Brown University Streamlines Auxiliary Housing Management with Revela

Revela’s platform eliminated manual processes, accelerated resident workflows, and powered complex programs like the Visiting Scholar initiative.

The Challenge: Disconnected Systems and Manual Work

The Auxiliary Housing Office at Brown University was stuck with legacy systems that created more problems than they solved. Most housing tools were overloaded with irrelevant features—and still couldn’t support Brown’s specific workflows.

“We weren’t able to find a technology solution that met our needs. Most systems either had too much unnecessary functionality, and they were unable to deliver a solution that fit our use case.”
_{— Tracy Mansour, Director of Auxiliary Housing, Brown University}

Brown manages 33 properties across its Providence campus, including housing for students, faculty, and visiting scholars. The team handled leasing, resident management, billing, and reporting through spreadsheets, PDFs, and paper applications—resulting in inefficiency and risk of error.

The Solution: Tailored Workflows Built for Higher Ed Housing

Revela partnered closely with Brown to configure a system that met the university’s operational needs—without the bloat of off-the-shelf software.

Key improvements included:

• Streamlined leasing and resident workflows across all housing types
  
  
• A custom-built Visiting Scholar Program module with eligibility tracking and billing logic
  
  
• Fully online applications and back-office automation
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• Syncs to Banner (Brown’s student billing) and WorkDay (HR/payroll)

We worked directly with Revela through weekly planning sessions to build and launch a new workflow—before our deadline. It was a true implementation partner relationship.”
_{—Tracy Mansour, Director of Auxiliary Housing, Brown University}

The Results: Accuracy, Speed, and Zero Paperwork

Brown Auxiliary Housing now runs entirely on Revela’s modern, centralized platform—saving time, increasing accuracy, and eliminating manual processes.

Results:

• Cut billing and reporting time in half
  
  
• Eliminated paper applications with self-service online forms
  
  
• Improved data accuracy with automated exports to Banner and WorkDay
  
  
• Gained a purpose-built workflow for Visiting Scholar Housing, without building custom software

Brown continues to work with Revela to evolve and expand its housing operations—demonstrating how even the most complex university housing programs can be streamlined through partnership and the right platform.

Highlights:

• Property type: University-owned housing (student, faculty, and visiting scholars)
• Before Revela: Disconnected tools, paper applications, manual billing and reporting
• After Revela: Fully online workflows, automated billing, custom Visiting Scholar module
• Why it matters: Faster operations, improved accuracy, and workflows tailored to higher education housing