In today’s rental world, your prospective tenants want detailed property information, and they want it fast. They don’t want to call you for property information, only to wait on hold to talk with you. And leaving a message for a call back can be burdensome…for the prospective tenant and the company. If they can’t get readily available information at the push of a button, these potential tenants will likely turn into mere passersby.

Is this demand for information at the “touch of a button” too much to ask? We think not. Let’s face it, the way businesses communicate with their customers has changed. To effectively reach potential tenants, our methods of communication must also evolve. Thankfully, we’ve provided you a solution! With the HERO PM Text Response tool, you can give your prospective tenants exactly what they want…the ability to access detailed information in seconds, at the touch of a button, anytime day or night.

Simply include a texting code on your yard signs, window displays, flyers and other printed marketing material. Then, when prospective tenants want information on the property, they use their phones to text the code listed on your sign/flyer to 313131 (this number is registered with all cell phone carriers), and receive an immediate text response with the property’s full details…photos, floorplans, videos, and even a rental application. Whenever a text response is generated on a property, you receive a pending inquiry in your communication system so you can follow-up with the prospect, record notes, and include the info in the marketing report to the owner.

 

How Text Response Works

The Text Response feature is enabled for all HERO PM RP Listings and VR Listings system users. If you are not currently a HERO PM member, please sign up for your free launch account where you will be able to access all of the HERO PM systems, including Text Response. If you are a HERO PM member, but do not currently benefit from the RP Listings system, you can upgrade your package in Configuration > Orders & Upgrade > Company Upgrade.

1. Buy text inquiry credits. The property management company must buy text inquiry credits from HERO PM.

  • Credits apply to any and all listings in a portfolio. There is no need to buy credits for a specific listing or code.
  • Credits do not expire as long as your package is active. Credits roll over month to month.
  • Credits range from 10 cents to 25 cents each, depending on quantity purchased. For most property managers, this is 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of “unlimited” text inquiry systems – you pay only for what you get, there is no risk.
  • Text inquiry credits are purchased while logged into your Control Panel, from Configuration > Orders & Upgrades. Select the quantity desired from the drop down menu and complete the order to add credits to your account.

2) Set your company short ID and Inquiry Alert levels.

  • In your Control Panel, under Configuration > System Preferences, ensure that your Short ID is set and appropriate, and set the Text Inquiry Alert Level to the number at which you want to be notified to purchase more credits. This will ensure your prospective tenants (or curious owners) don’t get a response saying texting is disabled (because there are no credits available).
  • From this screen, you can also view your remaining credits, and there’s a shortcut to purchase more.

3) Print text codes on sign riders, window signs, etc.

  • There are two options for text inquiries: the property ID or the texting shortcut ID. The property ID never changes for a listing; texting shortcut IDs can be recycled by reassigning them to any active listing.
  • Text instructions should read “Text Rental {code} to 313131”, where {code} is either the property ID (like AZ011614L) or the texting shortcut ID (like XBETWBL).

4) Begin receiving text inquiries, just as you would with web inquiries.

  • Manage these inquiries in exactly the same way you already manage web inquiries, either through your own system or through RP Listings > Communications > View Pending Inquiries (for text inquiries).
  • Record notes on the inquiries and follow ups, and you can include these along with the statistics in your owner marketing report to show your owner all of your effective marketing methods.

 

The Prospect’s Perspective

An interested prospect will see the opportunity to text an inquiry, and can easily determine key information about a rental from the text response. You capture the cell phone number of each inquiry, along with the property they inquired on.

Prospects without a smart phone will see basic information, and will be able to easily call the property manager if they are interested in the listing.

The basic response includes the status of the listing (available or unavailable), bedrooms, bathrooms, rent, address, and lease agent phone number.

Prospects with a smart phone will click through to the mobile version of the listing, and can view full details, photos, floorplans, videos, and an inquiry form. The mobile version of the listing can be expanded to the full web version for smart phone users whose devices support full website browsing.

If the prospect mistypes the listing code, they will receive a text response indicating the listing entered could not be found, and they should try again.

If the prospect inquires on a listing where the manager has no available credits, they will receive a response indicating that texting is not enabled for this listing. You will receive notice of this inquiry, but the contact information will not come through.

Per CTIA requirements, each response includes the option for a prospect to stop further responses. However, this system only delivers one response per inquiry, so there is really nothing to stop!

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In addition to Text Response, here are some other HERO PM Mobile Media Marketing tools. Please contact Member Support for more information:

  • Reusable listing shortcuts for texting
  • Scannable QR codes
  • Mobile listing views and shortcuts