The Race

Mac describes how WPD Management went from managing two small properties to over 4,000 units in just under ten years. Having secured their place at the top, exponential growth is no longer a priority.

“Our goals now are not necessarily to keep exploding in growth like we were in the past, but they're more so focused on mastering what we do, being the best property management company that we can be, and doing right for our clients and our residents. AppFolio has helped us grow, and now it helps us stay at the top of our game.”