DALLAS—Understanding how college students communicate is key in unlocking the technology puzzle in student housing, said a trio of panelists in “Top Tips from Operations as Tech Takes Over” at Real Share Student Housing on Wednesday in Dallas.

Moderator Danny Soule, property management specialist at PayLease, steered the conversation to apps and other technological aspects as they relate to student housing properties.

“You have to stay relevant and try not to be a Blockbuster,” offered Marc Treitler, general counsel and vice president-regulatory affairs at Conservice Utility Management and Billing.

How developers and owners can do that is by knowing how students communicate. Soule said that most prefer email (85 percent), followed by communicating by cellphones (70.1 percent), texts (38.1 percent) and in person (22.8 percent).

To that end, it is increasingly important, panelists said, to offer online bill-pay options as well as apps to solve dilemmas on the go.

Other panelists included Amye Baker, vice president and general manager-velocity division of RealPage Inc., and Alexis Krisay, owner and president of marketing, Serendipit Consulting.

Another key aspect, said Baker, is the onset/interest in digital fitness.