Case Study
ECI Group

Delivering the benefits of innovation and flexibility to team members and prospective residents.

Case Study Results

0
tours in the first 10 days
0
average tours per month
0
tours booked with Tour24
0
%
monthly signed applications sent by Tour24
“Tour24’s software essentially replicated the agent experience with the voiceover matched to imagery. It's all about the prospect experience, and the other two [options] just didn't offer that immersive experience we aimed to deliver to our prospects.”

Tim Johnson, Vice President of Asset Operations, ECI

Location

Southeast US + Texas

# of Units

6000+

Property Type

Various

Tour24 Launch

April 2022

Background

For more than 50 years, ECI Group has been one of the most highly regarded, privately owned real estate organizations in the United States. The firm is fully integrated, with development, construction, investment, and property management groups that have garnered national recognition for innovation and performance in the multifamily industry. With a portfolio of more than 6,000 units located throughout the Southeast and Texas, ECI is strategically positioned to continue to be a leader in the multifamily industry.

Results

100 tours in the first 10 days
178 average tours per month
1804 tours booked with Tour24
4568 units on Tour24
39% unit-to-tour ratio with Tour24
16% monthly signed application sent by Tour24

Challenge

From rising interest rates to talk of recession, ECI understood that they needed to prioritize ways to offer more flexibility and a better experience to their residents and prospective residents, as well as operational efficiency. “Challenges yield unique opportunities,” says Tim Johnson, Vice President of Asset Operations at ECI. “We have an opportunity to bring some new things to the table, especially in regard to our end users – our residents and team members.”

ECI was also looking for ways to bolster their recruitment and retention efforts at the site-level. “PTO and paid holidays are a great way to show appreciation to your team members. It’s a flexible yet indirect way for rewarding your hardworking team members. When comparing our corporate office time-off plans to those at the site-level, we uncovered a glaring discrepancy,” says Johnson.

Solution

Johnson and his team considered multiple options before choosing Tour24 as the most favorable option. “The other two we vetted lacked the experiential component to the tour. You could take a self-guided tour and gain access to all the points you needed to see, but with no voiceover talking you through each feature as an agent would do. Tour24’s software essentially replicated the agent experience with the voiceover matched to imagery. It’s all about the prospect experience, and the other two just didn’t offer that immersive experience we aimed to deliver to our prospects.”

Tour24 would also drive efficiency by facilitating smoother interactions. “Today’s renters expect to have self-serve and flexible options. They want to tour when they want and not during the limited dates and times made available by the traditional leasing office. They expect a self-service solution and some want to interact with as few people as possible to find their next home,” says Johnson.

To achieve this seamlessness, ECI gave Tour24 “dedicated real estate on our property websites, above and beyond the general Tour24 button that allows
you to schedule a self-guided tour, to where Tour24 has its own landing page dedicated to the flexible touring options ECI offers its prospects.”

Results

“Tour24 took on the bulk of the heavy lifting during implementation. It required little from our end, unlike some other implementations that we’ve gone through,” says Johnson. ECI and Tour24 have worked closely together thereafter. “Since the first cluster was implemented and went live, we’ve continued to see Tour24 become an extension of our team.”

Tour24 has earned this close relationship by providing the highest standards of ongoing service. Johnson continues, “What I’ve found in this industry is a lot of times, once the contract is signed, the service you were offered goes out the window. That’s not been the case with Tour24. We get such attentiveness, such quick responses, and this level of attention means so much.”

Offering a self-guided touring option with Tour24 has freed up onsite team members to focus on other important activities like lead tracking or building resident engagement programs.

Moreover, ECI reached its goal of offering more equitable time-off plans. For example, this year, onsite team members are offered the exact same holiday schedule as corporate team members. As simple as it sounds, this has a strong effect on our company culture.