Like most senior living executives, Stephen Chapman of Navion Senior Living knew that meeting the company’s business goals in 2023 could be boiled down to one necessity: converting more leads into tours and, ultimately, move-ins. That was no small task in an industry where operators are burdened with the arduous task of manually sifting for quality leads through a pile of rubble, all while potential residents use the convenience of the internet for comparison shopping, just as they would a retail purchase.

Yet Chapman’s team at the Raleigh, North Carolina-based Navion were able to do just that, increasing website move-ins by 67% in 2023.

Their solution: the powerful technology from FURTHER, the AI-driven consumer engagement technology platform. Chapman, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Navion, learned about FURTHER from a former colleague who reached out to him to discuss it.

“Honestly, the first meeting was more of a courtesy, since we had a history,” Chapman says. “But it sounded good, so we agreed to a free trial. Now FURTHER is in all 51 of our communities.”

A few states over in Mississippi, Brooke Saxon-Spencer and the executive team at Claiborne Senior Living were also looking to update the company’s web presence and rethink its lead gathering. They needed to end their reliance on Facebook, form fills and third-party lead aggregators. Vice President of Marketing Saxon-Spencer thought FURTHER’s software could improve its collection of visitors’ information.

She was pleased to see it did much more than that: the collaboration has allowed Claiborne to completely eliminate the use of paid referral sources.

This is a huge savings: $5,000 to $7,000 per move-in.

“It’s saved us a ton of money,” Saxon-Spencer says about FURTHER. “In 2023, 55% of our leads came in through FURTHER’s Virtual Sales Assistant technology, part of FURTHER’s Web & Data platform, making it our highest source.”

How new technology is driving move-ins

For both Navion and Claiborne, the successful harnessing of AI-powered technology led to improvements in three important areas: process, prospect experience and profit. Though Navion’s site had previously featured a chatbot, the company quickly realized not all AI products are created equal.

“FURTHER is not just a chatbot,” Chapman says. “It’s like having a personal sales assistant. It captures more leads, gets more details about prospects and nurtures them down the funnel. Crucially, the AI is also able to estimate a probability of close, which means salespeople can better prioritize.”

Meanwhile, the tool continues to connect with leads, automatically texting and emailing to keep prospects informed and in the funnel and encouraging them to come in for a tour.

The results speak for themselves. After implementing FURTHER in January 2023, Navion’s occupancy rates swelled: website move-ins (sales precipitated by online engagement) increased by more than 60%, from 181 to 300 year over year.

At Claiborne, FURTHER’s AI-powered technology has not only eliminated the need for paid referrals but has improved the experience for both prospects and members of the sales team.

“There’s greater transparency, and that helps build a relationship,” Saxon-Spencer says. “And it’s user-friendly. The interface is clean so prospects don’t get overwhelmed, and they appreciate the opportunity to do a self-guided tour.”

As for the sales team, automation means no longer wasting valuable time on manual data entry. Because prospects provide information to FURTHER’s Web & Data Platform, understanding their needs and desires is instantaneous.

“It frees time for our salespeople and gives them ammunition,” Saxon-Spencer says. “Now we’re three steps ahead, from the information captured, the vetting and follow-up texts. FURTHER just makes marketing and sales much easier.”

This article is sponsored by Further. To learn more about how you can improve your website and drive more move-ins, visit talkfurther.com.

The Views Series is a sponsored content program featuring leading companies’ news, views, case studies and announcements pertinent to their organization and the industry at large. For more information on Views, please contact [email protected].

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