See an archive of all enhancements added to ACE™ Virtual Leasing Assistant in 2021.
Last Update:
March 10, 2022
ACE
Product Updates
2021 Past Releases
RELEASE DATE: 12/20/2021
Chatbot Scheduling Widget
ACE's new chatbot scheduling widget makes booking tour faster and easier. Prospects can now simply choose an available date and time from the built-in widget. The widget is automatically synced with the LeaseHawk Admin Center and any existing calendar integration.
Call to Text Ad Source Tracking
ACE can now track the ad source for prospects who transferred their ACE call to a text message conversation.
For example, if a prospect's call originated from an ad's tracking number, then they chose the IVR option to text, their ad source will be tracked for their text conversation.
RELEASE DATE: 12/15/2021
Customize ACE for the Holidays
Give prospects a festive experience when they contact your community! Customize ACE’s Opening Greeting and Chatbot Popup Message to include, "Happy Holidays!" or "Happy New Year!" This quick customization is sure to spread some cheer to your prospects.
Click on the General dashboard in the left-hand navigation.
Scroll down to Phrases section.
Next, in the Open Greeting text field, enter the exact phrase you’d like ACE to say for the Default, Text, and/or Chatbot channels. For example, “Happy holidays! I’m your virtual leasing assistant. I can help book a tour, give pricing and availability, and answer leasing questions. How can I help?”
Click the Audio icon to listen to the voice and make changes until you are satisfied with the result.
Finally, click the orange Save button in the top-right corner then click Publish.
TIP: Follow the instructions above to customize ACE’s Ending Farewell greeting too! For example, “Thank you for chatting and have a wonderful holiday season. Goodbye!”
Click on the Chatbot Style dashboard in the left-hand navigation.
Scroll down to Chatbot Popup Message section then enter the exact phrase you’d like ACE to chat. For example, “Happy holidays! I’m your virtual leasing assistant. I can help book a tour, give pricing and availability, and answer leasing questions. How can I help?”
Use the Preview on the left-side of the screen to make changes until you are satisfied with the result.
Finally, click the orange Save button in the top-right corner then click Publish.
Embed Videos in Chatbot Responses
Give your prospects a visually engaging response to their leasing questions by embedding a video into your chatbot responses.
Instructions:
Upload your video to a video hosting website such as YouTube or Vimeo.
Copy the embed code from the source website.
If your video is hosted on Vimeo, click on the Share button. Then, copy the Embed code.
If your video is hosted on YouTube, click on the Share button and select Embed. Then, Copy the embed code.
If it is a self-hosted video, you may use the iframe template below to create your own embed code.
Next, log in to the LeaseHawk Admin Center.
Click on the Leasing Questions or Resident Questions dashboard in the left-hand navigation.
Find the leasing or resident question that you’d like the video to be embedded.
Then, click on the Chatbot tab of that question. If you do not already have a Chatbot tab created, click on the Plus icon to create it.
Click the View as HTML button.
Then, paste the embed code. The embed code should be pasted below your written chatbot response. Make sure the width and height of the video is 300 x 169 pixels or responsive—you may need to make this change in the code after you have pasted, as shown the screenshot below.
Click the View as Text button to preview your chatbot response. Note: It may take up to a few minutes for the embedded video to appear in your preview.
When you are satisfied with the result, click the orange Save button in the top-right corner then click Publish.
RELEASE DATE: 9/7/2021
New Business Hours Formatting
When a prospect asks the ACE chatbot for business hours, it will now reply with a formatted list instead of a conversation response. See screenshot below for an example of this formatting update.
For all ACE channels (voice, chat, and text), ACE will include closed days/holidays within a 30-day window when responding to inquiries about business hours.
RELEASE DATE: 8/23/2021
ACE IVR
Add a second layer to your LeaseHawk IVR with ACE.
If you currently use LeaseHawk’s IVR, you can now add a second IVR layer to the ACE voice channel. This second layer allows ACE to ask the caller if they want to communicate via talk or text. This enhancement allows prospects to communicate with ACE on the channel they prefer most.
To set up the ACE IVR, please contact your LeaseHawk Client Success Manager or email support@leasehawk.com.
RELEASE DATE: 7/23/2021
Lease Term Pricing
ACE can now provide pricing by lease term when lease term pricing is available via your PMS integration. When it is available, ACE will respond to pricing inquiries by providing the price range of all lease terms followed by the best lease term price.
Prospects can also request a specific lease term and ACE will provide that information by replacing the best lease term price prompt with the requested lease term price or the closest lease price if the requested lease term is not available.
See examples below of how ACE can respond to these scenarios:
General Pricing & Availability inquiry: “Okay! Pricing and availability are subject to change. We do have a 2-bedroom apartment available on that date ranging from $2,015 to $2,403. Our best price is for a 15-month lease term starting at $2,015. Would you like to schedule a tour?
If the requested lease term is available: “We do have a 2-bedroom apartment available on that date ranging from $2,015 to $2,403. The 9-month leasing term starts at $2,209. Would you like to schedule a tour?”
If the requested lease term is not available: “We do have a 2-bedroom apartment available on that date ranging from $2,015 to $2,403. We do not have a 14-month lease term, but we do have a 15-month lease term that starts at $2,015. Would you like to schedule a tour?”
To learn more about this feature, please read the on-demand training resource below:
ACE’s newest workflow makes it easier for prospects and residents to get in touch with a human. Now, when a user requests a callback or asks for a leasing agent to contact them, ACE will collect their guest card information and let the user know a leasing agent will follow up with them. ACE will send a guest card notification once the workflow is complete, so your team can follow up with the contact.
On-Site Self-Guided Tours
You can now enable on-site self-guided tours in the LeaseHawk Admin Center. When enabled, ACE will collect guest card information and send the prospect to your self-guided tour system.
To enable this workflow, follow the steps below:
Login to the LeaseHawk Admin Center.
Click on the Schedule Tour dashboard from the left-hand navigation.
Scroll down to the On-Site Self-Guided Tour Settings section.
To enable, click the toggle to the green On position.
Update the confirmation message. Be sure to add the link to your self-guided tour system in the Text channel tab.
Save and publish.
We have continued to refine ACE’s leasing question responses to make setup and implementation faster and to enhance ACE’s communication. The following leasing questions are now consolidated in the LeaseHawk Admin Center, and the default response options have been updated to reflect these changes.
You can now access a library of chatbot icons in the Chatbot Styles dashboard within the LeaseHawk Admin Center. There is a mix of static and animated icons to choose from.
Upload History
Additionally, if you choose to upload your own icon, it will be saved in your Uploaded Icons history. The icon library and your upload history are accessed by clicking the dropdown menu in the Floating Action Button Icon section.
Border Radius Controls
When choosing a Custom icon, you can now control the shape of the icon with the FAB Icon Border Radius. This new styling tool allows you to make square icons appear circular or with rounded corners.
Animations
You can now add animation to your ACE chatbot—there are three animations to choose from: Bounce, Shake and Rotate X-Axis. The animation will automatically play when the chatbot loads on your website.
You can now split your onsite guided appointment hours. With this feature, you may break up your property’s tour appointment hours into a series of intervals or gaps. It’s perfect for blocking out break times, such as a lunch hour when no appointments should be scheduled. Appointment hours may be split up to 3 times per day.
This feature is useful for LeaseHawk clients without a calendar integration. For clients that do have a calendar integration, ACE will automatically pull your property and on-site team’s availability for scheduling appointments from your integrated system.
For setup instructions, please read the on-demand training resource below:
When a prospect requests pricing and availability via chat, ACE will now provide multiple units in its results. By default, ACE will share up to three available units, which will be visually displayed as a carousel. The first unit in the carousel list will always be the matching bedroom count as requested by the prospect, followed by additional options with a higher or lower bedroom count. ACE’s recommendations will only include units that are available on or after the prospect’s preferred move-in date.
To learn more about this feature, please read the on-demand training resource below:
ACE loves talking to your prospects on the phone. However, you may have noticed that ACE’s voice sounded robotic when repeating and confirming phone numbers. Now, instead of saying all phone numbers in a string (i.e., 5555555), ACE will conversationally say the phone number with natural breaks (i.e., 555-55-55).
Units for Sale — Some prospects may be interested in purchasing a unit rather than renting at your community. You may now add a custom response for this question in the LeaseHawk Admin Center.
RELEASE DATE: 6/21/2021
Provide prospects quick access to leasing, pricing and availability, and appointment inquiries by adding the ACE chatbot URL to your email autoresponder, signature, and out of office replies.
To do this, you will need to setup your ACE chatbot URL. Once your URL is set up, you can place it within your email. When your prospects click on the link, it will open a new webpage that allows them to directly chat with ACE.
For step-by-step instructions, please read the on-demand training resource below:
Watch the new on-demand training webinar designed for all leasing professionals, management, and executives. This 20-minute training focuses on how ACE provides conversational assistance via calls, texts, and chats, 24/7 for your prospective renters. This is an excellent training resource to share with new hires to get them quickly up to speed with ACE's capabilities.
Waitlist - If Pricing and Availability is turned off, “waitlist” is a common follow up question. Custom responses can now be created for this.
Military Discount - This is active for all communities, whether military or conventional.
Due to low usage or to enhance communication, the following are now combined:
Utilities and Pest Control are under Covered Cost Management
Company is now under On-Site Management
Free Weights and Exercise Class are now under Fitness Center
Disposal, Counter Tops, Pantry and Kitchen Island are now under Kitchen Features
Sauna and Spa are under Hot Tub/Spa
Courtyard is under Property Amenities
Conference Room is under Business Center
Vaulted Ceilings is under Ceiling Height
Handrails is under Accessible Features
Meal Service is under Grocery/Food Delivery
Pool Water Type and Sun Deck is under Pool
Valet Service is under Concierge
Walk Score is under Neighborhood
Clubhouse Hours is under Clubhouse
Child Care
House Sitting
Housekeeping
Satellite TV
Tour Guide
Car Wash Area
Door Attendant
Guest Room
Individual Climate Control
Club Discount
Framed Mirrors
Linen Closet
Skylights
View
City
Military leasing questions are an option to add in the Admin Center. They must be requested and enabled for military communities. For non-military properties, military leasing questions will not be visible in the Admin Center and will not be recognized by ACE. The new standard ‘Military Discount’ question will be configurable for all communities.
RELEASE DATE: 4/1/2021
Prospects can rate and provide feedback on their interactions with ACE chat. Admin Center users can turn this feature on or off for each property at any time in the chatbot style dashboard. Data collected is analyzed and used to train ACE to improve the chat experience.
Your default or custom ACE chat icon and pop-up message can now be animated with a shake or a bounce by using LeaseHawk-provided code snippets. Once your website opens, the animation loads after a two-second delay. The animation will happen twice to capture the attention of your website audience.
The ACE chat experience now offers guided conversation bubbles after most responses, in addition to the beginning of the chat. Prospects may select the conversation bubbles for questions or quick replies. The option to type freeform questions and responses is also available. This enhancement is available in all chats and does not require any set up or enablement.
Bathroom Features: This leasing question encompasses the former double sink vanity leasing question and can include additional upgrades.
RELEASE DATE: 3/2/2021
ACE can provide appointment availability and schedule appointments based on one of two setup options:
Allowable appointment hours as set in the LeaseHawk Admin Center
Available appointment slots based on third party calendar integrations
For properties using third party calendar integrations, ACE will now only set appointments based on the third-party calendar. Appointment hours cannot be set in the LeaseHawk Admin Center and will no longer show as an option.
The Onsite Guided Tour Appointment Window (how many days out a tour can be scheduled) and the Tour Time Buffer (the amount of time between the conversation and the soonest time a tour can be scheduled) must be set up in the Admin Center for both options.
New Chatbot Feature: Custom Floating Action Button.
In addition to the ACE default icon, properties now have the option of selecting a custom or animated icon for the floating action chat button placed on their property website.
Chat buttons can be customized and resized in the Chatbot Styles dashboard. All common image file types are supported, including animated gifs, JPG/PNG or SVG files.
Smart Home: This leasing question encompasses the former smart locks leasing question and can include Nest thermostats and more.
RELEASE DATE: 2/17/2021
Properties can now offer prospects the option to text with ACE for answers on pricing, availability, general leasing questions and to schedule tours.
Callers routing to the property through a LeaseHawk tracking number are presented with an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system where they can choose to speak to a leasing professional or continue via texting. By opting for text, implicit permission is given for ACE to continue the conversation via text messaging. When the caller selects the text option, the call will end automatically, and a greeting text will be sent with an opt-out disclaimer.
The text opening phrase and responses are set up in the LeaseHawk Admin Center and can be customized or mirror ACE voice responses. The IVR ending, invalid or blocked phone number, and opt-out messages can be customized by request. Please email support@leasehawk.com or reach out to your LeaseHawk Client Success Manager.
Admin Center users can now simplify set up of additional properties by using a cloning feature.
Often, properties have the same policies, fees, specials, and amenities. The cloning enhancement allows Admin Center users to select specific questions and the associated responses at one property and add them automatically to all or select properties. Locked fields that are property-specific, like phone number, address, directions, or email address cannot be cloned.
Live-Work Unit: This leasing question addresses single unit residences that are concurrently used for residential and commercial occupation.
RELEASE DATE: 1/12/2021
ACE recognizes changes to a prospect's preferred appointment time during confirmation. If a contact changes their mind about the time or date during the appointment confirmation, ACE will immediately adjust to the new request.
RELEASE DATE: 1/6/2021
ACE Rules is a new feature allowing users to customize how ACE interacts with contacts by setting up "If / Then" mappings in the LeaseHawk Admin Center. In the new ACE Rules dashboard, users choose 'Triggers' (the If part), 'Conditions' (optional scenarios) and 'Actions' (the Then part) to create custom rules. This feature optimizes ACE's capabilities and allows more flexibility for properties to tailor ACE to meet their unique needs.
The first Rule went live in this release and increases opportunities for guest card collection:
Trigger: ACE answers a question with a status of "incomplete" (a response has not been added for the leasing question)
Condition: ACE has or has not collected a guest card (optional and can be set as either 'has' or 'has not')
Action: Collect guest card information
Customizable guest card collection and confirmation responses
Example of ACE conversation with this rule activated:
Rental Prospect: "Do you have corporate housing?" (Property has not added an ACE response for this question)
ACE: "Sorry, I do not have any information for corporate housing. I'd like to get a few pieces of information so a leasing agent can follow up. What is your first name?" (ACE Rule is "Triggered")
Contact provides guest card information and conversation continues (Action)
New Rules will be added in future releases. For more information and instructions on how to setup ACE Rules, please read this training resource:
https://support.leasehawk.com/resource/ace-rules
In the Tags dropdown menu, you can now select multiple categories to view at once. You can also choose to "Select All" and "Unselect All" categories.
A green progress bar now appears next to each tag and shows your percent of completed responses.
Call is now "Default". This indicates that the response entered for the question will be used across all communication channels.
There is now a + icon. Click this icon to add a different response for Text and Chat channels.
Custom is now "Completed"
Default is now "Incomplete"
RELEASE DATE: 12/10/2020
When there is no availability for a requested apartment type, ACE will assume continued interest and prompt contact to continue communication.
Over 90+ new training phrases added to enhance leasing and resident conversations.
8 new additional tour conversation triggers.
Resident Policies
RELEASE DATE: 11/12/2020
If an appointment time is not available due to being requested within the preset tour time buffer, the next available appointment time slot outside of the time buffer will be offered.
A guest card is created when ACE identifies a prospect by collecting both contact information (phone number and/or email address) and leasing intent through pricing and availability inquiries or leasing questions. Now starting a tour also triggers prospect identification.
ACE chat and text channels can now be set up to request phone number and/or email address.
Fair Housing (Response Options: We comply with all fair housing laws / We believe in building a diverse, inclusive community and will never discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability.)
Management Company (Note: this leasing question is a locked field in the LeaseHawk Admin Center that defaults to your account/company name.
Senior Living & Retirement
Pest Control
RELEASE DATE: 10/14/2020
You can now export ACE's leasing questions and answers to an Excel spreadsheet in the LeaseHawk Admin Center. To export, click on the vertical three-dot ellipsis (a.k.a. meatballs menu) located next to the save button to export leasing questions and answers for easy reference.
W1 - W4
Civilian
Military Retiree
RELEASE DATE: 9/24/2020
E1 - E9
01 - 010
Select leasing questions in the LeaseHawk Admin Center have been consolidated. This makes it faster for you to customize responses and provide relevant information for prospects. Here's the full list of consolidated leasing questions:
Laundry Service
Appliances
Balcony
Sport Courts
Businss Center
Club House
Countertops
Flooring
Neighborhood
On-Site Security
Package Receiving
Parking
Smoke-Free
Transportation
Washer and Dryer
RELEASE DATE: 9/9/2020
The ACE chatbot can be added to your property website, Facebook, Google My Business, and other ILS marketing websites. Learn how to set up this feature here: https://support.leasehawk.com/resource/ace-url-setup
In the LeaseHawk Admin Center, each leasing question comes with a set of pre-loaded response options. You can choose to use these responses for your virtual leasing assistant, or customize as needed to fit your individual business needs. Some pre-loaded responses will now show a yellow-highlighted variable as your cue to customize this particular piece of information in the response.
RELEASE DATE: 9/1/2020
ACE has learned new ways to recognize pricing and availability, and property tranfers from prospects.
Added in this release:
Pricing and Availability
I'm interested in getting a place
I was interested in getting a place there
Property Transfer Intent
Is someone there
I'd like to speak to someone
What's the best way to get a hold of someone
ACE is dynamic and always learning how to answer new questions from prospects. Be sure to customize ACE's answers to new leasing questions in the LeaseHawk Admin Center. In the Admin Center, select the Leasing Questions tab and choose New under the Type drop-down.
Added in this release:
Points of Interest/Things Nearby
What is nearby
Is near
What's nearby
What's near
Things near
Things nearby
Unit Amount (property size)
How many units
Amount of units
Charging Station
Super charger
Car charging
Vehicle charging
Tesla charging
Fitness
Yoga studio
Kitchen
Wine coolers
Private Yard
Entertainment near community
Theaters nearby
Nearby bars
Music venues within walking distance
Covered costs included in rent
Included in rent
Included in the rent
Does rent include
Utilities included in the rent
ACE is dynamic and always learning how to answer questions from residents. Be sure to customize ACE's answers to new resident questions in the LeaseHawk Admin Center. In the Admin Center, select the Resident Questions tab and choose New under the Type drop-down.
Added in this release:
Locked Out
Lock out
Lockout myself
Lost and Found
I can't find my phone
My jacket is missing
RELEASE DATE: 8/7/2020
ACE's conversational skills have been enhanced with response variations. Now, ACE will randomly rotate amoung a variety of responses after it answers a leasing question. This avoids repetition and increases user engagement. Here's a list of ACE's response variations:
Call-to-Action Responses
Feel free to ask me other questions about leasing an apartment here.
How else can I help you?
What else can I help you with?
Let me know what other questions you have.
What else can I do for you?
What other questions do you have?
What other information can I provide for you?
Fallback Responses
Sorry, I didn't get that. Can you rephrase?
I am not sure I understand that. Can you rephrase?
I don't understand. Can you rephrase?
I don't quite understand. Can you rephrase?
RELEASE DATE: 8/4/2020
ACE has learned new ways to recognize certain leasing questions from prospects.
Added in this release:
Hours of Operation
When do you open?
Pricing and Availability
Do you have any houses available on...?
Yes, I was wondering if y'all had an apartment available right now
Lisa information
Rental home
Rental house
Rent home
Rent apartment
"No"
None other
Nothing
Transfer to Property
I need landlord
Can I speak to the landlord
Can I speak to an associate
Can I speak to the customer service department
Emgergency
Hello my name is (name), I'm trying to get in contact with (name)
Office
I need to be conntected to (name)
I want to speak to a manager
I would like to speak with a sales associate
Management
May I speak with someone
Speak with an individual
Speak with an associate
Tenant emergency
Connect to the office
Front office
I need to speak to someone in the office
Management office
Office management
Office staff
Connect me with someone to speak to
Customer service
Customer service rep
Yes customer service
Speak to a manager
Contact leasing office
Can I get me an actual person
Can I see what the sales associate
How do I contact the property
Tranfer to Maintenance
Elevator for building (number) not working
Elevator is not working
ACE is dynamic and always learning how to answer new questions from prospects. Be sure to customize ACE's answers to new leasing questions in the LeaseHawk Admin Center. In the Admin Center, select the Leasing Questions tab and choose New under the Type drop-down.
Added in this release:
Renovated Units
Renovations
Renovate
Property Photos
Gallery
Pictures
Photos
Pics
Images
ACE is dynamic and always learning how to answer questions from residents. Be sure to customize ACE's answers to new resident questions in the LeaseHawk Admin Center. In the Admin Center, select the Resident Questions tab and choose New under the Type drop-down.
Added in this release:
Lease Termination
Cancel lease
Quit lease
RELEASE DATE: 7/23/2020
After 55 minutes of inactivity, a pop-up will appear asking if the user would like to refresh their session and continue working.
After one hour of inactivity a pop-up appears alerting the user that the session has expired and any updates that haven't been saved will need to be repeated. Users will need to log in to continue working in the Admin Center.
The timeout clock starts ticking when the user is not actively working in an Admin Center screen.
It is important to save all changes and publish your work.
Rich text is now available for customizing chatbot pop-up messages.
RELEASE DATE: 6/25/2020
The latest leasing questions for ACE can be found here, in the Product Updates resource.
You can also find them and customize your answers in the LeaseHawk Admin Center. Simply select the "Leasing Questions" setup tab and choose 'New' under the 'Type' drop-down. New questions are color coded in orange and tagged as 'New.' After 30 days, the 'New' tag will drop off.
Added in this release:
Do you have a laundry room?
Use the 'Type' drop-down and select 'Frequently Asked' to find the top questions people are asking ACE. Use this information to ensure your responses are providing the most complete information for these FAQs and consider adjusting your marketing to address popular topics.
ACE administrators can select the new 'Resident' setup tab to customize responses to seven resident related questions. Provide custom answers or add links in these responses to direct residents to the best resource for their needs. New resident question prompts:
Complaint policy
Theft policy
Deposit refund policy
How to pay rent
Rent due date
Rate payment amount
Resident portal
To aid in communication, ACE says each alphabetic letter when the prompt is set up with all capital letters. The only exception is state abbreviations. ACE will recognize and pronounce the state name for recognized two-letter state abbreviations. Example: AZ will be spoken as 'Arizona.'
Notification emails are sent when ACE collects guest card and appointment information. Both email notification types will include a link to the communication transcript. This gives the leasing team valuable conversation history to refer to when making the follow-up call. The link expires after 30 days.
RELEASE DATE: 6/16/2020
ACE is dynamic and always learning new skills to enhance the way it communicates through voice, chat or text. The latest leasing questions learned can be found here. You can also find them, and customize your answers, in the LeaseHawk Admin Center. Simply select the "Leasing Questions" set up tab and choose 'New' under the 'Type' drop-down.
Do you have a grill available?
When talking to prospects, sometimes clarification is needed and sometimes ACE just wants to ensure all questions are answered. To keep the conversation going, it now randomizes between the following seven responses during the chat and voice conversations:
How else can I help you?
Let me know what other questions you have.
Feel free to ask me other questions about leasing an apartment here.
What else can I help you with?
What else can I do for you?
What other questions do you have?
What other information can I provide for you?
When clarification is needed, one of the following five randomized statements is used:
I don't quite understand. Can you please rephrase?
Sorry, I didn't get that. Can you rephrase?
Can you rephrase?
I don't understand. Can you rephrase?
I am not sure I understand that. Can you rephrase?
When prospects chat with ACE, they can refresh the chat to start the conversation over. They can also copy the conversation for their records. Try this feature out by clicking the three-dot menu button in the top-right corner of the chat window on your property website.
In this guide, you will learn about the key features of ACE, the virtual leasing assistant. This guide includes a comparison chart, so you can easily reference each key feature included with ACE and what is being planned for future releases.
Watch our on-demand training webinar designed for all leasing professionals, management, and executives. This 20-minute training focuses on how ACE provides conversational assistance via calls, texts, and chats, 24/7 for your prospective renters. We will cover how ACE handles phone routing, and guest card and appointment creation.
