Every well-designed website needs an equally well-designed FAQ page. The audience out there today is spoiled by the immediacy of having the Internet in their pocket and although it can be a challenge at times, they expect companies like yours to keep up. Now is a great time to take a good look at your property management website and make sure that your FAQs are up to par.
As many as 82% of consumers expect businesses to have some type of self-service portal online. That’s a pretty high number, and it’s only going to continue to rise as technology continues to evolve. The more comprehensive your knowledge base and support sections, the more reputable you will appear to your audience. Of course, several perks come with creating an effective FAQ page, but the fact of the matter is that not having one can do a lot of damage to your brand.
What’s more is that you need to consider how the page is set up and make sure that it is easy to navigate and follow. In this blog, we’ll cover not only which FAQs you need to keep your site up to snuff, but how to build an effective FAQ database that keeps all of your audiences happy, from clients to tenants and everyone in between.
If you’re a property management company that doesn’t have a dynamic online presence, that should be first on your agenda. People today like to have information readily available whenever they want it and if you’re not offering it, your competition will. That’s why it’s more about transparency and creating a professional image that draws people in than it is about what types of Q&A you’re offering.
Before we get to the most important FAQs for your list, let’s talk about how to set up your FAQ page to ensure that people can easily find what they need.
As we mentioned, in addition to answering the right questions, you will want to make sure your FAQs are well-organized and answers are easy to find. People don’t want to have to spend a lot of time looking for things. Today’s Internet has allowed them to do things more quickly and with less effort. If you don’t offer the same convenience, they’re going to go find it elsewhere. Start by taking the time to decide what kind of structure you want. If you have a lot of FAQs or your business covers multiple categories or groups, you could divide them by topic to organize things even more. In the case of property management, that would mean you have categories like:
These are just a few general categories—feel free to get as specific as you’d like. As long as you’re taking the time to organize your FAQs, you’ll be setting your website up for a lot more success.
If you feel like you have too many FAQs for a single page, consider creating an FAQ database that consists of multiple pages dedicated to all the various aspects of property management that your audience may have questions about. You can even include a Table of Contents with live links on the main page to make it easy for people to navigate back and forth.
Speaking of navigation, that’s another big factor here. Do you offer a Table of Contents or an easy way to get around the page? Make sure that people aren’t left to endlessly scroll for the answers they seek. A well-structured page will go a long way in keeping people engaged and building your reputation as an authoritative and helpful resource.
Now, let’s look at the questions that you need to get your dynamic FAQ page started on the right note.
If you own property that you want to rent, you should always consider using a property management company or property manager. These professionals specialize in managing properties and handling tenants, including collecting rent, dealing with clients and leases, and so much more. It’s a great way to be a landlord with a hands-off approach. Property managers will deal with tenants, renting your property, collecting rent and any deposits, maintenance and repairs, and total property management for your unit, whether you’ve got one or 100 properties that need to be managed. You can get back to being a property investor and let someone else handle the details.
This is a great place to sell all the services that you offer and let people know what you can do for them. You can even link to testimonials here to bolster your answer or use other linking opportunities on your page (such as services or your “about us” page).
When you are thinking about client FAQs, this is a big one. People want to know how you’ll find renters because they want to ensure that you are getting quality tenants from good sources. They want reassurance here—reassurance that you’ll get their property rented quickly and reliably, and with any luck, with a tenant that suits their desires. Use this space to explain the process and advise all that you do to fill vacancies and consider offering an estimate of about how long it usually takes you to find, screen, and place tenants.
This is a question that is good to answer because it applies to both property owners and renters alike. Explain how you screen tenants for rentals, including whether you do background checks, credit checks, or any other special screenings. You may even offer these on an as-requested basis, so be sure to put that here. Some property owners will want more rigorous screening than others.
Plus, this question is also relevant to tenants who want to know what to expect with the application and screening process. Some people who may have a criminal record, for example, might be concerned that you won’t rent to them because of it, even if it was for a minor offense or something like traffic tickets.
This is an important question for multiple reasons. First, it gives you a place to outline your process and explain to people how it works when they choose your property management company. Secondly, it allows you to offer the opportunity for your owners to tell you how involved they’d like to be, if at all. If you do totally hands-off management for owners where you just send them the rents and the bills, make a point of selling that to those who likely have busy lives full of other things that require their attention.
This is always a big question and it’s one that no one likes to answer. What’s the deal with being afraid to talk money? Everyone knows that these services aren’t free. Telling people about your fees for managing properties upfront ensures that they know what they’re getting and that there will be no surprises. It also gives you the chance to be transparent with them and deliver a better experience, which is often more important than the information itself. Explain what fees you charge, how they’re charged, and whether the fees are charged to owners or tenants (such as in the case of a late rent payment). Don’t charge too much for your management services, but don’t just give them away, either. And no matter what you charge, explain to people how much and why. That will clear up a lot of confusion and improve your credibility significantly.
This is another big question for property owners. They typically don’t want to be the one taking the 3 A.M. calls that the furnace is broken when there’s a foot of snow on the ground. That’s why they chose to go with a property manager in the first place. Explain how you handle maintenance and repairs on the properties that you manage, including whether you have your own staff or if you outsource to professional repair services, and so forth. If you have a process for checking with owners to sign off on repairs in advance, or allotting a repair budget, for example, make sure to explain that here, as well.
This is important for your owners and is a common question when they’re seeking someone to manage their property or properties. You should use this space to list all of the types of rentals that you work with, or if you’ll handle anything, be sure to explain that here. You can even let people know to contact you on a case-by-case basis to discuss what they need because you’re more focused on providing solutions than the exact type of properties that you’re managing, for example.
This question can be for owners and tenants alike. People want to know how they get paid, and tenants want to know how flexible their options are for getting you paid on time. Today, especially, a lot of people are looking for online payment options to make it more convenient. If you offer them, provide the information here. If not, list all the ways that you do collect rent for the properties that you manage, as well as how you handle fees and extra charges, deposits, and so forth. Spell it all out for people and you’ll get a much better response.
Pro tip: If you don’t already offer online rent payments, you can add that service to your solutions when you partner with the team at Smith.ai—more on that later.
We know as well as you that there’s no finite timeline on renting properties. However, owners will want reassurance that you’re doing everything in your power to get their property rented as quickly as possible and to the best tenant that you can find. Use this opportunity to explain the screening and placement process and help them understand how long it usually takes you to get things done. Be sure to advise that every case is different, though, so that no one gets upset when things take a little longer. The goal here is transparent information, even if you can’t give them the exact answers they seek.
This is an important question for in-demand properties and cities around the country. Tenants looking for a place to live might not have time to wait, but some are willing and able. If you run a luxury building or an exclusive high-demand property, offering a waiting list for tenants might be a good way to secure better rental rates. Plus, even offering a waiting list adds a touch of professionalism to your management services and shows property owners that people want to work with you.
You’re busy managing properties and trying to build a business, but who’s answering the calls and chats that come through looking for more information or assistance? When you’re strapped for resources and want to deliver a higher caliber of service, partner with the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai for a total communications solution.
Our team of live agents can handle 24/7 live website chats, phone calls, Facebook message answering, and even field SMS messages and help with scheduling and lead intake. We’ll cover all the bases and work with you to come up with a dynamic strategy for doing so, freeing up your time to focus on your properties, owners, and your business.
To learn more, schedule a consultation to discuss how the 24/7 virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can help your property management company with everything from after-hours call routing to appointment scheduling and so much more. You will also find us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.
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