On Tuesdays, real estate agent Jim Lausman golfs in a league with his high school buddies. It’s not often he gets away from his office, but taking time off with friends recharges his batteries. However, as the real estate market has picked up, Jim is missing more and more phone calls when he is away. Recently, through the Multi Listing Service, he discovered a commercial property that would be perfect for a potential client. He quickly called her. No answer. It was Tuesday and getting late. He would have to hurry to make tee time. I’ll call her later, he thought, excited for a possible lucrative sale. Around nine that night he realized he had never connected with Bethany. He immediately called.
“Hey, Bethany, It’s Jim Lausman. Did you get my message? I think I found just what you’re looking for.”
“Oh, Jim, I’m so sorry. I saw that you called and tried you back, but I didn’t get an answer. In the meantime, Sue Ellen from Tri City Realty called about that property. I’m going to go with her. Hope you understand.”
In the above fictional, but common, account, Jim loses a possible client by mere hours.
How many times has this happened to a realtor? Trying to reach a potential client, leaving a message, and missing the call only to find out later they were beaten to the punch by another agent? Obviously, there will be times and good reasons why agents don’t answer the phone. An agent might be with a client discussing important information. As commonly understood, it is not good business practice to take calls when in the company of another client. Also, with a client present, a realtor most likely does not want to take phone calls and discuss properties with a caller with the client is the room listening in.
The agent also might be occupied showing properties or overseeing an open house. The nature of a realtor’s job means that at any given time, an agent will be busy performing one of many tasks. It is not feasible to constantly answer a phone when tending to other responsibilities.
Further, some clients think that a real estate agent should be available to take calls at all hours. Some people might call at 6 AM; others call during dinner. Still others might call in the middle of the night because they work a different shift. And if a realtor advertises his or her cell phone number, people will definitely call at all hours. Unfortunately, even though these are all valid reasons to not answer the phone, each missed call has consequences.
A missed call might be a lost or annoyed customer, a lost deal, lost income, and a lost relationship for future business. Instead, every phone call should be answered by an enthusiastic, professional, highly trained, and knowledgeable receptionist. Why should another call go missed when there is a perfect solution: Bennett Communication Solutions.
Bennett Communication Solutions of Flint, Michigan, is a call center that offers various services to meet any client’s communication needs: remote receptionist, live telephone answering services, voicemail, order fulfillment, efax, and more. This third generation, family owned business, provides Michigan-based operators who are professionally trained.
A great solution for a real estate agent might be a virtual receptionist at Bennett Communication Solutions. They are remote receptionists who are available 24/7 and are experts at customer service. Like traditional receptionists, the virtual receptionists at Bennett Communication Solutions will take great care of any realtor’s communication needs with his or her clients, so whenever an agent can’t answer the phone, they will have peace of mind. A Bennett Communication Solutions virtual receptionist will answer the phone professionally, listen carefully to the client, record precise messages and take down critical information, schedule appointments, route calls, and supply requested information. With a virtual receptionist from Bennett Communication Solutions, realtors’ communication needs will be in expert hands when they are unable to answer the phone.
Another option is Bennett Communication Solutions’ live telephone answering service. It can be customized for any real estate agent or office, so it will be tailored for a specific business. Bennett Communication Solutions understands each business is unique with its own needs, so it will work with real estate agents to provide the best customized service. It can provide 24-hour message taking and dispatch calls that an agent needs to receive immediately. It also can forward messages to a specific staff member or a specific on-call employee. After, a report is sent to the realtor’s office. Most telephone answering service accounts can be programmed within 24 hours. Messages can be retrieved by live operator, voicemail, a text message, an email, or a fax. And an agent can change their instructions at any time. With all of these available options, there is no reason a call ever goes unanswered and responded to promptly.
Another helpful service for real estate agents involves the lock-box code. How many times has an agent been busy with a client or task and another client calls? They are excited about a property and want to see it immediately. The agent isn’t answering the phone, though. He’s occupied. Rather than miss this opportunity, Bennett Communication Solutions can give the lock-box code to another selected agent. This person can show the listing, and the client feels supported.
Bennett Communication Solutions can provide a variety of helpful services to meet the unique needs of any real estate agent or office. And they offer a free trial with every package, so it’s the perfect way for an agent to get started. They will quickly experience the positive results of Bennett Communication Solutions. Whether the agent is busy with another customer, overseeing an open house, showing a property, or even hitting the links like Jim Lausman, they will never miss another call and an opportunity again. So, agents should contact Bennett Communication Solutions today. With Bennett on the team, every agent can hit a hole in one!
