The debate over digital versus human customer service has produced no shortage of hot takes. Technology evangelists proclaim the end of the call center. Traditionalists warn against losing the personal touch. But both perspectives miss the more important truth emerging from actual customer behavior.
New survey data in the 2026 Resident Experience Management Report from Zego, a Global Payments company, offers a clear finding: Customers don’t want all-digital or all-human service. They want the right channel for the right moment, and they have remarkably consistent views on which moments call for which approach.
The report, based on a survey of 1,000 renters conducted from February to March, 2026, explores how residents interact with their apartment communities and what they expect from service delivery. The findings offer a window into broader customer experience trends that extend well beyond the rental housing industry. Any business that serves customers — which is to say, every business — can extract actionable intelligence from how renters distinguish between tasks that belong online and issues that demand human involvement.
The survey asked residents how they prefer to handle various interactions with their community: through digital-only channels, human-only contact or a combination of both. Notably, for most task types, a significant share of renters expressed comfort with either approach or a blend of the two. But by isolating those with a strong preference for one channel over the other, clear patterns emerge.
When renters interact with their property management company for routine, administrative purposes, they overwhelmingly prefer digitized self-service:
These findings suggest that tasks that are transactional, predictable and low in emotional stakes benefit from speed and autonomy. In the multifamily industry, well-designed resident portals and/or mobile apps deliver frictionless experiences that allow renters to self-serve for important apartment-related tasks.
For other businesses, investing in digital infrastructure that flawlessly handles routine interactions is also a must. Every payment processed without a phone call, every status check completed without an email, frees operational capacity for higher-value work — and meets customers exactly where they want to be met.
The picture shifts dramatically when the nature of the interaction changes. For issues involving conflict, consequence or complexity, renters seek out human contact. And critically, the ratio flips — human-only preferences overtake digital-only preferences:
Human preferences aren’t about technological discomfort or generational habits. They reflect a rational assessment of what different situations require. A neighbor dispute involves nuance, emotion and potential escalation. A billing question may carry financial consequences that demand clarification and assurance. These moments call for someone who can listen, interpret context, exercise judgment and take ownership of the outcome.
Offering both digital and human channels is necessary but not sufficient, according to renters. Their responses reveal a deeper expectation that separates adequate service from exceptional experience.
When renters were asked which qualities they value most in a community manager, one attribute solidly rose above the rest: effective problem resolution.
This finding carries significant weight. Residents assume they should be able to reach their property manager. For today’s renter, accessibility is a baseline requirement, not a differentiator. When they can reach someone, it meets expectations. When they cannot, frustration compounds quickly. But what drives satisfaction and loyalty is whether the problem gets solved.
A community manager who answers the phone promptly but cannot resolve a dispute has cleared the minimum bar and nothing more. A community manager who listens carefully, investigates thoroughly and delivers a clear resolution has created the kind of experience that builds lasting trust.
The message for any customer-facing organization is unmistakable: Responsiveness is table stakes. Resolution is the differentiator.
While this data emerges from the multifamily rental sector, the underlying principles translate directly to virtually any industry where customer experience matters. Several universal truths stand out:
The data from renters offers a clear and actionable signal. Customers are choosing both digital and human service — selectively, intentionally and with clear expectations for each.
This story was produced by Zego and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
