Introduction

Important: Please note that the availability of certain features outlined in these release notes will vary depending on the package and add-ons that you have purchased as well as the account type that you have (admin/standard user). These features are subject to change at any time. Please see our Learning Center course on this update HERE. Having trouble accessing the course? This article will show you how to access the Lofty Learning Center: How to Access the Lofty Learning Center

 

Release Date

Friday, May 5th, 2023. 

 

Summary

• Transaction Custom Field Update
• Transaction Forms
  • Creating a New Form
  • Viewing the Form on a Transaction
• Lead Pond Task Optimization
• Featured Listing Tag on Lofty Websites
• Lofty Website Footer Update
• Home Report Email Template Update
• Bilingual Feeds for Centris MLS
• Canadian Census Subdivision Addition
  
• AI Assistant: Listing URL Recognition
• AI Assistant: Chat Message UI Update
• Enterprise Lead Routing: Hierarchy Group Assignment Level
  • Enterprise Lead Routing: Add a Step
• AI Email and Text Generator

Transaction Custom Field Update

Available To: All Lofty Account Types

Permissions Required: Company/Team Features

This update allows for for additional transaction custom fields, beyond just date-based custom fields. Transaction custom fields have been moved. To access this feature, navigate to Settings → Transaction Forms → Transaction Custom Field Management

You must have either the Company Features (Enterprise accounts) or Team Features (Core/Premier accounts) permission enabled to access this feature.

There are two (2) options for Transaction Fields, Standard Fields and Custom Fields.

Standard fields are pre-built into Lofty and cannot be edited. These fields can be hidden. If hidden, they will not display in Lofty Transaction Forms.

Custom fields may be added by selecting the "Custom Fields" tab and clicking "+ Add New".

When added a customer field, the following types of data are available:

• Date
• Text
• Number
• Percentage
• Currency
• Dropdown

To add a field, give the field a name and select the data type. Click "Confirm" to save the field.

Once the field has been added, it may be edited or deleted. The full list of custom fields will be available, along with the Lofty user who created the field and the Lofty user who last modified the field.

To add these custom transaction fields to a transaction, they must be added to a transaction form.

Transaction Forms

Available To: All Lofty Account Types

Permissions Required: Company/Team Features

This feature allows Lofty users with the Company/Team Features permission to create custom forms that will apply to their account transactions. Users without this permission cannot see the Transaction Form section in account settings. The forms will apply to the entire account, there is no separate permission or setting for Group level transaction forms.

To access this feature, navigate to Settings → Transaction Forms 

Forms may be created for the four (4) different types of transactions:

1. Purchase
2. Listing
3. Lease
4. Other

There are two (2) default forms that have already been created. 

1. Dates
2. Property

Fields can be deleted from these forms by clicking the Trashcan icon. The field order can be changed by clicking and dragging the three lines icon. The default forms can be edited by clicking the Setting cogwheel icon.

Creating a New Form

First, select the type of transaction and click "+ Add New Form". Remember, Transaction Forms are specific to the type of transaction:

Next, the transaction form may be created within the pop-up. Any transaction fields that are not currently on a transaction form will be available to add to the form, and each transaction field can only be on one (1) transaction form. This is because, when a transaction is created, all available transaction forms will automatically be added to a transaction. If the same field is on multiple forms, then you would need to fill out redundant information.

To add a field to the form, click the "+" icon next to the field. To remove a field from the form, click the red circle icon next to the field.

Name the form and select the transaction type, then click "Confirm" to create the form.

Now, the form will be available in the list of forms for that transaction type.

Viewing the Form on a Transaction

When a transaction is created, any forms created for that transaction type will automatically be added for you to input the information. This includes the default forms for Dates and Property. Click "Edit" to complete the form. The Settings icon will take you back to the Transaction Forms section, and allow you to edit the form.

Lofty users without the Company/Team Features permission enabled will still have all available transaction forms automatically populate on their transactions, but they do not have the option to alter the form.

 

Lead Pond Task Optimization

Available To: All Lofty Account Types

Permissions Required: Lead Pond/Team Features

Previous Lead Pond Logic:

When a lead was assigned to a Lead Pond, any remaining tasks on that lead were assigned to the Team/Company/Group owner by default.

Optimized Lead Pond Logic:

When a lead is assigned to a Lead Pond, any remaining tasks on that lead are assigned to the Lead Pond owner by default.

Note: When a lead is assigned to a Lead Pond, only tasks that are generated by Company/Group/Team Smart Plans will be retained and assigned to the Lead Pond owner. All other tasks will be automatically deleted.

• That is, if a task was added manually or created as part of a private Smart Plan, that task will be deleted from the lead profile.

Featured Listing Tag on Lofty Websites

Available To: All Lofty Account Types that have a Lofty Website

Permissions Required: Manage Website/Manage Team Website

This feature displays an "Exclusive Listing" tag on company/team listings on the Lofty website. The setting is located in CMS → Settings → Listings → Listing Tag

Users with permissions will be able to customize the tag name (the words on the tag) and decide if the tags appear or are hidden on all Lofty websites under the Company/Team website. The color of the tag is Green and is not customizable. By default, the tag will be hidden.

The tag is visible on both web and mobile versions of the Lofty website.

This setting is only available on Company/Team level websites. It is not available on Agent or Group websites. If the setting is enabled for the Company/Team website, the tag will be visible on all Team Listings on every website under the Company/Team website.

Lofty Website Footer Update

Available To: Enterprise Lofty Accounts

Permissions Required: Manage Website

This update allows Enterprise Lofty accounts to customize the company name in the footer of their Lofty company website. The dropdown menu will display the company name and all upper-level group names, as well as provide the option to enter a custom name.

Home Report Email Template Update

Available To: All Lofty Accounts

Permissions Required: None

This is an update to the Home Report email template. The following changes have been made:

1. The color of the header of the Home Report email will be pulled from the website settings, to better match your brand.
2. The design is more mobile-friendly.

Bilingual Feeds for Centris MLS

Available To: Centris MLS Members

Permissions Required: None

Centris MLS is based in Quebec, Canada. This update automatically enables an option for Lofty website visitors to switch between Centris MLS's original French and English language feeds.

Please Note: There is no setting for this feature, it will automatically be enabled on the Lofty website for users who are members of Centris MLS. you can check it by going to the listing detail page, when you switch language, the property description will be switched, and so are the other fields.

 

Canadian Census Subdivision Addition

Available To: All Canadian Lofty Accounts

Permissions Required: None

This feature is a new area type for Canadian Lofty websites' Featured Areas. You may now search for areas by "Census Subdivision".

To access this feature, navigate to CMS Tool -> Settings → Featured Areas

AI Assistant: Listing URL Recognition

Available To: All Lofty AI Assistant Users

Permissions Required: None

With this feature update, the AI Assistant will be able to check listing URLs that are sent by leads and be able to recognize listing details, such as the address, listing status, and open house schedule. You will be notified when a lead is sending a URL via chat on the Lofty website. The AI Assistant has two (2) scripts to follow, depending on if the listing is active or inactive:

Active Listing

Okay, I'll let my colleague know that you're interested in {listing_address}, this listing is currently {listing_status}, and the next open-house is {openhouse_time). Are you interested in seeing it? Do you have any questions about the listing or the buying process? My colleague is available any time by calling {agent_phone}. Also, you can book a time when you are available {calendar link}. We are looking forward to hearing your voice! 

Inactive Listing

Is {listing_address} the property you want to know more about? The listing is currently {listing_status}. My colleague is happy to find something similar for you! Do you have time for our agent to call you? Please schedule some time at this link{calendar link} or call {agent_phone} anytime.

Notification

Note: The lead has sent a listing URL. Please contact the lead ASAP.

There is no setting to turn this off, as leads rarely send URLs to the AI Assistant. However, when they do, the AI Assistant will be able to take action.

AI Assistant: Chat Message UI Update

Available To: All Lofty AI Assistant Users

Permissions Required: None

This is an update to the lead timeline UI, which helps clients distinguish between AI Assistant text messages and chat messages on the Lofty website.

• Any messages sent between the lead and the AI Assistant chat box on the Lofty website will be labeled in the lead's timeline as "Site Message".
• When a text message has been delivered, a status of "Delivered" will be added to the lead's timeline.

Enterprise Lead Routing: Hierarchy Group Assignment Level

Available To: Enterprise Lofty Accounts

Permissions Required:

• Manage Lead Distribution - Entire Company
  • Can assign leads to all Groups and Sub-Groups in the Hierarchy
• Manage Lead Distribution - User's Group
  • Can assign leads to all users in their Group, but not Sub-Groups

This feature allows Enterprise Lofty Accounts to assign leads directly to all of the agents within a Hierarchy Group, without sending the leads through that Group's lead routing rules. When a user is added or removed from the Hierarchy Group, they will simultaneously be added or removed from the lead routing rule rotation.

To access this feature, navigate to Settings → Lead Routing → + Add New. This feature is located in the Assignment section of the lead routing rule.

New leads will be assigned directly to the Agents, so select Agent as the Assignment Level. Next, to assign new leads to all users within the Hierarchy Group, select Assign to all users in selected groups and add the Groups and Subgroups you want to include. All Groups will have the same assignment percentage. That is, you cannot allocate more leads to users within one Hierarchy Group.

The Assignment Rules are the same as any other lead routing rule. Leads may be assigned via the following ways:

1. Round Robin
   1. Selecting Round Robin will assign new leads in the order of users in the Hierarchy Group
   2. That is, leads will be assigned, one by one, to the users at the top of the list, starting with the selected Hierarchy Group at the top of the list.
   3. If a new user is added, and they are between two users who have already received a lead, the next lead will go to that new user and the next new lead will continue where the list left off.
2. Next Up
   1. Next Up is similar to Round Robin, except that users must contact the lead within a certain time period or the next user in line gets the opportunity to claim the lead.
      1. New leads will progress through the order of users, exactly the same as the Round Robin rule, each user will have equal opportunity to claim leads.
3. Blast Alert
   1. Blast Alert sends an opportunity to claim the lead to all users at the same time. 

Enterprise Lead Routing: Add a Step

If the Assignment Rule is either Next Up or Blast Alert, we have added the option to add up to nine (9) additional steps to assign the lead. This is only available for Enterprise lead routing, but is available for all lead assignment levels, not just the Hierarchy Group assignment level outlined above. 

Next Up and Blast Alert assignment rules require a user to claim the lead. Previously, if no users claimed the lead, the lead would continue through lead routing, either matching with another rule or being assigned via the default rule.

 

Opting to "Add a Step" allows the user setting up the rule to send the new lead through another round of lead routing. Up to nine (9) additional steps can be added to each lead routing rule. This option is not available to Team packages, this is only an Enterprise feature.

 

Clicking "Add a Step" will provide the user another Assignment section, to send new leads that qualify for this lead routing rule through another round of lead routing. "Add a Step" is only available for Next Up and Blast Alert assignment rules, as there is the possibility that the new lead will not be claimed on the first round.

 

AI Email and Text Generator

Available To: All Lofty Users

Permissions Required: None

This feature is similar to the AI Blog Writing tool, released in Feature Updates for Lofty 3.61

With this update, all Lofty users can utilize AI to help them write emails and text messages. The feature can be found in the email editor, text editor, and the Workspace. A small icon that looks like a pencil with magic dust will open the AI writing assistant.

We offer three (3) pre-built generation options:

1. Schedule a Call
2. Follow up with the lead
3. Self Introduction

As well as a custom generation, based on prompts provided by you.

An option will also be built into email replies, where the AI will help write a response to the lead.

This is a Beta release. All Lofty users will have the following limits on use, which will reset weekly:

• 50 AI-generated text messages
• 25 AI-generated emails

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding this topic or any others, please reach out to our Support Team via email at <support@lofty.com>, by phone at 1 (855) 981-7557, or by chat with us through your Lofty CRM.