A letting agency that still takes every call
A letting agency bought your landlord and tenant portal to cut calls and emails. Six months on, most landlords have never logged in, and tenants still ring the office to report a dripping tap. The agency's property managers are answering the same questions as before, and paying for a portal on top.
When you look at the invitations, the reason is clear. Every landlord and tenant was sent an email on the day the agency went live, titled with your product name, asking them to create a password. Many went to spam. Many were opened by people with no reason to log in that day and forgotten.
Why the end users never arrive
Landlords and tenants did not choose your product. The agency did. They use it only if it makes something easier for them at the moment they need it, and if getting in is effortless.
- Invitations come from your brand, which the landlord or tenant does not recognise, not from their agent.
- The invitation arrives at a random moment, not when there is something to do.
- Setting a password is a barrier for people who will log in a few times a year.
- The first screen is a dashboard with nothing on it yet.
- The agency's staff keep answering calls and emails, so there is no reason to switch.
The cost of an empty portal
For the agency, the portal becomes a cost with no benefit, and it will show up at renewal. For you, low end-user adoption undermines the product's main promise, and it is hard to fix once landlords and tenants have learned to ignore the emails. Property managers who see nobody using it stop mentioning it, which lowers adoption further.
Landlords are a particular case. Many own one or two properties, check in with their agent a few times a year, and are wary of anything that looks like a new account to manage. Portfolio landlords are the opposite: they want their statements, certificates and arrears in one place and will use a portal daily if it is good. One invitation approach cannot suit both.
Tenant repair reports also suffer. When tenants phone instead of using the portal, details are lost, photos never arrive, and contractors turn up without knowing what they are fixing.
How we build adoption into the portal
What we build ties the portal to moments in the tenancy when using it is clearly easier than calling.
- Invitations branded as the agency, sent from their name, with your product in the background.
- Timing tied to tenancy events: a tenant's invitation arrives with their move-in details, a landlord's with their first statement or a certificate due, not on a random day.
- Sign-in by a link sent by email or text, so there is no password to set or forget.
- First screens that show something useful immediately: the tenancy documents for a tenant, the latest statement and upcoming certificates for a landlord.
- Repair reporting that guides the tenant through photos and access details, which is quicker than explaining it on the phone.
- An adoption report for the agency, showing invited, activated and active users by branch, and a nudge for property managers to point callers to the portal.
| Moment | What the invitation offers |
|---|---|
| Tenant moves in | Tenancy documents, inventory, how to report repairs |
| Landlord's first statement | Statement, rent history, upcoming certificates |
| Repair reported by phone | Link to track the job and add photos |
| Renewal coming up | Renewal details and next steps |
| Certificate due | Landlord sees what is due and the booking status |
The same agency, three months later
New tenants receive a text from the agency on move-in day with a link to their documents. Most tap it, because they want the inventory. When a tenant phones about a leak, the property manager sends a link while on the call, and the photos arrive before the call ends. Landlords open the portal to see their statement and stay to check when the gas safety certificate is due. The adoption report shows which branches are pointing people to the portal and which are not, and the agency manager follows up with the latter.
Does your portal have this problem?
- Most landlords or tenants invited to your portal have never logged in.
- Invitations were sent once, at agency go-live.
- Users must set a password to get in.
- The first screen after login is often empty.
- Agencies cannot see adoption by branch or by property manager.