What is the ambassador program?
Where we have a certain density of properties in a geographic area we can have a dedicated HelloPackage representative who provides on-site services across locations. Where that density threshold has not yet been met, we have traditionally relied on “gig worker” platforms such as TaskRabbit or Wonolo. This works well for the most part, but there are two aspects that can present a challenge:
- Not all geographic areas are well covered by these platforms.
- Market rates can fluctuate significantly over a short period of time.
In an attempt to address these concerns, we piloted the HelloPackage Ambassador Program. Through this program, we have found an untapped labor pool that has a vested interest in the success of the room while making some extra cash.
Who are the ambassadors?
The untapped labor pool is the residents of the property itself. Our Customer Success team sends out a communication to residents (using the rent roll information imported into the HelloPackage system) gauging interest in helping to keep the HelloPackage room organized and neat. We have found high levels of interest because the necessary tasks are easy to perform (dare we say fun) and residents are genuinely interested in seeing the success of the package room. The ambassadors like that they’re helping their community and making some extra cash on the side without much of a commute.
So how does it work?
Here’s how the program works:
- Anyone interested in the program (we’ve seen about a 10% response rate so far) provides basic information so we can talk with them to ensure there is a good fit for the role. Assuming there is, we then ask them to sign up through one of the aforementioned gig worker platforms to facilitate administration and payment.
- Virtual training is provided by the HelloPackage Customer Success team. Training takes approximately two hours.
- A recurring schedule is agreed to.
- A typical room needs 3-trained resources to have enough redundancy to ensure reliability.
What have we achieved?
The Ambassador Program has quickly shown itself to be very effective for everyone involved:
- It’s cost-effective while still providing well-qualified personnel for this critical part of the HelloPackage Room solution.
- It taps into a large pool of labor from a captive audience with a vested interest in the success of the room for the whole community (residents and staff).
- It enhances room satisfaction due to community involvement.