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Kigo Partner Q&A with Apartment Ocean

We are excited to welcome Apartment Ocean as an official partner for our Kigo clients! Learn more about Apartment Ocean in our Q&A below.

 

Tell us more about Apartment Ocean.

Founded in NYC, Apartment Ocean was created because of the need for more effective communication between property managers and customers.

Although it’s always the first step in the renting process, the communication between property managers and potential customers seemed to be a bottleneck to more leases and bookings. It was always very slow and inconsistent. That was the problem we knew had to be solved.

We started in 2016 and became a pioneer in conversational AI technology for real estate. Since then, after years of gathering data, testing, iterating and working with property management companies, we have created a market-leading virtual customer representative that makes the communication between property managers and customers both effective and efficient.

What is a chatbot and how can it effectively help property managers?

Very simply put, a chatbot is a software application that simulates a conversation with users.

Apartment Ocean added the latest AI technology on top of a chatbot which allows us to chat in the same, conversational way as human agents would.

Apartment Ocean was created specifically for property managers, so its entire focus is on how to help property managers automate customer service and increase conversion on their websites. It is responsible for providing initial support to users and giving them all the necessary information to entice them to book right away.

Fast query resolution is proven to be very important when converting users into actual customers. If users can’t find the information they need to decide right on the spot, most likely they will leave the website and look elsewhere, decreasing the chances to come back again and book.

Having Apartment Ocean, a 24/7 customer representative, on the website that instantly engages and responds to users will significantly increase the overall website conversion.

How does a chatbot learn everything about a business in order to be able to provide the correct answers? What kind of questions can a chatbot answer?

Every chatbot company has a different approach on this. Apartment Ocean is structured in a way where the property manager controls what information the chatbot can provide. Property managers have the flexibility to input information which is specific to their properties and company, in a very simple and easy way.

Based on a lot of data regarding what potential renters ask and what they need when searching for properties, Apartment Ocean is able to understand and provide an answer to most of the vacation rental-related questions.

Apartment Ocean can answer questions regarding the booking, application process, deposit, pet policy, special deals, payment options, refunds, check-ins, and similar questions that users ask when inquiring about vacation rentals.

Apartment Ocean understands most frequently asked questions in the vacation rental sector and the FAQ list is constantly being updated to make sure the performance of Apartment Ocean exceeds customers’ expectations.

How easy is it to install a chatbot on a website?

Installation is very simple; property managers only need to paste a two-line code script on their website and Apartment Ocean will be ready to go. Code script can be found in the dashboard under “Chatbot Install”.

In which languages is the chatbot available?

Apartment Ocean is available in most major languages, including English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese. If any other language is needed, please let us know and we will try to accommodate.

What are your key recommendations for property managers wanting to use the Apartment Ocean chatbot?

Be prepared to get more leads and bookings. Apartment Ocean will help them maximize their marketing efforts and fully utilize their marketing budget.

They will be positively surprised to see how many of their website users require information before booking. They may have been leaving a lot of business on the table just because they didn’t have a 24/7, instant communication with users.

Apartment Ocean is created with property managers in mind, so they will not have any difficulties navigating the dashboard – everything is very simple and straightforward.

We suggest they sit back and relax because they have a new customer representative working for them every day, non-stop.

How has Apartment Ocean adapted to the impact of COVID-19 on the industry and travel trends?

This industry has been hit hard and we understand that property managers need all the help they can get in this situation.

Apartment Ocean has taken several measures to assist property managers get through it. We offer COVID-19 specific responses where property managers provide answers to their customers’ COVID-19 related questions (e.g. what steps have been taken to make sure your property is safe for us to stay, do you have sanitizer in the house, do you have touchless entry…).

What do you think will be the top trends post-pandemic? 

I think that companies and individuals understand how important technology is in our everyday lives.

In business transactions, touchless and virtual steps will be very important. If we look at the vacation rental industry, customers can do everything without personally interacting with the host, including virtual tours, keyless entry, online payment, online check-in and much more...

How can I get started with Apartment Ocean?

Contact your Kigo Account Manager or Apartment Ocean sales team ([email protected]) and we will get you up and running in no time!

Contact Sales