Lettings Applicants

Adding an Applicant

There are 6 ways to enter a new Applicant record into Expert Agent: 

⋅   From the Applicants dropdown in the top menu.

⋅   By clicking the “Add a New Applicant” link on the Applicant Dashboard.

⋅   By right clicking on the applicant grid and selecting 'New Applicant'.

⋅   From the Quick Search box in the top menu.

⋅   From a property record via the right click “Applicant Records” option.

⋅   From a diary appointment.

In this example we’re going to “Add a New Applicant” link from the Applicants Section in the top menu.  In all instances you will be presented with the same wizard.

The wizard is there to ensure you are capturing all of the applicant’s important information.  Simply fill in the fields on each page.

The first page ensures you capture the name, address and contact details for your applicant:

Use the TAB key to move quickly through the page.  The system will add in capital letters and the salutation for you as you go along.

1. It’s really important to capture e-mail addresses and mobile numbers wherever possible.  E-mails are not only a quicker way of corresponding with your applicant but also save your business money.  Capturing as many mobile numbers as possible means you can make good use of the Expert Agent texting system for sending matches, viewing confirmations, and so on.
2. You have a Postcode Lookup here for the Applicants current address.  Remember to add in the House Name/No as the postcode only looks to Street level.  
3. Due to changes in GDPR (coming in to force on 25th May 2018) you have new Communication Preferences here.  See the image below for more information on this.  
4. Clicking either next or on the Requirements Tab will take you to the next page of the Wizard.  Please note, if you do not do step 3, the Communication Preferences will open at this point.  
5. If you press Save here and have not done step 3, again the Communication Preferences will open.  If you press Save without filling in the other tabs of the wizard, do not worry, you can fill everything in on the Applicant Record itself.  

1. Depending on what record you are adding into EA, these will change.  On the Applicant Record you have the Consents of General Marketing, Property Matching and Weekly Email.  You have to answer all these as well as giving the method of consent/non-consent.  The date and time will fill in automatically but you can change it by clicking on the calendar icon.  
2. As mentioned above, you have to answer how that consent/non-consent was given.  Clicking into the drop down gives the options.  
3. The standard contact preferences are here.
4. Press Save 

The next page of the wizard asks you about your applicant's requirements:

4. Select the lettings department you would like to register the applicant under.

5. Add details of their budget, the number of bedrooms they need and the dates in between which they are looking for a property. All of this affects matching so if in doubt keep the range slightly broader and then keep notes as to their 'ideal' requirements.

6. Enter additional requirement details to match against including Property Types, Styles, Ages, areas and essentials if your business have these set up.

7. You have the option to enter details of their previous landlord.

The next tab to complete is the Status and Notes tab:

8. Complete the dropdowns regarding their current position, working status, pets and term required.

9. Take details of how they heard about you (Enquiry Source) and how they enquired (Enquiry Method). Once you become familiar with the possible answers in your dropdowns, a quick way of completing them is to move through them with the TAB key, hitting the first letter of the phrase you are looking for – for example, to select “In Rented” for their Current Position status just select the box (it will turn blue) and hit “I”, then you could TAB to the next box, and so on.

10. Enter any notes regarding the applicant's search/criteria/situation etc.

The last page of the form is modelled off the Sales Applicant wizard, and is unlikely to be of use for a lettings applicant:

These details are shown on the “Own Property” page tab on the applicant form.

Once you have completed all of the pages of the wizard that you would like to, click 'Save' in the top right hand corner.

This takes you to the applicant record and opens the Welcome e-mail. The Welcome e-mail is a fantastic tool to use for welcoming new applicants.  As soon as they register with you they will receive their e-mail, thanking them for registering with you and providing them with a link to properties that match their requirements. They can also change their requirements should they need to by clicking a link in the e-mail.  A weekly e-mail will also be sent in the same format every Wednesday evening, allowing them to view any new instructions you have taken on as well as any price changes that fit their criteria. We recommend changing the text every week to keep your weekly e-mail fresh; this can be done in Configuration. 

An example of the welcome e-mail is shown below:

You are able to make one-off changes to the Welcome e-mail text in the preview that you see prior to sending:

If you do not wish to send the Welcome email simply 'x' out of the email in the top right hand corner or click 'Cancel.'

If you do want to send the Welcome email then click 'Create' as soon as you are happy with it.

This will then take you to the new applicant form:

The applicant form has the same attributes as all other forms:

1.   The Tooltip – providing a snapshot of the record’s information.

2.   The Page Tabs – contains the applicants important information.

3.   The Action Menu (accessible via a right click or the ‘Show Menu’ icon in the bottom right hand corner of the tooltip) – contains the work flows available from the applicant form.

Lettings applicants have some extra page tabs compared to sales applicants; these are highlighted and explained below.

More:

References Page Tab

Guarantor Page Tab

Financial Page Tab

Previous Addresses Page Tab