ApartmentFinder.com addresses consumer demand for text-based instant communications and improves website conversion utilizing Contact At Once! apartment chat software.

Atlanta, GA (June 22, 2011) – Apartment Finder today announced that they have integrated a Click-to-Chat feature on their website, powered by the leading provider of apartment chat software, ContactAtOnce. Apartment seekers browsing ApartmentFinder.com listings now have a new and convenient way to communicate with properties, ask questions and receive instant answers.

ContactAtOnce! is the multi-family industry leader in apartment chat software, moving prospective renters into live conversations with leasing agents. The Click-to-Chat feature opens an in-site chat window within ApartmentFinder.com listings, displaying an instant-message text field as well as the agent’s credentials, branding, and photos. This interface turns anonymous website visitors into potential renters by grabbing their attention and providing a simple, non-threatening and convenient way to connect with a property at the exact moment interest is highest.

“This new software is a direct response to customers’ needs.” said Marcia Bollinger, President of Apartment Finder. “Filling out a guest card or dialing a phone number used to be the only available options for site visitors, but now with chat they have another convenient and discreet way to communicate. The chat window is so accessible that apartment seekers have no hindrance in reaching out to leasing professionals – questions can be asked and answered, prices and amenities instantly quoted, allowing a tentative interest to transform into a serious dialogue.”

In a pilot test conducted by ApartmentFinder.com. apartment communities saw a significant increase in responses to their property listings by adding live chat, resulting in more opportunities for leasing professionals to influence rental decisions, build rapport and book appointments. To make answering chat requests even more convenient for leasing professionals, ApartmentFinder.com live chats powered by Contact At Once! are fully accessible from mobile devices such as smart phones, iPads, and iPod Touches in addition to computers in leasing offices and call centers.

“In a recent study we conducted with property management companies, 33% of leases originated as website chats,” said Ed Javier, VP of Sales for Contact At Once!.  “ApartmentFinder.com is really in tune with what their site visitors and advertisers want, and we’re honored to help them deliver this exciting new apartment chat feature. Chat is not a new technology but the ability to chat from within listings is new and the Contact At Once! network of websites featuring chat-enabled ads is growing rapidly. Property management companies can now use a single product, Contact At Once! apartment chat, to handle inquiries that originate from many different websites and online advertisements.”

Professionally managed apartment communities interested in additional information may contact their ApartmentFinder.com representative or call 1-800-822-4300.

About ApartmentFinder.com

Network Communications, Inc. is a leading local media company providing lead generation, advertising and Internet marketing services to the housing industry.  The Company’s leading brands are Apartment Finder, The Real Estate Book, Digital Sherpa, Unique Homes, New England Home and Atlanta Homes Lifestyles.  NCI has market representation in more than 500 local markets around the United States.  The Company’s strategy focuses on providing high-quality and measurable marketing solutions to local clients by leveraging its proprietary prospect-focused distribution and content management infrastructure.  NCI distributes more than 9.4 million local print catalogs of apartments for rent and homes for sale every month through more than 300,000 distribution points; NCI’s websites are leading Internet destinations for consumers looking for homes to rent or buy, with an average of 2.0 million unique users every month; and it provides Internet marketing services using social media tools to its customers.

About Contact At Once!

Contact At Once! is the leading provider of property chat and operator of the industry’s only chat enabled network, connecting property managers to the websites prospective renters frequent.  Adding ContactAtOnce! apartment chat to a website typically increases the number of interactions between online prospects and property personnel by at least 25%. Contact At Once! is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, please visit: http://www.apartmentchat.com .

Written by: Aaron Hassen on June 22 2011