If you’re in the multifamily business, chances are you’ve heard a lot about bot technology in the past few years. From improving lead generation to reducing the burden on busy property management teams, chatbots have more than proven their worth in this space. So, if you’re looking to get into conversational leasing – great! We can help you get started. But what we’re going to focus on today is what not to do when it comes to adding a multifamily chatbot to your property website.
The benefits of conversational leasing
Investing in bot technology can be a huge step forward for your business. On average, chatbots save property management teams upward of 80 hours per month. What’s more, customer satisfaction scores when using chatbots are up to 90%, while live chat and other methods only garner around 35%.
But just because you have a chatbot doesn’t mean your work is done.
Common mistakes when adding a multifamily chatbot to your site
Here are some of the top pitfalls we see property management teams fall into when they build their first multifamily chatbot.
Choosing the wrong type of bot
From AI-based natural language processing bots to voice-guided bots, there are several different types of chatbot tech available for you to use. And while it can be tempting to throw your money at an “advanced” AI offering, the truth is, those bots just don’t work as well as rules-based, or guided-conversation bots. At BetterBot, this is the type of bot we use to help property managers turn prospects into renters.
Cluttering your site with too many widgets
When a prospective renter visits your site, you don’t want to overwhelm them. A busy site filled with CTAs doesn’t help drive your customer to where they want to go. At worst, it can cause them to feel overwhelmed, and look elsewhere. A great chatbot however, can host all of those wonderful widgets – without clogging up your front page.
Keeping your content hostage
Beware the lead snare. Instead of making prospects fill out contact forms before they can access content, allow them access from the get-go. Don’t be a gatekeeper – and allow your bot to collect information in a natural, conversational way. We don’t call it ‘conversational leasing’ for nothing!
Not including virtual tours or videos
In today’s digital-first environment, people want to check out every aspect of your property before taking the time to visit in person. Adding virtual tours and videos of your units to your multifamily chatbot can help build a more immersive experience, and help people get an accurate picture of life at your property.
Not including a call to action
Chatbots are not only there on your property website to give users information, they’re also there to act as lead generators. Include options to schedule appointments, tours, and other valuable CTAs that can help convert leads.
Stopping at your website
One of the great things about chatbots is that they don’t have to be relegated to your website only. Once you’ve built a bot, you can deploy it throughout the internet, in places like Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and Google My Business, and all conversations had by those bots can drive traffic back to your site!
