Recently, we highlighted why Self-Guided Tours are the top leasing solution. Spoiler, it brings unparalleled convenience to property managers and opens up more opportunities while also increasing multifamily rental (and single-family rental) property safety, operational efficiency, and the ever-so-important occupancy rate.
4 in 10 prospective residents stop pursuing a rental when they struggle to find a time when both themselves and the leasing agent are available to tour the property. Reduce this turn-away rate to 0 by ensuring interested parties can instantly book a tour time that works around their lifestyle and commitments with this home automation solution.
Now that you know why you need the Self-Guided Tours feature, we’re going to show you exactly what this process looks like for property managers.
A 3-step easy guide to setting up Self-Guided Tours
Step one: Tailor the website
We’ve updated our popular self-touring solution, so now property managers can tailor the tour scheduling website for increased brand awareness.
For example, property managers can now display community names inside a site’s URL, add the community logo, and adjust the color of the webpage to match the company brand. There’s even the option to add your brand’s logo to the welcome email prospective residents will receive after making a booking.
Why have we increased the feature’s focus on brand awareness? Because brand awareness is the crucial first step in the marketing funnel that leads to acquiring new consumers.
How so? Imagine your prospective resident is viewing five properties in their search for their next home. Which property are they most likely to recall, one booked on a generic website or one with a strong visual representation of a brand? When you use the customizable Self-Guided Tour scheduling site, the answer is your company.
What’s more, property managers can personalize added extras, such as adding a “text a survey” link for prospective residents to use post-tour or displaying the company’s support number for easy access. This way prospective residents can lean on you for support should they need it (but hopefully not), and you can use survey feedback to perfect the viewing experience.
Step two: Easily list and de-list available units
Through the PointCentral portal, property managers can easily list (and de-list) units available for self-touring with a quick toggle, meaning no time is wasted in getting your accommodation in front of potential viewers.
The fully connected platform smooths out the entire process. From allowing you to choose whether a unit booking requires a credit card verification from the prospective resident to sending you a report (Self-Guided Tours Report) of property appointments and prospective resident information when subscribed.
Step three: Set up tour windows
Continue to have complete control over your multifamily communities with the Self-Guided Tour solution, which allows property managers to specify available tour times and tour durations.
For example, if you have a small unit available, viewing blocks of 30 minutes may be most suitable, but if you have a larger rental on the market you can set a longer tour duration to give prospective residents enough time to fully digest the potential of the accommodation.
And, don’t worry, you’ll be kept up to date throughout the entire process with notifications (sent via your preferred method, such as by email or text) for when a Self-Guided Tour is booked and when the prospective resident enters the unit. These notifications will include the prospective resident’s booking details including their name, email, and phone number.
This means you’ll know exactly which prospective residents kept their viewing appointments and are equipped with all the necessary information should you wish to follow up with them.
How does the Self-Guided Tour solution work?
Self-Guided Tours is powered by smart home tech, including the Community Access proptech solution. For example, direct entry keyless locks allow prospective residents to seamlessly access the community’s entrance and the property’s front door with a temporary code.
These codes are automatically generated and sent to prospective residents via text after a booking has been made on the scheduling website. Prospective residents will only have access during their specified showing time and codes are automatically deactivated once the tour has ended.
What’s more, the smart locks can also auto-relock a certain time after the tour has begun, when custom time frames are entered into the system. So, if your tour duration is 30 minutes, the unit door will relock after this time, ensuring your community is kept safe, and the rental is secure!
Want to get started with offering prospective guests an easier, safer, faster way to book and tour a property? The Self-Guided Tours solution is available with all of PointCentral’s service plans.
Speak to one of our team members to begin your journey towards increased multifamily rental occupancy and operational efficiency, here.
