Real estate professionals are busy people who work non-traditional hours. They’re always on the go, running from open houses to client meetings to property showings, and their phones ring constantly. Prospects call with questions about properties that they may have seen online, other real estate agents call to negotiate deals, and customers call to check in many times from the time a property goes under contract to the time the sale closes. It’s not possible for one individual to be in multiple places at once, or to talk to multiple prospects at a time on the phone. So how does a real estate professional juggle everything at once, you ask?
A real estate answering service is the secret weapon that many professionals use to help them manage their incoming call volume and busy schedules. Instead of adding in-house employees to their team, many brokerages partner with a real estate answering service that can answer phone calls, schedule appointments, share information about listings, pass on leads and respond to general questions.
If these are the things that your real estate brokerage can use some extra help with, consider the following reasons to outsource to an answering service.
It is so important for every call to be answered
According to The Close, about 75% of sellers sell their homes with the first agent they interview. This statistic also suggests the importance of answering that first phone call from a prospect and making a great first impression.
Successful real estate professionals understand how crucial it is to answer every phone call, but they also know that it’s not possible for them to be able to do it on their own. Having an answering service to back you up provides peace of mind knowing that your incoming phone calls are being handled in an efficient manner. Additionally, your callers will see that you really are interested in working with them, and appreciate the prompt customer service.
Keith and Vicki Geelan are real estate clients of Answering Service Care, and they appreciate that their callers are left with a great first impression:
“You guys are the best! We wish to thank each and every one of you for always being so kind, patient and very professional with our callers. We know it is not always an easy task and truly appreciate the first impression you leave with our callers.”
Real estate professionals often have multiple things happening at once
According to Realtor.com, the median home spends 65 days on the market, from the time it’s listed until the owner hands over the keys. During this time, the real estate agent must hold the deal together, speaking often to the other agent, necessary vendors including home inspectors and contractors, as well as the customer to keep them up-to-date on what’s happening.
Most agents have multiple deals going on at once, and they also have new prospects calling them daily. A real estate answering service allows you to focus on the task that’s most important at that moment, while your calls are handled by a trained live agent.
