You can seamlessly move in a lead to your property through Hummingbird’s Intuitive onboarding process that comprises various stages as mentioned below: 

• Lead - Capture the lead interaction information such as the lead source, their contact details, preferred storage location, desired Space type, etc. 

Based on their requirements and available filters in Hummingbird, you can help them find a Space that meets their specific storage needs. 

• Lease - Capture and verify details like their first and last name, email address, mobile number, and Move-in date, which are furnished on the rental agreement.

Add Coverage, Merchandise, and Fees - You can help them choose the preferred Coverage, include merchandise to help facilitate smooth move-ins.,and add the applicable fees to their rental amount. 

• Payment - Leads can pay for the Space through cash when visiting in person or via multiple payment options available when paying online.
• Finalize - To finalize the rental process; leads have to sign the lease agreement and other relevant documents.

To onboard a new lead to your property, navigate to  Quick Actions from the dashboard and click Move In/Reserve or go to the leftmost navigation bar and search the lead’s name. 

Alternatively, you can go to an existing lead’s profile from the Leads tab and click Create New Lead/Move-In. 

You will be directed to the following Tenant Onboarding page for new leads and a Lead Follow up screen for existing ones: 

Lead: Capturing Lead Information

Provide the following information on the Lead page: 

• Lead Interaction Information - Tracking lead interaction information, such as how the lead was initiated and the lead source, is essential for property managers as it provides valuable insights for optimizing marketing strategies, improving lead conversion rates, and delivering personalized customer experiences. 
• How was the lead initiated? - You can understand the lead behavior by knowing how the lead was initiated (e.g., walk-in or phone call). This can provide insights into the lead's level of interest and engagement. A walk-in lead might be more motivated to rent a storage unit immediately, while a phone inquiry might require more nurturing before converting.
• Where did the lead come from? - Tracking the lead source (e.g., website, social media, referral) helps identify which marketing channels drive the most leads. This information allows property managers to allocate resources more effectively and invest in the channels that yield the highest return on investment.
• Script - You have the ability to set a script to gather information from the lead quickly and perform prompt follow-ups with them later. A scripted follow-up process ensures no lead falls through the cracks, maximizing the chances of securing rentals. Moreover, having a standardized follow-up script ensures consistency in communication across all leads. This consistency helps in delivering a cohesive brand message and ensures that all leads receive the same level of attention and care, regardless of who is managing the follow-up process.

You can create a script by navigating to Hummingbird Settings and Lead Management, going to The Script tab, and drafting a script. You can specify a different script for each property by going to the Property Settings tab. You can also create a common script for all your properties from the Corporate Settings tab. Then click Save. This script will appear in the Lead stage of the Onboarding process. 

Note: If you do not wish to display a script in the onboarding process, remove the script text from Hummingbird settings. 

• Lead Name and contact information such as email, phone, address, etc. Note that Email, Name, and Phone are mandatory fields. 

Note: If a lead already exists with the specified contact information, it will appear in the Similar Contacts tab on the right side of the page. Click that lead and proceed with the move-in process instead of creating a duplicate lead profile. 

• Notes - You can specify any additional information about the lead, such as if they want to move in later for some reason, their specific requirements, etc. These notes will appear in the Message section of the Overview tab of a Leads profile for your reference. 

Note: In case of an existing lead, the basic information on this page, like the name, contact details (email, phone, address), the preferred storage location, etc., will be pre-filled. 

You can also see the associated Space details on the right in case they have made a reservation, along with the Lease Details. The Communications tab can also give you information on communications done with the lead so far. 

Tenants can also rent Spaces as a business rather than as individuals. Renting storage Spaces as a business can allow them to separate their personal and business assets and efficiently manage their inventory and resources. It can also provide legal and liability protection for the company's owners and shareholders, deliver tax benefits, etc. To rent as a business, select the Rent as a Business checkbox and provide additional information. To learn more about the additional fields and the process, refer to How to Rent as a Business. 

Lead Questions

The questions in this section help property managers understand the needs and preferences of leads. Take details like their preferred property, Space type, expected move-in date, the duration they need to rent a Space, etc. 

• Preferred storage location?* Knowing the preferred location can help you suggest the most convenient storage property close to the lead's home or business, making it more likely for them to choose your property for their rental.
• Preferred Features and Amenities? - Understanding the lead's preferred features and amenities allows you to match them with the most suitable Space. For example, some leads may require climate-controlled Spaces, while others may prioritize 24/7 access or security features.
• Space Interest? - The type of Space the leads are interested in, i.e. Storage or Parking. You can take further details from the leads like the preferred Space size, price range, floor, etc.

Note: Hummingbird will save these preferences and list the Spaces meeting these criteria in the Spaces tab on the right side of the page.

• When do you need storage? - Knowing the estimated move-in date can help you plan accordingly and ensure that suitable Spaces are available when needed.
• How long will you need storage? - Understanding the duration of storage needs can help you recommend the most cost-effective rental options. For example, if the lead only needs short-term storage, you can suggest flexible rental agreements or promotional offers. On the other hand, if the lead requires long-term storage, you can offer discounted rates for extended leases, encouraging customer loyalty.

You also have the ability to set your custom questions to gather more information from your leads. These questions can be configured by navigating to Hummingbird Settings and Lead Management. You can add a new question and its response(s) by clicking +Add Question. You can also change the order of newly added questions and make a question mandatory by clicking the Required checkbox. 

Note: You cannot modify or rearrange the Default questions listed in the Lead Questionnaire. 

Selecting a Space

You can see a list of Spaces available at the lead’s preferred storage location on the right side of the Lead page. In case, you have specified information like the preferred features and amenities, size, price, etc., in the Lead Questions, these Spaces will get filtered accordingly, providing you with the Spaces based on what the lead is exactly looking for. 

Note: These Space details appear based on your Property Settings. You can manage your Spaces and add new promotions, services, amenities, etc., by navigating to Hummingbird Settings. 

You can manually view the available Spaces at another property by selecting it from the drop-down list. You can also search for a particular Space or its associated criteria by typing it in the Search Spaces box. 

You can also further apply the following filter(s) to narrow down the list based on the required criteria:

• Type - The type of storage, i.e. Storage or Parking Space.
• Size - The required size of the rental Space, i.e. 5x5, 10x10, etc. 
• Price - The lead’s preferred price range. 
• Floor - A specific floor where the Space is located.
• Amenities - Facilities provided by the Space, i.e. climate controlled, drive-up, elevator access, etc.

You can click Map View and the Property Info tab to provide further property-related information to the lead, including the location of the Spaces, the property’s contact details, office and gate hours, etc. 

Click the desired Space to view and modify the Lease Details. 

• Lease Period - The duration that designates the minimum time the lead is expected to remain in the same Space. This defaults to Month-to-Month, indicating that the lead would rent from you on a monthly basis. 
• Move-In Date - The date on which the lead is planning to start storing their belongings in the rented space. To select a different date, click the corresponding edit icon and choose the required date from the calendar. 
• Bill On - The day on which the invoice will get generated. It is defaulted to the first of the month, but you can change it based on the requirement. Accordingly, it will change the rent period and present you with a prorated rent. For example, if a tenant moves in on the 30th of October, his rent period will be from the 30th of October to the 31st of October, considering the Bill On day is set to the default, i.e. 1st. In other words, the rent will be collected for two days left in the month, i.e., the 30th and 31st of October, and the new billing cycle will start from the 1st of November. 
• Base Rent - The set rental rate to be paid by the tenant before considering any rent increases or incentives.

Note: The Month to Month lease period, Bill On date, and Base Rent appear based on the configurations made in the Hummingbird Settings. You can make changes to these if required from clicking the corresponding edit icons. 

• Discount - A deduction from the usual rent. Select any discounts that apply to this Space from the drop-down list. The total rent amount will vary depending on the discount applied.
• Promotion - Offers that publicize the property and attract tenants. For example, 50% off on two months' rent. You can select any applicable promotion(s), and they will be applied to the Space’s rent. You can also add a new promotion for this space by clicking the +Add Promotion button. 

Note: These discounts and promotions appear based on those configured in the Promotions section of Hummingbird settings. 

• AutoPay - Short for automatic payment, is a service that automatically deducts an owed recurring payment from a tenant’s account in time to meet a payment due date. You can specify the number of days Autopay should run post the billing date by clicking the corresponding edit icon. 

You will see the Total Balance Due and the Monthly Rent for the Space at the bottom of the Lease Details section. Click the expand icon to view the breakdown of the Total Balance Due amount, including the applied security deposit, tax, etc. 

You can perform the following actions for your lead based on their current intent to reserve the Space or directly move into your property:

• Send Rental Link - Send an online rental link to leads via email or text, enabling them to initiate the rental process at their convenience without the need to visit or contact the property.
• Create Follow-up Task - You can create a Task for yourself or any of your team members, for example, calling up a lead the next day and providing them certain information or sending an email to a lead with attractive discounts for the Space they’re interested in, etc. 

Specify all the required information and set a due date and time. You will be notified if you do not complete the task by the provided date and time. You can also assign this task to someone from your team by selecting the required name from the Assign to drop-down list. Once your task has been successfully created, it will automatically appear in Hummingbird’s Task Center. You can access the Task Center by clicking the Tasks icon from the quick actions bar. To know more about following up with leads, refer to Converting a Lead or Reservation to a New Tenant. 

• Send Reservation Link - Send an online reservation link to leads via email or text, enabling them to secure the desired Space ahead of schedule at their convenience without the need to visit or contact the property.
• Save Lead - To store the lead details in Hummingbird and follow up with them later in order to convert them to tenants. 
• Reserve - Reserve the desired Space for the lead. By reserving a Space, a lead can lock in the required size, location, features, and discounted prices in advance compared to a situation when they show up at the property without a reservation and are put at the mercy of whatever is available at that time. To know more about reservations, refer to Ways to Reserve a Space.
• Move In -  To onboard the lead to your property and convert them to tenants. 

Lease: Providing and Verifying Lease Information

Once you have selected a Space and specified all the related information, click Move In. The following Lease page will appear, where you can collect and provide lease-related details about your lead.

Note: If you’re onboarding an existing lead generated through the website or already saved in the system, the existing details for that lead get auto-populated here. You must verify them with the lead since the information specified here will be furnished on the lease agreement. These automated fields make the onboarding process a breeze!

The following lease information needs to be provided here:

• Tenant’s name and contact information (phone, email, and complete address). You can add an additional address or a phone number for the lead by clicking the +Add Address or +Add Phone number.
• Gate Code - To access a storage Space, the tenant needs to go through a gate and provide the access code. The Gate Access code is unique to each tenant. In the case of online rentals, the code is sent to the tenants via email or phone. However, in other cases, it is provided to the tenants at the property after their verification is done. Ensure that the Gate code you provide is unique and not duplicated. 
• Driver’s License - Lead’s driver’s license details for verification purposes.
• Alternate Contact -  Some state laws require an additional contact to be provided in the rental agreement who can be contacted and sent legal notices in case of a default. For example, sending Lien notices to them when the tenant fails to pay and becomes delinquent. The alternate contact details can be added by clicking the Yes radio button. 

Note: Alternate Contacts are NOT allowed to access the Space or be contacted for reasons other than delinquency.

You can include multiple additional contacts by clicking +Add New Contact and set them as Alternate, Emergency, Authorized Access, and Lien Holder. To know more about these additional contacts, refer to Updating Tenant Information. 

• Military Status - Military personnel are eligible to receive certain discounts and perks pertaining to the rental Space. If the lead is active duty military, the associated information needs to be provided by clicking the Yes radio button.

• Items Stored - Some state lien laws require tenants to specify if they intend to store any items categorized as “Protected Property”. Examples of these include alcoholic beverages, firearms, etc. These items are not commonly stored in a Space and have to be highlighted to comply with state laws.

Note - In the case of firearms storage, the lead has to fill out an addendum and provide details like the make, model, and serial number. 

• Stored Contents - Some state lien laws require tenants to specify the type of contents they intend to store in the Space, e.g., boxes, suitcases, trunks, etc., to process a lien sale properly. This information is mainly required during the advertising process that proceeds an auction. Select the contents like boxes, suitcases, trunks, etc., by clicking the corresponding checkbox(es).
• Vehicle Information - If the Space is large enough, the lead can also store a vehicle within it. In such cases, the vehicle details need to be furnished by clicking the Yes radio button. 

Adding Coverage, Merchandise, and Fees

Leads are mainly seeking self-storage Spaces, but there’s something else you can do to drive revenue at your self-storage facility: offering ancillary products and services that meet their needs and help drive up the value of their rentals. 

Coverage

To rent a Space and protect their belongings, leads need to have insurance. There are two ways in which they can gain coverage: 

• Purchase insurance from the storage property
• Use their own coverage

You can speak to the lead and offer them coverage for the Space they are renting. This will not only provide peace of mind if a loss occurs, but it is also an opportunity to generate more business revenue too! Select an appropriate coverage by clicking the radio button.

Note: These coverage options appear based on your Property Settings. You can configure them by navigating to the Coverage section of Hummingbird Settings.

In scenarios when leads have their own insurance policies, they can decline the coverage offered by the property. Click the Tenant has their own coverage radio button and provide the expiration month and year of the coverage policy.

Merchandise

You can offer certain merchandise to the leads that will help facilitate their move-in. Examples of these merchandise include locks, packing supplies like boxes of different sizes, tapes, etc. 

Expand the Merchandise tab and use the Search bar to look up a particular product. To select merchandise, enter the quantity in the Qty field provided and click Add.

Note: Based on your selections, the associated merchandise costs will keep adding to the Space rent, altering the total payable amount. 

You also have the option to remove the selected merchandise by clicking the Remove button. 

Service Charges and Fees

A service charge is an additional charge for the service provided with the purchase of a product or service. You can choose to levy service charges for the services offered to a lead, such as electricity and cleaning services. This is mostly a recurring fee that will be added to a lead’s Space and raise their monthly bill. 

You can also include certain one-time charges like maintenance fees, administrative fees, late fees, etc., to meet your property’s particular needs.

To view the fees and service charges currently enabled at your property, expand the Fees tab. 

Note: These fees appear based on your Property Settings. You can configure them by navigating to the Fees section of Hummingbird Settings.

You can apply fees to a lead’s rental amount by following the steps mentioned below:

• Click the checkbox corresponding to the required fee.
• Specify the date from which you wish to levy this fee by clicking the calendar icon in the Service Start column. 
• Based on the type of fee, you might have the option of charging the leads repeatedly on a prearranged schedule (monthly, quarterly, etc.). To enable this setting, click the Recurring checkbox corresponding to the fee. 

Based on the service charges or fees you levy, the total payable rental amount will keep varying. 

Note: All these fees are applied for a duration based on the move-in and bill-on dates specified earlier in the onboarding process. 

Click Payments to proceed further and add the lead’s payment-related details. 

Payment : Taking Payment from a Lead

You can view all the Space and payment-related information on the Payment screen, including the unique Space number that is being allocated to the lead, the total balance due, along with the various payment options.

The charges accumulated during the last few steps of the onboarding process are all listed here, including the rent, security deposit, added merchandise, fees, coverage, taxes, etc, providing you with a total balance amount that is to be paid by the lead. 

Note: You can add or modify any of the services, such as coverage, merchandise, or fees, at this stage as well by going to the Services tab on the right. The changes will be reflected in the Total Balance Due amount. 

There is an option to pay the rent for the upcoming months in advance. In such cases, click the + Add Additional time field and select the number of months for which advance rent is being paid from the drop-down list.

Note: A tenant can pay a maximum of 12 months’ rent in advance.

Enrolling a Tenant in Autopay

You can help your tenants avoid late fees and ensure they never miss a payment due date by enrolling them in automatic payments. 

If the tenant would like to enrol in Autopay, click the Enroll in Autopay checkbox. 

Note - You can only enroll a tenant in Autopay when their mode of payment is a Credit/Debit card or ACH. This functionality does not apply to Cash payments.

In case of any discrepancies or if the person wishes to make a partial payment, you can alter the due amount by clicking the Choose a different amount checkbox from the Payment Information section and then typing the appropriate amount in the Total Payment field. This usually happens in cases of a Cash or Check payment at the property when either the person brings a check for a full amount, for example, the rental amount is, say, $121, and the check is for $150 or when they wish to make a partial payment.

You can take a payment from the lead through various modes, as mentioned below:

• Card Reader - A hardware device for processing payments through Credit or Debit cards. It reads the information stored on the magnetic stripe or chip of the card and communicates with a payment processing system to authorize the transaction, which, in turn, checks the card's validity, the availability of funds, and performs other security checks. If the transaction is approved, the payment gets processed, and a receipt is generated for the lead. Select the number associated with your Card Reader from the drop-down list.
• Credit/Debit - A debit card uses funds from the lead’s bank account, while a credit card is linked to a credit line that can be paid back later, which gives your lead more time to pay for their purchases. 

Once you click the Credit/Debit radio button, you need to furnish the lead’s card information, including the name on the card, the 16-digit card number on the front side of the card, expiration details, and the CVV (a 3-4 digit card security code printed on the back of the card).

Also, mention the lead’s billing address here for correspondence and authorization purposes.  There is also an option to save this address as the default address for future use. 

• ACH/E-check - Automated Clearing House (ACH) is an electronic payment method that facilitates the transmission of direct payments from the lead’s bank accounts to your account. While e-check or electronic check is a type of ACH payment that mimics the format of a traditional check and supports quick, safe, and easy transactions. 

To accept the payment from your lead through this mode, click the ACH/E-check radio button and provide the lead’s bank account information and routing number. 

Note: Hummingbird can save Debit/Credit and ACH/eCheck payment information for future use. This supports faster transactions without you having to provide all the payment-related details again. Based on the person’s preference and consent, you can click the Save Payment Method checkbox to save the payment details. 

• Cash - The lead can pay the rental amount in cash via an in-person visit to the property. To select this mode, click the Cash radio button and provide the following transaction details:
  • Cash Amount Tendered- The sum of money given in cash payment by the lead.
  • Reference Name - A message that will quickly help you identify the lead or the purpose of the transaction. By default, the lead’s name is pre-filled here. You can change it to anything else if required. 
• Check - A lead can submit a check physically at your property, and you can then deposit it in your bank account. Provide the check number (the first six digits written on the bottom-left of the check) and the reference name. You can also add any notes or comments for your reference. 

• Gift Card - The lead can make payment using the gift cards issued to them by the property. 

Click Process Payment to proceed and finalize the lease. 

You also have the option to skip the payment or send an online payment link to the lead:

• Skip Payment - You can take the payment information from the lead later when they visit the property. The leads can also log in to their profiles later and pay online. To collect the payment later, click Skip Payment. 
• Send Payment Link - You can send the lead an online payment link via Email or text, providing them with the convenience of making payments online and securing their Space quickly and easily. 

Note: At any point in time, if you feel you need to modify any of the information provided before you finalize the lease, you can do so by clicking the Lead or Lease page from the navigation bar. 

Clicking Cancel will make you exit the lease setup and delete the lease or save it as pending and complete the process later on. You also have the option to retire the lead or mark them as inactive in case they are unresponsive to multiple follow-up attempts, are no longer interested in renting a Space, etc.  

Finalize: Finalizing and Signing the Lease

Once you click Process Payment, you will see the following Finalize page: 

This is the final step for the onboarding process wherein the lead has to sign the lease agreement and other documents uploaded in the lease configuration. These documents can be printed, downloaded, and signed in person or electronically signed via text or email.

To know more, refer to Documents and Digital Signatures.