Since the COVID-19 outbreak, apartment chatbots have become a necessary part of the team at multifamily communities across the country. Powered by artificial intelligence, apartment chatbots are able to answer prospects’ questions and address residents’ immediate needs, freeing up leasing agents’ time.
An apartment community that addresses questions quickly and thoroughly has an edge over the competition, but implementing A.I. technology does come with some challenges that you should be aware of. In this post, we’ll go over the top six biggest mistakes that apartment communities make with multifamily chatbots.
Having an apartment chatbot handle certain interactions rather than a human.
Chatbots are able to take care of a variety of requests, but that doesn’t mean they should. When it comes to more complex questions or complaints that need to be resolved, it’s better to leave these tasks to humans or you risk alienating your residents and prospects. The best apartment chatbots are designed to give users the option of communicating with a human if the chatbot isn’t able to answer to their satisfaction.
Implementing an apartment chatbot without a defined strategy.
If you set up an apartment chatbot because other communities are doing so, you could be missing out on the value this technology can offer. To get the most out of it, create goals around your chatbot. For instance, do you want users to fill out a rental application or schedule an apartment virtual tour, or do you want to capture users’ contact information for future outreach? You should also have guidelines as to when the chatbot will be used — will it take over when your leasing team has gone home for the day, or will it work in concert with your team during regular business hours, or both?
Not improving over time.
The most effective chatbots use machine learning and natural language processing to communicate like people do. Over time, the chatbot’s language capabilities and its ability to understand new concepts should become more sophisticated. If your apartment chatbot isn’t constantly improving, you risk having to spend more time than expected assisting the bot rather than the other way around. On a regular basis, analyze your bot transcripts to ensure that it’s getting smarter and more helpful over time.
Overlooking brand engagement potential.
Once you unleash an apartment chatbot, it becomes part of your brand, so make the most of it. Give it a name that corresponds with your community, use your brand’s colors for the chatbot interface and assign a personality to your bot. Keep in mind that many brands and companies are now using chatbot technology, so it’s worthwhile to think through the bells and whistles of your bot so it stands out.
Creating a pushy bot.
If your apartment chatbot is spammy and pushy, you could be unintentionally pushing prospects away. Moderation is the goal. Ideally, a bot should be able to gauge a user’s responses and know when to back off. It’s acceptable for the bot to send a quick reminder when users are unresponsive, but sending a series of notifications could send prospects running in the other direction.
Sending long-winded messages.
Many people would prefer to communicate with a chatbot to get quick answers about your apartment community rather than trying to find the information they’re seeking on your apartment website. If your bot sends large blocks of text, it defeats the purpose. The idea is for your apartment chatbot to add value and create a pleasant, helpful experience that will ultimately support your business goals, so keep your chatbot’s answers clear and concise. Just like with a pushy bot, a long-winded bot could be equally as annoying.
Conclusion
An apartment chatbot can be a smart addition to your leasing team, but it’s important to get it right. By avoiding these common chatbot pitfalls, you’ll create a bot that provides high-quality customer service that will ultimately make your community stronger and even more competitive. If you would like to see a chatbot in action, contact Respage. The Respage Chatbot is the most sophisticated apartment chatbot in multifamily!
