It used to be that in order to ask questions about a property, prospective renters would either have to call or visit the property during office hours.  Basically prospects were required to adapt to the availability of property staff, and arrange their schedules to accommodate them.  That’s just the way it was – but not anymore.

In today’s world, consumers are conditioned to expect instant answers.  For better or worse, we’ve all grown accustomed to immediate search results on Google and text conversations on our smartphones.  People today grow frustrated waiting hours or days for a response from a form they filled out online, or a voicemail they had to leave for the leasing office.

Google’s ZMOT

This reality is especially true when considering a place to live.  Many factors often influence that decision-making process including price, space, amenities, neighbors and other factors. According to Google, each of these factors are said to come with their own “moment of truth.”  Google calls a consumer’s first psychological fork in the road the “Zero Moment of Truth” or ZMOT.  ZMOT is the idea that before the First Moment of Truth (FMOT) – when a prospect first experiences the product in person – there is precursory moment which helps to determine whether or not they’ll take action in favor of one option or another.

In general terms, a ZMOT impetus could be a display ad that causes a shopper to pull into a convenience store and purchase a soft drink.  Typically though, when the goal represents a much larger investment, such as renting a new apartment, there tends to be a few more impressions between the ZMOT and the FMOT – the moment the prospect actually walks through the door.  Every stop along the shopping path is an important one in shaping a consumer’s perception and actions.  Every Moment of Truth for a prospective renter can represent a “go” or “no go” moment for the properties being considered.

As an example, if a prospective renter perceives that the property’s proximity to their job isn’t favorable, or read that a school nearby has a less-than-stellar reputation, they may be inclined to reject that property out of hand.  This is a crucial moment where live chat can play an important role for properties. Instead of making a snap judgement based upon limited information, renters often reach out by chat, out of convenience, and ask questions in real time.  When this happens, the property is given an opportunity to respond and overcome the objections.  Perhaps the leasing agent knows of a shortcut the renter could take to work, or has positive news to share about the school in question.  Access to the property during Every Moment of Truth can translate into more FMOT appointments for the property.

Be Present

Contact At Once! apartment chat packages at the Premium and Deluxe levels allow properties to place chat not only on the property website, but also on ApartmentFinder.com, Apartments.com, Craigslist and Facebook.  When someone is searching online and has a question, your team can be there to answer it and capitalize on the opportunity.

Click here to chat with a Contact At Once! sales representative and learn more about being Present at Every Moment of Truth.

As prospective renters begin to search for a new apartment, the vast majority begin that search online.  Depending on how they search, they may land on your property’s website, a Craigslist posting of yours, or even a listing you’ve placed on one of the third-party apartment listing sites, like Apartments.com.

With all the of the website traffic you’re generating, it’s the trust and rapport you are able to build with online prospects that often makes the difference between lost opportunities and appointments.

Live apartment chat affords properties the opportunity to reach out to site visitors via a photo-enhanced greeting card, which is designed to literally “drop-in” from the top of the screen.  By featuring a photo of your online rental staff, and an invitation to “Click here to ask questions”, you’ve now offered the site visitor a very clear way to engage with your staff, and to get instant answers to their questions.

Capitalize

It’s true that rental business can be lost if a prospect drives to your property only to find that the rental office is closed.  And it isn’t unusual for a prospect to need to secure a new lease in a short period of time, whether to be closer to a new job, or due to an existing lease expiring.  No matter the reason, if the prospect needs housing immediately, a “Sorry, We’re Closed” sign means that they must move on to the next suitable property on their list.

The same holds true online.  If a prospective renter is looking to make a move in short order, they’ll want rapid access to information important to their move.  This is why having live chat available to prospects is so compelling.  Rather than presenting the prospect with a lead form, which could take hours or days to respond to, live chat offers instant answers and access to a real person in real-time.

This is Huge!

By simply making yourself available and answering some initial questions online, you’re actually building essential rapport and trust.  Do that, and see how the prospect remains engaged with you and your team instead of with a competitor’s.  See how they ask to set up an appointment for a tour of your property.  And, of course, see how they then sign a lease and become a member of your community.  Just try replicating that with a website lead form – there’s no comparison.

In essence, apartment chat extends the presence of your rental staff from a physical presence in the office to a virtual presence online.  But just as in the office, success online also relies upon a friendly greeting, knowledge of the facility and surroundings, and the ability to ask the right questions and provide accurate and timely information.  Establish rapport and trust with prospects and good business will follow – online and offline.

1. Be More Likeable With Chat

Tips include being polite by adhering to a give and take approach, request the propect’s first name and use it when asking qualifying questions, steer clear of sarcasm, and many more.

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2. Apartment Chat After Hours

More successful chats = more leasing appointments = less vacancies. Data shows that prospective renters continue to reach out to properties beyond normal office hours. Enabling mobile chat on smartphones helps to increase availability and responsiveness.

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3. Get Trained

Free live training webinars are being offered to help you and your team become more proficient at setting appointments using chat.

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WARNING: The following article is not for clock punchers.

It’s a simple equation really:
More successful chats = more leasing appointments = less vacancies

Adding chat to your smartphone will allow you to answer chats beyond typical office hours. “You’re not suggesting property managers and leasing agents take their work home with them?” you might say. Well yes, that is what we’re suggesting here. Don’t worry though, it’s not as intrusive as you think. Just keep reading.

The Data

The following heatmap was produced by analyzing the hours during the week when prospects use Contact At Once! to request a chat conversation.

Notice the volume peaks between 8AM and 7PM Monday through Saturday and continues at moderate levels from 8PM to 11PM. Remember that chat icons only appear to prospects when a property representative is online and available to respond. With mobile chat on your smartphone, you can become more available to prospective renters both, during and after hours. Using the mobile chat app from Contact At Once!, you can remain active while at lunch, out at the mall, watching TV at home or sitting on the bleachers during a ball game. A few extra moments of your free time each day can help you maintain a steady stream of leasing appointments throughout the week.

Get Mobile

If you’re currently a Contact At Once! user, whether through Apartments.com, ApartmentFinder.com or have chat on your property website, visit the iTunes App Store and download the free Contact At Once! mobile chat app for iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. If you don’t have one of these devices you can contact the Contact At Once! Support team and have them set you up with the Mobile Desktop Extension (MDE) instead.

Finally, it’s important to note that with the Contact At Once! mobile app you can decide when to answer a chat and when not to. The point here is that the more you make yourself available to prospects, the more leasing appointments you’re likely to set.

To download the mobile app from iTunes, you can scan the QR code above with your smartphone or visit: http://itunes.apple.com/app/contactatonce/id390887924

Each Tuesday at 2PM Eastern Time Jill Skurtovich of Contact At Once! hosts live training webinars for apartment managers and leasing agents. During these live webinars users learn how to use the Contact At Once! apartment chat software to effectively communicate with residents and prospects.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

If you’ve recently placed Contact At Once! on your apartment community website or you’ve added live chat powered by Contact At Once! to your Apartments.com or ApartmentFinder.com listings, you’ll want to attend one of these educational webinars designed to help you and your team get the most out of chat.

WHAT IS COVERED?

During the webinar Jill will discuss:

• Getting Started with Apartment Chat
• Conversation Best Practices
• Optimizing Your Chat Sessions
• Ways to Increase Results

And at the end, Jill will host a question and answer session to field any remaining questions.

RESULT

Attending the live webinar training is an important way to increase your team’s proficiency with apartment chat which will help your team turn more website ‘lookers’ into appointments and leases.

SIGN-UP

Click on any of the links below to reserve your spot:
Oct 25, 2PM EST
Nov 1, 2PM EST
Nov 8, 2PM EST
Nov 15, 2PM EST
Nov 29, 2PM EST
Dec 6, 2PM EST
Dec 13, 2PM EST
Dec 20, 2PM EST

Looking for immediate answers to your questions? Visit the Contact At Once! Support page for helpful FAQs and access to the industry’s best support team.

Recently we sent an email out to all current Contact At Once! apartment chat users informing them about our Facebook Fan Contest. New Fans of the ContactAtOnce Multifamily Division fan page on Facebook were given a chance to win 1 of 3 $10 Starbucks Gift Cards.

We were excited to see the number of new fans who responded. Of the many entries we received, the following property managers were selected as winners. Congratulations to:

1. Catrecia Martin of CF Property Management
2. Anna Joyave of University Apartments
3. Lindsey Cruice of Pacific Living Properties

Not Yet A Fan of Apartment Chat on Facebook?

Be a part of the discussion. Keep up with the latest updates, tips and promotions all happening right now on the Apartment Chat Facebook Fan page.

BECOME A FAN NOW >>

When deciding on which properties to tour, most renters have a lot of options to choose from. To help them decide, they often start by comparing their wish list against the options available and filter out those communities that do not appear to meet their primary needs. As a part of the refining process, spot judgements are often made after reviewing a properties advertisements, driving by a property or visiting a property’s website. When it comes to the property’s website, live chat is a tool that opens up doors of opportunity at crucial points in the evaluation process.

Your Competitive Advantage

Rather than spending inordinate amounts of time sifting through property websites in the hopes of finding an answer, it is far easier for renters to click a button and instantly ask their questions. In this way, properties that have live chat on their website homepages have an advantage over those that don’t. Live chat opens up direct lines of communication with prospective renters that might have otherwise come and gone without ever contacting the leasing office.

How It Works

Recently, Carlos Dominguez of North Post Oak Lofts, a Southhampton Management community explained how his property is pulling opportunities away from nearby competitors. By offering live chat on their property website, it is easier and more convenient for apartment seekers to reach out to Carlos’ community first. In addition, property managers like Carlos get the chance to build rapport with renters at an early stage in the decision-making process, becoming a prospect’s first influence and source of information. These two factors are translating into more leasing appointments.

Another advantage for property managers like Carlos comes during the initial consultation. Say for instance, a prospective renter begins their search with a requirement for a 3 bedroom apartment on a certain side of town. A quick chat conversation can reveal that 2 bedrooms with an office niche and access to public transit is just as suitable. In this case and others, a live chat conversation turns a property which may have otherwise been ignored or crossed off the list into one that becomes a top contender.

Placing Property Chat on Your Website

To find out more about adding property chat to your apartment website, visit: www.apartmentchat.com

Last week we had the great privilege of sponsoring another Multifamily Insiders webinar featuring Anne Sadovsky entitled, “How To Be Likable in 30 Seconds or Less…And Why You Should!”

Although many see themselves as charming and very likable in person, it can be challenging to convey our endearing personalities to prospects during online chat conversations. The list below offers 7 suggestions for how to be more likable during live chat conversations. These are important pointers for those who interact with online prospects on a regular basis.

#1

Use your introduction to greet and offer assistance. It is also more personable to include your first name in the introduction.
Example: “Hi! This is Ginger, how can I assist you today?”

#2

Be polite by adhering to a give and take approach. Encourage good will by answering a prospect’s initial question first before asking one of your own.

#3

Request the propect’s first name and use it when asking qualifying questions.
Example: “Oh yes, I’m Ginger. What is your name?”…“Hi Mary Ann! When were you looking to move in?”

#4

Continue to offer assistance as you request additional guest card information.
Example: “Mary Ann, would you like to see more photos? If you’ll provide me with your email address, I can send them to you now.”

#5

When inserting shortcut responses into live chat conversations, be sure to do so only in response to frequently asked questions. It is also important to personally review automatic responses before hitting the send button, since some automatic responses can come across rather robotic and impersonal.

#6

Steer clear of sarcasm.  Similar to email communication, sarcasm typically doesn’t translate well in online chat conversations. Humor and intent can be misinterpreted.

#7

End each chat conversation by closing with the prospect’s name and a personal note.
Example: “Thanks for chatting with us today, Ginger. I’m really looking forward to meeting you for a tour of the property 10AM tomorrow morning.”

For additional apartment chat tips and best practices, please follow our updates on Facebook. Happy Chatting!

As important as bringing in new prospective renters is to an apartment community, having current residents renew their leases is just as critical for properties seeking to maintain high occupancy rates. To do that, successful properties make an effort to keep in contact with their residents, build relationships and provide excellent service over the lease terms. From a purely business perspective, it generally costs properties much more time and money to attract and sign-up new renters versus renewing existing ones.

Contact At Once! live chat for apartments helps property managers stay better connected with their residents. Using live chat, properties can increase response times and improve customer service. The ability to instantly connect with a property online means that renters can reach out to their property staff whenever its convenient for them. They can speak instantly with someone who can address their issues and concerns immediately.

Listen to what properties are saying about the impact live chat is having on their communities:

“The most surprising thing to the staff is how much residents are using it. They get an opportunity to reach residents that they never had before. They’re sitting at work, they can’t use the telephone so they’re getting on their computers and their issues are being resolved very quickly.” – Gina Erwin, Arcadian Real Estate Group

“We noticed that 15-20% of our residents use live chat. They find it a simpler process to go on to our website during their workday to submit a service request.” – Carina Bryars, Greystar

“About 20% of our chats are coming from residents. It is so much quicker to be able to chat about ‘I need this replaced in my apartment, or I need this to be looked at.” – Kim Small, Morgan Group

“We have residents get online. We were able to service them really quickly and keep our phone lines open for other traffic. It’s been really good for us.” – Carlos Dominguez, South Hampton Management

How quickly can you respond to a backed up toilet?

Toilet problems are among the most common maintenance requests residents chat about. In fact, many leasing offices are closed in the morning before residents head off to work. Calling from work is not appealing (and may even be prohibited by employers).  Besides, who wants to share this type of information with their coworkers in the cube farm? How about emailing the leasing office? Well, that typically involves a delay in response and certain uncertainty: “Did anyone actually receive my email?”

In the situation of a backed up toilet and many others, live apartment chat can help facilitate immediate resolutions to tenant issues. We all know that when there’s flooding in a unit, it’s important to respond quickly before the situation gets worse. With a printed copy of the chat transcript in hand, property supervisors can provide written permission to maintenance crews, allowing them to enter the apartment in time to save the day.

“About 20% of our chats are coming from residents. It is so much quicker to be able to chat about “I need this replaced in my apartment, or I need this to be looked at.” – Kim Small, Morgan Group

Using live chat, apartment communities can improve response times and the quality of service they provide to residents.

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