Multistate property management company adopts UKG Rapid Hire to accelerate hiring for essential frontline roles using AI technology

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – In an industry where timing can make or break operations, one property management company is turning to artificial intelligence to solve a growing challenge—how to hire quickly without sacrificing quality. A new approach powered by UKG is helping Yarco Companies streamline its hiring process across multiple states, reshaping how frontline roles are filled in a competitive labor market.

Based in Kansas City, Missouri, Yarco Companies manages a wide network of apartment communities spread across nine states. As the company has expanded, so has its need for reliable, on-site staff. From leasing agents and maintenance crews to community managers and grounds teams, these roles are essential to daily operations and resident satisfaction. Yet finding and securing the right candidates—quickly—has become increasingly difficult.

To tackle this, Yarco adopted UKG Rapid Hire, a tool designed specifically for high-volume, shift-based hiring environments. The platform uses AI to reduce delays between application and interview, helping candidates move through the hiring process in a matter of minutes rather than days. For a company that does not rely on a centralized recruiting team, this shift has proven significant.

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“Speed is everything in today’s competitive labor market, and we have to engage candidates quickly or we lose them,” said Mickey Carlson, Director of HR at Yarco. “We don’t have an internal recruiter, so each hiring manager has to do their own recruiting. UKG Rapid Hire takes a big chunk of that work off their plate by engaging candidates the moment they apply — they can answer qualifying questions and schedule an interview in under five minutes. That immediacy has completely changed how we hire.”

The emphasis on speed is not just about convenience—it’s about survival in a tight labor market. When positions remain unfilled, the impact can ripple across entire communities, affecting service quality and increasing pressure on existing staff. By automating early steps such as screening and scheduling, the platform ensures that hiring managers spend less time sorting through applications and more time connecting with qualified candidates.

Over the course of a year, Yarco processed approximately 12,500 applicants through the system. Nearly 60 percent met the required criteria and were advanced directly to interviews. That level of efficiency allows the company to maintain a steady pipeline of candidates while staying compliant with housing regulations, including those tied to HUD and tax credit programs.

“In affordable housing, experience isn’t optional. Being able to qualify candidates right at the start gives us confidence in who we’re interviewing and saves our managers an enormous amount of time,” said Carlson.

Beyond internal efficiencies, the platform also reshapes the experience for applicants themselves. Designed with a mobile-first approach, UKG Rapid Hire makes it easier for candidates to interact with employers in real time. Built-in texting features allow users to confirm interviews, reschedule appointments, or ask questions without navigating complex systems. This aligns with the expectations of today’s frontline workforce, where simplicity and speed are often key deciding factors.

At the same time, company leaders benefit from a clearer view of hiring activity across multiple locations. Centralized reporting tools provide real-time insights, enabling regional managers to monitor progress, identify bottlenecks, and adjust strategies as needed. The result is a more coordinated and responsive hiring process, even across a geographically dispersed operation.

For Yarco, the integration of this technology has become more than just an upgrade—it is now a core part of how the business operates. What began as a solution to a pressing challenge has evolved into a long-term strategy for sustaining growth and maintaining service standards.

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“We’ve been using Rapid Hire for several years now, and it’s simply how we operate,” said Carlson. “It’s one of the most impactful process improvements we’ve made for the business and one of the best things we could have done for our people, and I don’t see how we could ever go back.”

Industry experts suggest that this kind of shift may soon become the norm rather than the exception. As companies across sectors face similar pressures—high turnover, increased competition for talent, and rising expectations from workers—tools that combine automation with precision are gaining traction.

That perspective is echoed by leadership at UKG, where the focus remains on connecting hiring processes directly to broader workforce operations.

“In frontline environments, speed and efficiency from hiring to scheduling is directly tied to business performance. Every open role impacts service, cost, and the employee experience,” said Amy Brar, General Manager, Workforce Management at UKG. “What sets UKG Rapid Hire apart is its ability to bring speed and precision together at scale, so organizations can consistently hire the right people and get them productive on day one without overburdening their teams. By embedding hiring into the broader flow of work, organizations can stay ahead of demand, maintain service levels, and operate more efficiently.”

As the labor market continues to evolve, the experience of Yarco Companies offers a glimpse into what hiring might look like in the near future—faster, smarter, and increasingly driven by technology. For companies balancing growth with operational demands, the ability to place the right people in the right roles at the right time is no longer just an advantage. It is becoming essential.