What Google’s Chatbot Removal Means For Property Managers

In case you missed it, in May 2024, Google announced they would be removing all chatbots (aka Google Business Messages) from Google Business Profile (GBP) as of July 31, 2024. So what exactly does this mean and how will it impact property management companies?

What it means

As of May 22, 2024, no new chatbot may be added to any GBP, regardless of industry or business type. If your community already had a chatbot in place prior to May 22, you will continue to receive messages from residents and prospective renters until July 15, 2024. After that, you will have 30 days to either close or migrate your open messages to another chat service or communication channel outside of GBP.

After July 31, 2024, all communications through GBP chatbots will be discontinued and renters will no longer be able to engage with properties via Google Business Messages.

What you can do

1. If you currently have a chatbot on your community’s GBP, consider updating the welcome message within the chat to notify renters that the channel will no longer be accepting new messages as of July 15, 2024. You should then redirect them to new communication channels, such as a property email address or website URL.
2. For any ongoing messages with residents or prospective renters within the chat, attempt to resolve the communication before July 15th or suggest another way of communicating with the property so you may continue to support them.
3. If your community was in the process of onboarding a new chat feature to your GBP prior to May 22nd, but it was not complete, no further action is needed as the chat feature was not made live to your GBP.
4. If your community successfully onboarded a new chat feature to your GBP prior to May 22nd, you will continue to receive new messages until July 15th, and you should encourage renters to switch to another method of communication with your property.

Alternative communications

While this news from Google is disappointing, there are alternative channels you can use to continue communicating with your residents and prospective renters.

1. GBP FAQs – Use GBP’s “Questions and Answers” section to address common inquiries from your community, providing quick answers for prospects and residents.
2. Resident advocacy – Turn residents into community ambassadors by allowing prospective renters to chat 1-on-1 with current residents about life at your property. Zumper’s partnership with Rentgrata facilitates this and highlights the best testimonials in your Zumper listings to help close more leases.
3. Lead and renewal nurturing – Use lead nurturing to encourage tours and signings with on-brand messaging. Solutions like Zumper’s LeadNurture lets you automate these communications to both prospects and current residents to boost new leases and renewals.
4. Online reviews – Maintain a positive online reputation by monitoring reviews across platforms, flagging negative ones that violate terms, and responding to new reviews quickly. Zumper offers a reputation management solution that automatically flags illegitimate reviews and even provides AI-generated responses to new reviews left on Facebook and Google, allowing your onsite teams to focus on their tasks.

For more information on Zumper’s communication solutions, visit multifamily.zumper.com to connect with a Zumper team member. Happy leasing!