You’ve decided to invest in an AI leasing agent to improve the prospect and resident experience by providing faster responses to inquiries and automating follow-ups. That’s great! Integrating an AI agent into your marketing and leasing operations can boost lead-to-lease conversion rates and reduce repetitive tasks for your leasing team. However, if implementation is poorly handled, its effectiveness may be limited, and onsite teams could become frustrated. Here are some best practices to ensure a smooth rollout.
1. Involve Your Leasing Team
Introducing an AI leasing assistant can cause some initial anxiety among leasing teams. To ease the transition, invite a handful of property and leasing managers to vendor demos once you’ve narrowed your options to one or two. Since they handle day-to-day leasing operations, their insights can help shape how the system is integrated into your processes. Their feedback on usability and implementation can improve the rollout, and most importantly, early involvement fosters stronger buy-in.
2. Don’t Shortcut the AI Leasing Agent Setup Process
AI leasing agents can only answer the questions they’re configured to handle. To ensure success:
- Connect the AI leasing agent with your Property Management Software (PMS) and CRM so it has access to real-time pricing, availability, and tour scheduling.
- Provide additional insights, policies, and community details beyond what’s available on your website or PMS feed. You’ll want to choose AI leasing software with robust customization options to tailor responses to your community’s unique needs.
- Ensure the system includes answers to resident FAQs, such as maintenance procedures and lease renewal policies.
3. Keep Your Data Up to Date
While rents and tour schedules typically update automatically, other property details and policies may require manual updates. When policies change, log updates or report them to your account manager for support. Keeping information fresh ensures your AI leasing agent always delivers accurate and relevant responses.
4. Stay Connected
Your AI provider isn’t just a vendor; they’re your strategic partner. Keep in touch with your account manager, schedule regular check-ins, and let them know how things are going. They can help you troubleshoot issues and ensure you’re maximizing your investment. These meetings are also a great time to discuss policy changes, explore new AI features, and optimize the system for better results.
AI leasing agents are here to stay, but like any technology, reaching their potential depends on proper implementation and ongoing maintenance. Respage offers ResMate, an AI-powered leasing assistant designed to complement your team by automating prospect nurturing, follow-ups, and resident communication. With seamless integration into your PMS and dedicated support, ResMate helps you optimize your leasing operations while minimizing effort.
Ready to streamline your leasing process? Contact us today to learn more.
From the desk of Ellen Thompson, Co-founder and CEO of Respage >> Since its founding, Respage has helped over 10,000 communities attract, engage, and retain residents. Its platform assists properties in generating leads, automating leasing, and managing reputation and social media. Thompson is also the Founder of Results Repeat, a digital marketing agency that has helped hundreds of companies create a digital presence and use SEO and paid marketing to generate more business online.
