Transformation and innovation at Invitation Homes

Invitation Homes is proud to lead the single-family rental industry with a best-in-class leasing experience, utilizing the newest technology, artificial intelligence, and other innovations to further benefit our residents. Furthering these achievements is our in-house innovation team known as the Transformation and Innovation Office (TIO). Today, we’re excited to share some details on what the TIO is and how it’s helping us deliver our high-touch service to residents more efficiently.

What is the TIO?

The TIO sits within our Operations team, with a deep connection to all functional areas, and represents a new way of working with a specific focus on problem-solving at speed. The team is composed of individuals from across the company who possess industry expertise and knowledge, including representatives from Operations, Accounting, Legal, Finance, and more. These individuals are also paired with area leaders to identify where new tech developments can be most impactful.

The TIO serves as an “incubator” inside our company to help us drive innovation, transform our business to achieve growth milestones, and nurture opportunities that will position the company and our associates for continued success.

What are the TIO’s objectives?

The TIO works closely with the core business to design, test, and scale innovation and transformational change for initiatives that will impact our customer and associate experiences. The team also identifies incremental ways our operations can become more efficient and how we can improve financial performance. Through a close partnership with the broader business, the TIO can effectively identify priority initiatives and scope and catalyze them through an implementation funnel.

How does the TIO test and scale innovations?

The TIO uses a pilot process to instill confidence in the best path forward through time-bound efforts that test initiative hypotheses with end users quickly. Pilots establish clear criteria and evaluate them using rigorous experimental design to prove success before resources are dedicated and a scaled rollout occurs. The TIO is not afraid to fail. When testing a hypothesis, it is critical to fail quickly so time and energy can be redirected to a better solution for residents and associates.

What has the TIO accomplished to date?

Over the past year, the team has launched several pilots in different areas – including Leasing, Maintenance, Resident Benefits, and Asset Management – that leverage technology tools and process optimization to automate routine tasks and interactions and amplify human touchpoints. These pilots leverage technology like generative artificial intelligence, robotic process automation, and proprietary applications.

What is the TIO’s mission?

The TIO team is guided by a central mission of providing ease for residents and associates, resulting in additional value across stakeholders. Through close collaboration with broader Invitation Homes operations, the TIO tracks where innovations are needed the most, how to scale those innovations to other key markets, and ultimately, how to make the leasing experience as seamless and user-friendly as possible.

The TIO is a crucial part of our five-year roadmap to implement customer-enhancing technologies, and we’re excited to build upon the projects we already have under way. Invitation Homes will continue to lead the single-family rental industry with a best-in-class leasing experience, utilizing the newest technology, AI, and other innovations to further benefit residents.