Benefits of an Online Tour Scheduling Tool

For multifamily property managers, an online scheduling tool is one of the most powerful calls to action possible. It’s convenient for consumers, productive for leasing offices, and it guides an online shopper to the next step in the research process, thus, bringing them closer to signing a lease.

PERQ’s Schedule a Tour experience converts 23.8% of leads to leases on average, making it one of our highest-converting interactive tools on multifamily property websites. In a world of instant gratification, an interactive scheduling tool on a property’s website allows prospects to see available tour appointments in real time and book them at their convenience with a click of a button.

Katrina Greene, Senior Property Manager for Sheehan Properties, says she knows a prospect means business when they schedule a tour online. Those leads typically have a higher probability of closing. “I love it when they cut to the chase and tell us exactly what they want and when,” Greene says. “It’s clear their purpose is less about fact-finding and more about needing to ‘test drive to buy.’”

Nurture Leads Until Ready to Rent

Our recently released Consumer Insights Report found only 8.31% of online consumers who visited multifamily property websites are ready to rent right now. To keep 53.21% of prospects (who are 30 to 90 days away from signing a lease) engaged and motivate them to schedule a tour, multifamily properties must nurture leads with continual communication. They must also offer assistance as they make a decision.

“We see that a huge percentage of prospects use self-scheduling tools before or after some kind of contact with the company. They’ll send an email and then schedule a tour — or schedule a tour and follow up with a phone call if they have questions,”

Says Todd Katler, CEO of Anyone Home, a CRM (customer relationship manager) and software provider that helps multifamily property management companies track leads through multiple touchpoints.

Katler says his software data shows self-scheduling tools convert at 2.5 times the rate of the average lead. According to our insights data, 15% of PERQ leads captured on multifamily property websites end up booking a tour. But before they scheduled a tour online, 72% of those prospects went through at least one other interactive experience on the website, such as the expense calculator, pre-qualify or floor plan assessments, and 58% interacted with at least three website experiences before picking a tour date.

Website Tour Scheduling Tool Streamlines Leasing Process

Using AI technology to link the online scheduling tool directly to a leasing specialist’s digital calendar is a win for everyone involved.

Leasing specialists benefit by collecting leads around the clock. Even as they sleep, their work calendar automatically updates with newly scheduled property tours booked by interested and engaged renters. Prospects no longer have to wait to hear back from a leasing office and coordinate schedules before making an appointment to tour the property. That delay can cost companies valuable leads as competitors swoop in with a more consumer-friendly and convenient approach that puts prospects in control of the renting process.

“Before, we had to rely on phone calls and emails to get the appointment, which often required a bit of back and forth,” Greene says. “The tour scheduling tool allows us to rearrange our schedules to make it work for the prospect so we’re starting the relationship with efficiency.”