Something shifted for Red Rock Management last budget season, after the team overhauled its process using CINC's AI-native platform, Cephai. Chase Ryan, VP of Operations, recalls the moment he realized they hadn't just changed the process, but the entire dynamic:
"I had a board member stop me in the middle of my presentation and say, 'Chase, we absolutely love all of this stuff that you're bringing to these meetings.' We never have somebody stop us and tell us they love our reporting!"
It was a far cry from the stress, chaos, manual grind, and room for error that once defined their budget season. At any given time, Red Rock managers juggle multiple communities. The company was also onboarding several new managers, adding another layer of complexity.
"Not only are they learning the HOA management side of things, but then it was, 'Now you need to create these budgets,'" explains VP of Operations Sadie Moss. "And they don't have the historical knowledge of those communities to have those insights."
Red Rock had been a CINC customer for years, moving through each iteration of the platform's tools—from downloading and re-uploading spreadsheets to editing directly in CINC. When Cephai's Budget Skill became available, leadership hoped it would finally end the budget season woes.
Like any big transition, the prospect of AI was met with some hesitation. But skeptical managers changed their tune when they began to experience the powerful new capabilities. Cephai analyzes historical spend data, automatically applies cost-increase projections, and factors in considerations such as reserve studies and inflation trends.
When it comes time to present, the platform generates a polished output complete with summaries, key takeaways, and talking points so managers can walk into meetings confidently.
For Red Rock, the ultimate goal of automation isn't to replace the human element. It's to maximize it.
With Cephai handling the manual heavy lifting, Red Rock's managers have reclaimed the bandwidth to deliver on the company's core promise: providing hands-on, proactive care to their communities. And as they look ahead to future budget cycles, the team is ready to scale that impact even further.
"Now that we know the system," says Sadie, "let's run."