The rental process can be made more convenient by reserving a Space, as it lets a lead set up most things ahead of time and eventually focus on the move-in rather than the rental process. 

While a reservation is not necessary, securing a Space ahead of schedule is always the best practice. 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.

Reservations can be made for free. There are no deposits required and also no obligation to rent. If a lead changes their mind, you can cancel their reservation without any charges. 

A reservation can be created manually when a lead contacts you via phone/email or visits your property in person or automatically through online reservations and third-party integrations. 

Online Reservations

You can view the online reservations by navigating to the Leads module in Hummingbird and viewing the leads with dates in the Reservation Date and Reservation Expires columns. You can get more information regarding the reservation, including the Space number, Space size, property details, etc., from a lead’s profile. Click a lead to open their profile and find these details in the Overview tab. 

Reservations via Phone/Email

To reserve a space for a lead who contacts you via phone or email, as a first step, check if the lead already exists in the system. This will save you time in providing all the contact information again, and you can proceed straight away with reserving a space. Navigate to Quick Actions from the dashboard, click Move in/Reserve, or go to the leftmost navigation bar and search for the lead’s name. 

As you start typing, a search will be made for any existing names that match what you're typing. If the lead is already in the system, then their name will appear in the dropdown. Click the lead's name to avoid creating a duplicate account. In case the lead doesn’t exist, click Create New Contact.

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Note: You can also search for an existing lead by navigating to the Leads module and viewing their profile. Then, click Create New Lead/Move In.

In either of these cases, you will be directed to the following Tenant Onboarding page: 

1. Provide the required information on the Lead page. If the lead already exists in the system, the basic information on this page, like the name, contact details, the preferred property, etc., will be pre-filled. You can also specify marketing-related details like their mode of contacting you, expected move-in date, the duration for which they need to rent a Space, and the category of the Space they are interested in, for example, office space, parking, drive-up, temperature-controlled space, etc.  

Note: Name, Phone, and Property Interest are all mandatory fields. 

2. Click Select Space to proceed and choose the desired space for your lead. 

3. The Space page lists the available spaces at your property along with their details like the size, price, availability status, and any applicable promotions.

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

You can see a list of Spaces available at the property of interest specified on the previous page. If you wish to view the spaces at another property, click the Change button and select the desired property from the drop-down list. 

4. You can take various actions to find the desired Space for your lead quickly: 

• Type any of the associated space details in the Search box at the top of the list.
• Apply the following filter(s) to narrow down the list based on the required criteria:
  • Size - the required size of the rental Space, i.e. 5x5, 10x10, etc. 
  • Price - lead’s preferred price range 
  • Access - a specific floor where the Space is located
  • Amenities - facilities provided by the Space, i.e. climate controlled, drive-up, elevator access, etc. 

To remove the applied filters and restore the list to its original state, click Reset Filters. 

5. To reserve/move in the lead in a particular space, click the Space from the list and provide the following Lease Details pertaining to the selected Space: 

• Lease Period - The duration that designates the minimum time the lead is expected to remain in the same Space. You can choose from the following options available in the drop-down list:
• Month-to-Month - This is the default selection wherein the lead would rent from you on a monthly basis. 
• Fixed Length -  When the lead agrees to rent your Space until a specific date. For example, if the lead signs a one-year fixed term starting on July 1, it would end on June 30th of the following year.
• Move-In Date - The date on which the lead is planning to start storing his belongings in the rented space. To select a particular date, click the Move In Date field 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. 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.
• Security Deposit - A one-time payment that acts as insurance and can be used to pay for any damage caused to the space by the tenant.
• Discount - A deduction from the usual rent. Select any discounts that apply to this space from the drop-down list. 
• Promotion - Activities 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: The total rent amount will vary depending on the promotion applied. You can view the details from the Lease Summary on the right. 

The lease summary might also have any other charges automatically levied by the property owners and added to the base rent, for example, Admin fee, cleaning fee, etc.

• 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. 

6. Click Reserve and then, Make Reservation to confirm your reservation request.

7. The Space is successfully reserved now. You can save a call record with your lead or create a follow-up task for yourself in order to convert the lead’s reservation to a rental. 

Note: You will receive a confirmation notification on successful reservation of space.

In-Person Reservations

When a lead visits you in person, you can help tailor a solution that caters to their needs and easily reserve a Space by accessing Hummingbird on your browser or via our kiosk product - Tenant Interface. This product provides a self-service workflow that can act as your assistant in finding a suitable Space, and you can then reserve or rent it collaboratively with the lead. 

The Tenant Interface can also be used as a solution for properties that want to operate without a manager. It consists of an all-in-one touchscreen monitor, a driver's license scanner and, a Credit card scanner thereby, touching on all aspects of your tenant’s journey and enhancing user experience via a paperless workflow, document management, and e-signatures.

Reservations through Third-party Integrations 

If your company has signed up for third-party integration with call center services like XPS, CallPotential, etc., you will also receive reservations/rentals via them in Hummingbird.

XPS offers a centralized sales and support center that allows you to service a lead even if you are not able to answer the phone. Instead of missing the call for your property, the lead is forwarded to the XPS Solutions call center. The entire call experience is just like if someone at your property picks up the phone. 

The representatives at XPS have real-time visibility of your Space inventory. They can see the Space size, price, attributes, promotions, the number of Spaces available, and pricing for your insurance plans. They can make a reservation on your behalf based on the lead's requirements. 

The lead will receive a reservation confirmation email and an SMS confirmation as well in case they specified their phone number on call. You will also receive a copy of the confirmation email. You can follow up with this reservation just like any other reservation received in Hummingbird.