5 Ways QR Codes Help Homebuilders Level-up New Home Sales

 

Builders and Property Managers Embrace Technology

Homebuilders, who have done remarkably well despite external forces like a world pandemic and material costs (kudos!), are relying more and more on technology to level-up their new home sales efforts. As pandemic restrictions ease, a noticeable addition has emerged in the form of a black and white matrix barcode: the QR Code.

When scanned with a digital device such as a phone or tablet, these codes come to life, leading viewers to landing pages populated by video tours, photo galleries, location information and pricing details.

According to Statista, an estimated 11 million American households would scan a QR code in 2020, which was a marked increase from a previously estimated 9.76 million scans in 2018. The adoption of QR codes by businesses is now being met with equal acceptance from consumers. Digital device makers such as Apple and Samsung are including native QR code readers in their operating systems—confirming that QR codes are poised to explode.

The seemingly innocuous black and white squares are intelligently designed to not only store digital details for quick scan and link access, they deliver a number of additional benefits to homebuilders and their home shoppers.  

1. Easy Integration and Use

The generally held belief is that the addition of new technology is a benefit to business. However, if it isn’t user-friendly or intuitive for staff and customers to use, it won’t quickly be adopted. Luckily, QR codes require no training – just scan and go! And, it’s easy and inexpensive for builders to integrate the codes on their digital signage, websites and other marketing collateral.

2. Provide Immediacy and Convenience

Do you know that “QR” stands for “Quick Response”? Many people today complete the bulk of their research online and these “Quick Response” codes put the details they seek immediately at their fingertips! Interactive QR codes can be designed to easily link to specific websites, maps, amenities, floor plans and even showcase the greater community and proximity to desired locations such as parks, schools and hospitals.

3. Eco-friendly and Easily Modified

QR codes can be digitally modified and updated an infinite number of times without requiring a change to QR code graphics. This leads to reduced waste and need to re-print materials (sales brochures, business cards, signage) on which codes are included. Home shoppers get details right on their smart device that they can easily view or share at any time without having to find a piece of paper! Builders can also design QR codes with unique and creative colors and designs to align with their overall brand and to maintain seamless appearance, helping to bridge the gap between print and digital strategies.

4. Track and Capture Valuable Analytics

QR codes not only deliver information, they track valuable data. They can be coded to track location, obtain contact information, show repeat engagements and record real-time reactions, all of which can be compiled into reports that include where, when and with what device a code was scanned. QR codes can also be designed to capture contact information, resulting in a bank of leads for prospect follow-up and future engagement. To drive sales office traffic, QR codes can direct home shoppers to an online form to arrange site visits. Voila! Instant appointment.

5. Enhance Interactive Experiences

Dynamic QR codes offer suggestions, options, previews and help guide prospective buyers along their home shopping journey.

The cornerstone of CPS’ suite of interactive solutions is SalesTouch, a powerful and dynamic sales and marketing presentation used both online and in sales and leasing offices across the country. To further enhance an already compelling experience, CPS has added the new QR Code Brochure which integrates directly onto the SalesTouch interactive kiosks. Home shoppers scan the unique QR code to get ‘whisked away’ to an interactive brochure—no touching required!

The brochures give visitors information at their fingertips including floor plan views & interactive options, as well as a community details page, a community site map with homesite availability and an included features list. They could also include links to other communities or properties to help with cross-selling efforts! To see how CPS’ QR Code Brochure has been integrated in a real-world scenario, click this link which will transport you to a Dan Ryan Builders’ DRB Coastal community.

For over 35 years, Computer Presentation Systems (CPS) has helped shape how homebuilders and property managers avail modern technology to simplify and improve everyday tasks and elevate overall experiences. QR codes are one of the latest contactless technology integrations adding another level of convenience to user experiences—while keeping germs at bay.

Home shopping continues to scale in intensity as the summer months near and as we emerge from our shared pandemic slumber. Prospective buyers are on the hunt for new places to set roots and any edge homebuilders can provide ultimately eases burdens associated with home shopping. QR codes offer visually engaging and information-filled experiences that leverage new technology enhancements that have become native to the most used digital devices!

How are you engaging home shoppers with technology? If you’re a homebuilder or property manager interested in leveling-up your new home sales or leasing efforts, contact CPS to learn how our suite of interactive solutions can help!

#newhomesales #interactive #engagement #technology

Personalize the Experience and Spark Your Home Shoppers’ Imaginations with CPS’ PlanViewer

Web Floor Plans: A New Addition to the Interactive Sales & Marketing Solutions Suite

We’re proud to announce PlanViewer, our latest offering in a suite of interactive technology solutions that helps builders and developers offer home shoppers a more personalized, tech-forward experience.

The timing couldn't be better. Even before the pandemic, the trend for virtual homebuying was on the rise. Our ability to pivot—an overused but very relevant word in these times—allowed us to design a solution for builders to engage more with shoppers now and moving forward. In other words, virtual home shopping and buying aren’t going away when the pandemic officially ends.

As part of our research—research that helped drive the design and capabilities of PlanViewer—we learned that a whopping 97% of homebuyers use the internet to search for new home options. Meanwhile, consumer purchasing behaviors are accelerating online due to the pandemic while the high-demand real estate market doubles down on the immediate need for technology solutions like PlanViewer, making home shopping and floor plan personalization simpler (and more important) than ever.

Features You and Your Home Shoppers Will Love 💙

• Offers interactive floor plans to help home shoppers visualize and customize structural options on their favorite plans.

• Allows home shoppers to create a desired home plan at their convenience, then arrive at the sales office as more prepared and qualified buyers.

• Updates structural options in real-time as they’re selected, creating a hands-on, immersive experience that helps inform and motivate purchase decisions.

• Provides drag and drop virtual furniture placement that sparks imagination and helps home shoppers visualize living in the space they’re creating online.

• Includes email capability so home shoppers can view & share their plan, selected options and elevation — and you collect prospect information.

Easy to Implement – Easy to Use 

PlanViewer Interactive Floor Plans
Spark Home Shopper Imagination

PlanViewer is designed to be easily implemented directly into the builder’s or developer’s website. It keeps the process consistent via templated designs, yet remains flexible enough to include all available plans or only the most popular structural options. 

Every floor plan receives a single URL, so web teams can seamlessly integrate PlanViewer onto company or community websites using iFrames. The responsive technology is viewable 24/7 from any desktop or mobile device with scalable views so shoppers can zoom in for a closer look at their home creation.

PlanViewer can be used as a stand-alone product, or it can be an excellent add-on to other CPS staples you might already have in your stable, such as your interactive sales presentations or web-integrated sitemaps.

For more information on PlanViewer visit here or contact us here. We’d love to tell you more about our newest product!

Let’s Be Clear: Home Shoppers Need Transparency

Is that what I ordered?

Picture this: You’re hungry and pop into a nearby restaurant to grab lunch. You’re browsing the menu on the wall behind the counter. It’s full of mouth-watering dishes that look so delicious it’s hard to choose your order. You settle on something, pay the cashier, and grab yourself a seat. Your stomach is growling as you wait anxiously for your meal to arrive. You’re ready to gobble up every bite.

Then your plate is plopped down in front of you. It’s an unseemly mishmash that loosely resembles the meal from the photo. Suddenly, your stomach growls turn into full-body frustration.

You wonder to yourself, “Why does the picture always look so much better than the real thing?!”

Your appetite has subsided. Since you already paid, you begrudgingly take a few bites, underwhelmed by the whole meal. Most of it stays on the plate untouched. You leave. And you probably won’t be back.

The sad reality is that this happens every day, for many customers, across virtually every industry.

Customers crave transparency.

They crave it like they crave a great meal at the end of a long day. In fact, 9 out of 10 customers will stop purchasing from a brand that lacks transparency. In home shopping, the same notion is true. Transparency matters now more than ever, especially with the limitations of physical distancing and the rise of virtual home tours.

Our product SiteViewer creates more transparency in the home shopping process. It’s an interactive web solution that allows home shoppers to view homes and community details, and it’s proven to work wonders for homebuilders and sales offices, even more so now that person-to-person contact is still limited.

Builders and leasing agents can stop worrying about losing out on valuable leads because SiteViewer offers real-time updates – so the customer is always aware of the latest availability, pricing, amenities, floor plans, elevations and more. It removes the guess work for customers, allowing them to successfully make a choice on their new home and rest assured that what they’re investing in is reliable.

What you see is what you get.

That’s what you can expect when SiteViewer is in the mix, and it’s a motto every company should believe in when it comes to transparency. Having the best software that effortlessly allows you to show off your product is important, but it’s not the only component of a transparent shopping experience. Every facet of your brand should amplify your commitment to transparency.

Another way to promote transparency is through social media. According to recent research, 86% of people think transparency is more important than ever before, while 81% of people think social media has increased transparency accountability for businesses. Just as important, 73% of customers are willing to pay more for products that guarantee total transparency. 

Combining a transparent social media strategy with a web-based software solution like SiteViewer, businesses can build long-standing trust with customers. That’s the ultimate goal: conveying a level of transparency that fosters trust. Once a customer trusts a business, they’ll feel more comfortable making a purchase.

Give the customer what they want.

Whether it’s a new home or a quick lunch, customers want to know that the investments they make turn out exactly as they expected. Businesses can spare themselves negative reviews, lost leads, customer confusion, and other factors that affect ongoing sales when transparency is prioritized and valued.

Transparency, truth and trust: These are the ingredients that make up any customer’s balanced daily diet. How is your business satisfying that hunger?

Technology That Gives Home Builders More Time

 

Humans get stuck in cycles.

Wake up. Brush your teeth. Change your clothes. Work. Eat. Go to sleep. Rinse and repeat.

Any time we fall into a habit or pattern, we start conditioning ourselves to think, “Well, that’s just how it is.” When we get complacent with “the way things are,” we stop optimizing for success.

Construction is an industry that’s notoriously slow to change. In fact, productivity in construction has been on a steady decline since the 1970s simply because more time is being spent on non-value-adding work. The construction industry also tends to underinvest in technology.

One of the simplest and most effective ways of improving construction management is by finding more time. After all, it’s long been said that time is the most valuable resource. What would you do if you had more of it?

Take back your time with technology.

We developed FieldCollaborate not to create more time – but to give time back to you. FieldCollaborate, a software solution for residential homebuilders, includes construction management tools like scheduling, vendor and buyer portals, punch item management, safety assessments and more. It’s 24/7 cloud-based access allows anyone on your Team to collaborate whenever and wherever, from field managers and corporate staff to vendors and even homebuyers.

We know what you’re thinking: "Now I have to learn another new program?"

Valid point! When time is already in low supply, who wants to spend more of it adopting new software? But it’s extraordinary how a small time investment with FieldCollaborate can save weeks of time in the long run.

Our client Homes by Taber took the leap of faith. This Oklahoma City single-family production builder implemented FieldCollaborate for their entire Team and reported astounding results. Homes by Taber reduced their cycle time by 28%, which amounted to a savings of 45 days.

45 days! That’s a month and a half of time they get to spend being more productive and picking up more work. Year over year, they’ve been able to grow another $10 - $12 million because FieldCollaborate helps them build houses faster.

This isn’t a one-time success story. We see the benefits of FieldCollaborate with every client. No matter the size of your company, FieldCollaborate scales with you. It can be implemented today, start saving you time tomorrow, and help grow your business more efficiently for years to come.

More time, more productivity, more money.

When we get our time back, we realize how valuable it truly is. When we realize the value of time, we spend it in more productive ways. When we spend time more productively, we have more opportunities for increasing revenue.

Now that’s a cycle we can get stuck in.

Why Builders Should Maximize Post-Sale Customer Service

 

A homebuyer’s journey continues long after the sale closes.

In a year like 2020 where everyone is thrust into uncertainty and ever-changing events, people crave sustainability. Longevity. Something that will endure. For larger investments like a new home, builders often believe the product alone will provide long-standing satisfaction. But it’s important to understand that the best service provided to customers doesn’t end when the sale is final.

We believe in the power of every customer’s journey. In many cases, that journey concludes at the close of a sale. Home ownership is a different story. The signing of a new home is the start of a new phase in the buyer-seller relationship. Warranties are one of the only ways builders maintain a relationship with homeowners post-sale, but the process of navigating warranties can leave homeowners feeling helpless and builders feeling stressed. This is one of the many reasons why we created WarrantyWatcher – a cloud-based software with 24/7 access for builders and homeowners that streamlines new home warranties and customer service requests.

Homebuyers could be your best brand ambassadors for future sales!

Maintaining post-sale communication with homebuyers is critical for builders. Responsive customer service not only increases repeat business by 60 to 70 percent, it helps expand the probability for referrals as well. When customers have a positive experience, they are likely to spread that experience via word of mouth to an average of six people. It’s long been known that the cost of retaining customers is far less than the cost of acquiring new ones, so when customer service makes a positive impact, your existing customers become your best brand ambassadors for future sales!

WarrantyWatcher is our way of making post-sale customer service simpler for homebuilders. Once in the portal, homeowners can easily submit and view the status of their work requests, and all work orders are tracked from end to end with full transparency. Vendors are also able to access the portal at any time, helping them get to work quickly and efficiently. WarrantyWatcher allows documents, photos and files of any type to be submitted as needed. Simply put, it’s an easy-to-use system that makes homeowners more confident in their purchase, keeping them happy for the long haul.   

Builders benefit from a modern, reliable and durable new home warranty solution.

We introduce WarrantyWatcher to builders that want to give homeowners a modern, reliable and durable solution for managing their new home warranty. No more drafting e-mails and leaving voicemails, no more playing phone tag – everything is managed through the WarrantyWatcher portal and accessible via computer, tablet and smartphone. The user-friendly software keeps homeowners satisfied, which continues to amplify the selling power of the builder. Even emergencies that are traditionally taxing to manage can be tracked and handled in real-time through WarrantyWatcher.

Learn more in our video:

Homeowners are smart. They know when customer service quality is outstanding or poor. Offering a warranty is important, but helping customers understand how to benefit from their warranty is pivotal. WarrantyWatcher will eliminate concerns or tensions you’ve dealt with in the past related to the warranty process. Customers will feel like their warranty means something, versus just being an add-on that they struggle to understand in the overall picture.

When you enhance post-sale customer service with WarrantyWatcher, you’ll notice how much of a difference it makes with existing and future homeowners – and your bottom line. The warranty experience you provide to one homeowner could result in your next sale with a new customer!

Finding Your Midas Touch in the Era of Physical Distancing

What’s your Midas Touch with home shoppers?

In Greek mythology, King Midas was known for turning anything into gold with a simple touch. In modern times, businesses try to find their own Midas Touch by offering a service, product or experience so valuable that customers turn into gold. This gold can come in many forms: monetary transactions, referrals, brand loyalty, glowing reviews and more.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced nearly every industry to find new ways of interacting with customers. Physical distancing is the new normal and online sales are skyrocketing. With such a drastic decrease in customer contact, how can you find your Midas Touch?

Finding your Midas Touch is simpler than you may think.

Many of our customers know us because of SalesTouch. Traditionally, we provide these touchscreen kiosks to homebuilders, developers and property managers in sales and leasing offices. Once installed, SalesTouch is a powerful sales & marketing solution with dynamic content. It helps home shoppers visually see and interact with details of their future home and community. They can look at floor plans, drag-and-drop furniture, “write” notes, print and e-mail their customized home information and beyond.

Home shoppers aren’t engaging in person as often now, especially in the beginning stages of the home search. They’re working from home and want to do as much groundwork as possible before entering an office to meet with a salesperson. You might think this would limit how often SalesTouch is used, but we’re here to tell you it doesn’t. We created SalesTouch to work online, as well!

We believe sales presentation solutions like SalesTouch will continue to gain momentum, particularly if they are available for online and remote use. Even when physical distancing measures are behind us, this technology is likely to maintain popularity.

Customers are tech-savvy, autonomous and attached to their digital devices. When in-person sales presentation tools can adapt for websites, tablets and smartphones, it becomes another avenue for sales leads.

Your Midas Touch could be going virtual. Your gold is a digital currency!

SalesTouch engages a home shopper online

We’re not just talking about online shopping. That trend has been booming for years and many industries have already adjusted. We’re beyond the phase of simply making products and services available for purchase online. What’s important in 2020 and beyond is considering how to further innovate your online sales presentations. How can you help customers experience your brand online, rather than simply browse your website? What are you offering to immerse them in your business, from the safety of their own home and at their own convenience?

By making SalesTouch work in person and online, we’re helping our homebuilders, developers and property managers remain sustainable while opening them up to more potential sales and leases. Home shoppers are able to explore home options online with ease. They gain the same information and home exploration abilities without the burden of a physical visit. They can customize, learn and make decisions in a brand-new way!

When you embrace this Midas Touch and transform your in-person sales presentation into an online experience, you’ll find your gold!

The Home Shopping Shift: 4 Tips to Increase Online Sales Leads NOW

*lightning strikes and thunder roars* We’re in a shopocalypse!

In 2020, we’re watching many businesses close their doors indefinitely. Some remain open but with slashed operating hours. It’s not just a struggle to retain the same foot traffic we saw before the coronavirus pandemic – it’s literally impossible. With physical distancing measures, businesses simply can’t allow the same capacity.

Customers are more wary about in-person interactions. With unemployment rates alarmingly high, they’re cautious with money and expenses. According to a recent survey from McKinsey & Company, shopping behaviors are shifting, and spending is allocated for essentials and expenses that display clear value. For many, if purchases are being made, they’re happening online – and this trend is expected to stay in place even after COVID-19.

At the Jeff Shore Sales Leadership Summit last month we talked with many new home sales professionals from around the country. Many said that sales office traffic was down considerably, but they are still relatively meeting sales goals. The common theme: they all have a focus on online solutions that help drive sales!

While engaging customers online may seem like a challenge for retailers and businesses, it’s actually the key to continued success. It’s also why we love SiteViewer, our online solution that makes home shopping simpler for customers and their changing habits.

SiteViewer helps homebuilders, apartment developers and property managers deliver critical, on-demand pricing and availability information straight to the fingertips of prospective buyers and renters – in lieu of physical trips to a sales or leasing center. 

Using SiteViewer as our guide, we compiled four quick tips your business can implement right now to pick up online engagement and increase sales.

1. Enhance Your Visuals – When it comes to millennials, the most technologically advanced generation, your online presence is a necessity. If consumers can’t be in the physical presence of your product, it’s important to keep your online representation as visually appealing as possible. Millennials are the latest generation to have become highly involved with home shopping. When builders and developers incorporate SiteViewer into their community websites, they provide customers with a clear picture of their future home and community. It’s the perfect way to make the buying and renting process aesthetically pleasing online!

2. Keep It Updated – While the shopocalypse is a horror story for businesses, the words “sold out” are a horror story for home shoppers. If you’re promoting a product that’s no longer available, convey that information. If prices change, make sure they’re listed correctly. SiteViewer helps professionals update the information on their home and apartment listings in real-time, thus avoiding any confusion for the customer. Current, transparent information will help form a trusting relationship in an uncertain age of shopping.

3. Make It Interactive – Just like kids prefer books with buttons and noises, adults like a little something to engage with as well. How can your online product listings go beyond the traditional format of an image and description? This doesn’t have to require an overhaul of your IT systems. SiteViewer is easily embed directly into a homebuilder or apartment community’s website! It works with touchscreen technology or traditional computer displays.

4. Track the Clicks – Your online metrics are a treasure trove of information, helping you better understand your customers and their digital behaviors. It’s important to constantly assess what’s happening – are they clicking on a product, but not purchasing? Are they navigating away from your website? Then, you can augment your approach to increasing online sales by making smarter decisions backed by your own data. We developed two versions of SiteViewer: the consumer facing namesake and SiteViewer Pro. The Pro version allows businesses to see valuable information on the backend about how consumers are interacting in the virtual shopping environment.

Brick and mortar operations can find savvy and simple online solutions that meet the needs of today’s consumers. SiteViewer is one such solution, aiding builders, developers and property managers nationwide to better reach, serve and sell to home shoppers.

 The world is evolving for businesses and consumers alike, but it doesn’t have to be such a scary reality. Instead, let it be your next big opportunity!

Contact us at info@cpsusa.com to learn more!