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CHICAGO (October 26, 2010) – Many American consumers want to have a live chat option when researching products and services online. Nearly 45 percent of U.S. online consumers say having their questions answered by a live person while they are in the process of shopping online is one of the most important features of a website, according to Forrester Research.¹ In response to this demand, Apartments.com is the first rental website to launch “Live Chat,” providing apartment shoppers with a new and easy way to connect with the leasing office during their apartment search.

Americans spend a collective total of about 160 million hours per month instant messaging, according to recent research from Nielsen.² Functioning similar to popular “instant messaging” programs, “Live Chat” enables renters to quickly connect with the leasing office directly from the Apartments.com listing to ask questions, confirm availability and set up appointments to tour apartments and the community. Initiating a “Live Chat” with the leasing office also helps renters narrow down their search to places that truly meet their needs by getting their questions answered immediately through an effortless online exchange.

“Communication preferences vary,” says Chris Brown, vice president of product management at Apartments.com. “Renters who are talking to the leasing office using Live Chat want a different experience. In the past, this type of renter may have decided against contacting the leasing office because they felt reluctant to pick up the phone or send an email. Faced with this new real-time communication option to get their questions answered in a manner they prefer, more of our users are connecting with the leasing offices of apartments listed on our site.”

While many renters are choosing to contact the apartment leasing staff through “Live Chat” on Apartments.com, this new method of communicating is not replacing the number of phone calls and emails being received by the leasing office. During a trial period, Apartments.com advertisers using “Live Chat” experienced a 20 percent increase in the number of renters contacting the leasing office without unfavorably impacting email and phone activity. 

“Live Chat” is now available for renters to chat with apartment leasing offices that have opted-in to this complimentary service on Apartments.com.

Sources:
¹ – Forrester Research, Inc. 2010

² - Nielsen Online, June 2010

About Apartments.com
Apartments.com is a leading national apartment Internet listing subscription service with more than 50,000 unique addresses representing millions of rental units from managed properties, newspaper classifieds and for-rent-by-owner properties. By incorporating the most relevant products to reach renters including personalized searches and highly visual ads featuring live chat, real-time rent, online video walk-through demonstrations, professional photography, a mobile website and iPhone and Android app, Apartments.com creates easy access to its listings. Providing unmatched exposure to its advertisers through an intuitive name, strategic search engine placements, featured partnerships including Yahoo! Real Estate, Univision and more than 120 newspaper websites and innovative emerging media, Apartments.com reaches millions of renters nationwide, driving both qualified traffic and highly-engaged renters to leasing offices nationwide. Apartments.com is a division of Chicago-based Classified Ventures, LLC. The Apartments.com network of apartment rental websites includes Apartment Home Living, a leading social media apartment website distinguished by a "live for fun" community experience, proprietary lifestyle matching and local living guides to help renters find their perfect place to live.