Pricing Assistant — Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Pricing Assistant, in one place.

1. Account & User Management

How do I add or remove users?

Company Admin users can add, remove, or edit access under the Settings link at the bottom of the left menu bar once in the application. See the User Management Tutorial. You can also reach out to our team with the following: full name, email address, role, and a list of communities the user is allowed to view.

How do I add or remove my communities (acquisition/development/disposition)?

Contact our team to add or remove communities.

If I am having trouble logging in, who can I contact for help?

Reach out to our team and we'll help you get back in.

Who can customize dashboards and widgets?

Any admin or company-selected user can customize dashboards and widgets. To request access, contact our team so we can update your permissions.

How do you set up users to receive email alerts?

Admin users can add, edit, or remove users from a variety of alerts by community via the Settings page. See the Setting Up Email Alerts Tutorial. Our team can also set this up for you and your team.

2. Competitor Data & Shops

How are the competitors selected for each community?

Competitors are submitted by each community or company.

How often is the competitor shop data updated?

This depends on the plan selected by your company. Most select semi-annual or quarterly updates.

What data is collected for a shop?

See our Shop Service Guide for details on our Standard Competitor Shop Checklist and Process.

Are your mystery shops mainly via email, phone, or both?

Our shoppers use a combination of calls, emails, and texts. See our Shop Service Guide for details.

How do I request to add or change my competitors?

Contact our team to add or remove competitors.

How do I request additional shops?

Contact our team to request additional shops.

What is the typical turnaround time for individual competitor shops?

Individual competitor shops typically take 10–15 business days, depending on the responsiveness of the competitor and our ability to obtain backup documentation. In dense markets where competitors have been shopped recently, turnaround may be faster. See our Shop Service Guide for details on our Standard Competitor Shop Checklist and Process.

What is the cost for additional or ad hoc shops?

Each community includes an allowance of 5 competitors. For larger volumes or special one-off cases, we offer ad hoc shops at the following rates: $200 per shop (15–20 business days) or $300 per shop (within 10 business days). In dense markets, a faster turnaround may be possible. Contact our team for a quote and to request additional ad hoc shops.

Who do I contact to get a progress update on competitor shops?

Contact our team for a progress update. Competitor shops are typically scheduled to be completed by the end of a quarter based on the subscription plan selected by your company (semi-annual/quarterly updates). For example, shops are typically scheduled to be completed by the end of March, June, September, and December.

Who do I contact with questions about a shop?

Reach out to our team with any questions on competitor shop data.

Where can I view the backup documentation to verify shop data accuracy?

You can view Shop Details and Backup Documentation under the Profiles section. See the Basic Navigation Tutorial to see how to access this backup documentation.

How accurate is occupancy data?

Occupancy data is inherently difficult to verify during the mystery shop process. Our shoppers rely solely on the information voluntarily shared by community sales associates during interactions while posing as prospective residents or family members. As a result, this data may be anecdotal, estimated, or selectively disclosed, and cannot be independently validated for accuracy. See our Shop Service Guide for details on our occupancy data policy.

When you gather info for other communities, do you know if it is the average, the starting point, or something else?

Our shops provide, for Independent Living, Active Adult, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and CCRC: apartment pricing starting at base apartment styles by care type. See our Shop Service Guide for details on our Standard Competitor Shop Checklist and Process.

3. Pricing & Rates

How do I update my own rates?

There are two ways to update your rates: (1) You can update them on your own — see the How to Update Your Own Pricing Tutorial. (2) Our team can also update them for you.

What is the benefit of loading my own rates?

By keeping your community rates updated in the application, you maximize the value of key features including: AI Insights and Recommendations, Sales Battlecard Insights, automated email alert reports on key market changes, CMA Automated Ready Reports, Excel/CSV reports, and professional graph/chart reports.

Can I compare apartment rates and care/med fees?

Yes, this is available in several areas: (1) In the CMA Summary tab, use the Rate + Care filter to add Apartment Rate and Care, as well as Apartment Rate, Care, and Med Fee comparisons. (2) Admin users can add Rate and Care and Rate, Care, and Med Fee widgets in the Custom Views tabs, located under the AI Insights tab when a market is selected.

How is average care populated when the Care Pricing Type is listed as "A la Carte" or "Points"?

Our shopper will attempt to obtain a range or average based on the following basic daily support needs: Medication Administration, Dressing, and Shower/Bathing Assistance. The Average Care field can also be manually updated by users in the Community/Competitor profile pages by clicking the Edit button in the upper right-hand corner of any profile.

How is average care populated when the Care Pricing Type is listed as "Levels"?

The average is derived in one of two ways: (1) If the Avg Care field is blank, the system averages all listed fees across each level. (2) If the Avg Care field is pre-filled, the data was manually entered by the shopper or a user. The Average Care field can also be manually updated in the Community/Competitor profile pages by clicking the Edit button.

Where can I view general annual rate increase data by competitor?

Visit the Community or Competitor profile tabs under the CMA Summary tab. Go to the General tab of each profile and look for the Rates & Trends section beneath the Brochures and Documents section. See the Basic Navigation Tutorial to see how to view this information.

4. Data, Reviews & Sentiment

Do you share our community's pricing with other Further clients?

No. Any data uploaded by your company users, or by Further on behalf of your company, is not shared or used in aggregated reporting. Data visibility is exclusive to your company only.

How can I tell when the data was last updated?

You can view the date of your last shop in several areas: on the CMA Summary in the Shop Date row, or on your Community/Competitor profiles in the upper right-hand corner. See the Find Shop Update Date Tutorial to see how to find the date the shop was updated.

What data points are updated and monitored daily/weekly?

We update and monitor several data points in real time: Online Reviews, Sentiment by Category, and Incentives/Promotions.

What online reputation sites are monitored and updated weekly?

The following online review sources are monitored weekly for community and competitor ratings and sentiment data: Google, A Place for Mom, and Caring.com.

Where can I view my competitors' latest reviews?

In the Overview tab for each community, find the Reviews widget, which details the latest online reviews for your community and competitors. Use the dropdown menu within the widget to select individual competitors. The default view is set to your own community.

How is the Sentiment Analysis by Category derived?

Sentiment analysis is derived from review data for your community and competitors from Google, A Place for Mom, and Caring.com. Reviews are categorized and scored by the relevant category referenced in the review text, and the system averages ratings within each category to produce an average rating.

How is Services and Amenities data collected?

Initial Services and Amenities data is collected via web scraping and user feedback. This data should be verified by company users. Report any discrepancies to our team.

How can I update/edit Services and Amenities data for my community or a competitor?

Contact our team and we'll update this for you.

How do you monitor competitor incentive data?

Incentive data is collected using a combination of mystery shopper calls/emails, website monitoring, web scraping, and AI tools.

Where can I view competitor incentive details and history?

Go to the Competitors tab under the CMA Summary tab, then click on the Incentives tab of each profile to see all incentive data collected over time. See the Basic Navigation Tutorial to see how to view this information.

5. Reporting & Dashboards

What is the best way to share the latest Competitive Market Analysis data?

From the CMA Summary tab, click the Share button in the upper right-hand corner. This allows you to quickly share the latest CMA report with stakeholders. See the How to Share the CMA Reports Tutorial.

How can I view previous completed shop data?

Visit the Community or Competitor profile tabs under the CMA Summary tab. In the upper right-hand corner of each profile, you will see a dropdown menu showing the date and user who last updated the information. Click that dropdown and select Historical Data to view past shop data. Note: if no previous shops have been completed, the Historical Data option will not appear.

How can I view historical trend data by individual rate/fee?

Within most chart and graph widgets on the Overview tab or any Custom Views, you will find additional view options in the upper right-hand corner of each widget. Toggle between the available options and use the table view to download data as needed.

Can I print the SWOT analysis questions?

Contact our team to request a PDF version of the SWOT questions. Once completed, you can email it back and our team will load the information.

6. Images & Profiles

What standard images are added to Community/Competitor profiles?

We look for the following standard images for each profile: Exterior Front, Common Area, Dining Room, and Apartment Image. Most communities/competitors have these images available. If you have images you'd like to upload, contact our team to add or remove images.

How often are photos/images updated?

Images are added when a community or competitor profile is initially set up. We're currently working on a process to update photos as they're added to websites. If you notice images need to be updated, contact our team to add or remove images.

Where do profile images come from?

The primary sources for exterior, common area, dining room, and apartment images are community websites and Google Business Profiles. If you have images you'd like to upload, contact our team to add or remove images.

7. Training & Support

Can I request 1:1, regional, or corporate training calls?

Yes. Contact our team to request orientation and training calls and resources.

Where can I submit suggestions or ideas to improve the platform?

We'd love to hear them. Contact our team to share suggestions and ideas to improve the platform.

Where can I submit issues or concerns?

Contact our team to communicate any issues or concerns.

Still have questions? Email us at PricingAssistant@talkfurther.com.