RealPage Vendor Credentialing Customer Service — Expert Operational Guide

Overview and Purpose

Vendor credentialing is the process of verifying third-party contractors, vendors, and service providers before they gain access to properties. In a RealPage-powered environment, credentialing ties together vendor portals, document storage, calendar access, and building access control. The primary customer service objective is to reduce on-site risk, maintain insurance and compliance records, and minimize operational downtime by streamlining vendor onboarding and renewals.

This guide assumes a multi-site portfolio (10–1,000+ units/sites) and focuses on repeatable, measurable customer service practices. RealPage customers typically integrate credentialing into their property management workflows starting in pre-move-in and recurring maintenance operations; implementing mature processes usually takes 30–90 days from pilot to full rollout depending on portfolio size and third-party integrations.

Core Credentialing Components and Data Points

A robust credentialing program requires verifiable documents and data fields. At minimum, customer service teams should collect: vendor company name, EIN/TIN, primary contact, scope of work, W-9, certificate of insurance (COI) with policy period and limits, workers’ compensation evidence, and background check results for personnel who will work on-site. Typical insurance minimums accepted in multifamily real estate are $1,000,000 general liability per occurrence and a $2,000,000 aggregate, but property-specific limits should be enforced per lease or property rules.

Operationally relevant metrics to track include: time-to-credential (target 3–7 business days), percent of vendors approved on first submission (target >75%), document expiration alerts (trigger at 30/14/7 days before expiration), and audit completion rate (quarterly target 100% for high-risk vendors). RealPage platforms support attachments, expiration-date metadata, and API feeds to update vendor records programmatically from background-check and insurance-verification partners.

Customer Service Workflow and Ticketing Best Practices

Design a triage-based ticketing flow with clear handoffs among support tiers. Level 1 (intake) verifies completeness, Level 2 validates documents against policy (insurance limits, naming the property as certificate holder when required), and Level 3 performs escalations to risk management or legal for exceptions. For speed, enforce a 24-hour acknowledgment SLA and a typical resolution SLA of 72 hours for documentation gaps; more complex disputes (insurance denials, litigation holds) can follow a 5–10 business day investigative SLA.

Customer service scripts should include precise prompts: requestCOI provider name, policy numbers, effective/expiration dates, waiver of subrogation status, and certificate holder exact phrasing. Use templated email responses with required upload instructions, acceptable file formats (PDF preferred), and a direct link to the RealPage vendor portal landing page to avoid misrouting. Maintain a shared knowledge base for common rejection reasons, with annotated screenshots and sample acceptable COIs.

Common Support Scenarios and Resolutions

Most tickets fall into predictable buckets: missing documents (W-9 or COI), expired policies, incorrect certificate naming, mismatch between scope of work and policy coverage, and background-check failures for crew members. For each, the customer service playbook should define: required documents, template denial language, escrow or supervised-entry procedures, and re-submission steps. For example, if a COI lists insufficient limits, require vendor to either increase limits or produce an endorsement; document all communications in the ticket for audit trails.

For background-check flags, establish an adjudication committee with HR/legal to determine suitability. Maintain a one-page policy that defines disqualifying offenses and rehabilitation timeframes (for instance, certain violent felonies may be permanent disqualifiers, whereas minor driving infractions may warrant a 3-year review window). Communicate decisions to vendors within 48 hours and provide a pathway for appeal with evidence submission.

KPIs, Reporting, and Audit Readiness

Track a concise set of KPIs daily and report monthly to operations and risk teams: average days to credential, backlog count, percent of sites with expired vendor documents, number of on-site exceptions granted, and incident rates tied to vendor activity. Benchmarks for mature programs are: average days to credential ≤5, backlog <2% of active vendors, and zero uninsured vendor incidents annually.

Prepare for third-party audits by exporting vendor logs, COI files, and correspondence for rolling 36-month windows. RealPage systems typically allow CSV exports of metadata and PDFs of attachments; confirm with your Customer Success Manager which export templates align with accounting or insurance audits. Maintain a retention policy (commonly 7 years for insurance and contract records) to meet state and lender expectations.

Implementation Timeline, Cost Considerations, and Contacts

Implementations vary: small portfolios (under 10 sites) can often pilot within 14–30 days; enterprise rollouts commonly stage across 60–120 days with phased onboarding by region. Pricing models in the market range from flat per-portfolio fees to per-vendor subscription tiers; common market ranges are $2–$10/vendor/month with one-time setup fees from $500–$5,000 depending on integrations and custom workflow needs. Always request a written SOW with milestones and deliverables.

For RealPage-specific next steps, consult the official support and sales channels: RealPage Support at https://www.realpage.com/support and your assigned Customer Success Manager via the RealPage portal. Confirm current contact points and phone numbers inside the platform — contact channels and hours vary by region and product module.

Checklist: Required Vendor Documents (practical)

• Completed W-9 or equivalent tax form (EIN/TIN verification)
• Certificate of Insurance (COI) with named certificate holder, policy numbers, effective/expiration dates, and required limits
• Workers’ Compensation evidence or exemption documentation
• Scope of Work and signed Master Service Agreement or vendor contract
• Background check consent and results for on-site personnel where applicable

Checklist: SLA and KPI Targets (operational)

• Ticket acknowledgement within 24 hours; target resolution within 72 hours for standard documentation issues
• Credentialing turnaround goal: 3–7 business days
• COI expiration alerts at 30/14/7 days; auto-notify vendor and property contact
• First-submission approval rate target: >75%; backlog target: <2% of active vendors