Challenge
AMLI subscribes to a number of online apartment listing services to obtain leads for potential apartment rentals. When a renter selects an AMLI apartment from the website of one of these listing services, the listing service sends an email on behalf of the renter to AMLI.
The listing services originally sent lead emails directly to managers of AMLI apartment communities. AMLI discovered a number of problems with this arrangement:
- There was no single repository of information on leads from the different online sources.
- Apartment community managers found it cumbersome to manage leads through email.
- It was difficult to determine how well managers were converting leads into rentals.
- There was no way to verify statistics that apartment listing services provided about the numbers of leads that they generated.
AMLI needed a way to manage the leads that it received from online apartment listing services.
Expert Object solution
Expert Object developed the Internet Lead Tracking system for managing leads from online listing services. The system includes the following components:
- an email processor
- a database for lead information
- a workflow manager
The deployment of the Internet Lead Tracking system required only a minor change in the way that AMLI obtained lead emails from apartment listing services: instead of sending emails to the different managers of apartment communities, listing services now send lead emails to a single email address. The lead email processor reads each lead email, capturing information that it inserts into the lead database. The email processor then sends an email that notifies the appropriate apartment community manager that a new lead is in the database.
The workflow manager manages the information in the lead database and allows apartment community managers and other AMLI staff to collaborate in tracking leads through the sales cycle. AMLI can also use the information in the lead database to compile statistical reports on leads.
Result
The Internet Lead Tracking system helps AMLI get the most from the leads that it receives from online apartment listing services.
- Lead information from different online sources now resides in a single repository. There is less chance of a lead being lost or forgotten.
- AMLI can better manage the conversion of leads into rentals.
- AMLI can evaluate the performance of online apartment listing services.
- Community managers no longer need to rely on emails to keep track of rental leads.
- There was minimal impact to the way that AMLI received leads from online apartment listing services.
