This is the second in a three-part series about streamlining and improving the moving process for prospects, residents, and site teams.

After prospects have taken the time to review your reputation and decided to investigate a little further, it’s important to have a website that is easy for them to navigate and find all the information they need to make a decision. This step is critical for properties because if the prospect experiences any friction when evaluating units and researching the amenities available to them, they could move on to the competition before you even knew they existed. When building your prospect portal, be sure to include:

High quality photos and a virtual tour

To ensure prospects have a good first impression of your property, include high quality photos that showcase everything you have to offer. The key is to help them best visualize what it’s like to live in the apartment they’re considering.

Detailed floor plans 

Provide comprehensive floor plans that include square footage, a detailed list of amenities, unique features that competitors may not have, and different layouts available. Consider using interactive floor plans that allow prospects to customize layouts and explore different options.

Real-time pricing

Display up-to-date availability calendars and pricing information for each unit type. This eliminates the need for prospects to call or email for inquiries, reducing friction and increasing engagement. To create a sense of urgency, make prospects aware that market prices fluctuate and if they want to lock in this price, they need to act now.

Simple application process

Don’t make the application process too complicated. If it takes more than a few minutes to fill out, you’re asking too much. Just ask for the essential information needed to vet the prospect. It is also recommended that you integrate screening, background checks, and income verification into the application process as another measure to simplify the process for prospects. Additionally, make sure you have the appropriate fraud detection tools in place to protect you from application fraud.

Multiple communication channels

With the wide range of communication channels available today, it’s prudent to let prospects and residents communicate with you on their terms, through their preferred channels. What that means for you and your website is you need to make it easy for prospects to connect with you via phone, text, email, or via a chat widget on your website.

Clear calls to action

After the prospect has a good idea of what you have to offer, you need to make it as easy as possible for them to request more information, schedule a tour, or fill out an application. During this crucial time of the  renter’s journey you don’t want to give prospects a reason to bounce. To accomplish this, place clear calls to action prominently on every page. 

Effectively nurture leads

You’ve spent all this time and effort to attract prospects and convert them into leads. Now it’s time to turn as many of those leads into residents as possible.

Automate first contact

Now that you’ve got the lead, you should have triggers in place to automatically send an email or text (depending on the lead’s preferred contact method) to let them know you’ve received their request for information and you will be following up shortly.

Score and prioritize leads

For high priority leads, it might make sense to have a leasing agent reach out directly to provide them with additional information they might need and to review next steps.

Follow up with the right message at the right time

Depending on how the conversation with the leasing agent goes, there are multiple events that could be triggered. The lead could have scheduled a tour, which would initiate a contact point that provides them with access information. 

The lead could have requested an application, which would result in a link to the application being sent to them. Maybe the lead needs more time to think. If that’s the case, they’ll be kicked over to a nurture sequence that provides them with more information, keeping the lead warm until it’s time for the leasing agent to reach out directly again or it’s moved over into the ‘lead not progressing’ bucket.

Approve or deny application

As mentioned in the previous section, after the application is filled out, the vetting process is automatically triggered. This includes a detailed background check, income verification, along with any other criteria you see fit. Once the background check is complete and the decision has been made whether to approve or deny the application, contact the prospect to let them know if they’ve been approved or denied.

Learn more

To learn more about how Entrata can improve the moving process for residents, prospects, and team members check out our latest ebook, From Clicks to Keys, or request a demo today.