Excellent customer service is vital because customer service is often the first line of defense when customers need extra information.
While marketing may attract customers and sales teams reel customers in, customer service is both a gateway for learning more about a company and solving problems if they arise. In Real Estate, customer service is a dire need that must be handled with care.
Here are a few customer service details for the real estate industry to update your business as you enter a new year.
Fast Responses and Setting Proper Expectations
The internet age has increased almost everyone’s expectations when it comes to getting a response.
While the average person may say otherwise in a survey, the world of digital communications is all about instant gratification. An hour may as well be a year, and if you’re not responding within an hour, clients may think you won’t respond at all.
That is, of course, unless you set proper expectations.
While many businesses rely on 24/7 availability, individual people can’t–or shouldn’t–be available at all hours. If you don’t have a 24/7 support team, make sure that your operating hours are in front of clients at all times.
Don’t make existing or potential customers search your website or Google for your operating hours. Your chat, email, or voicemail should include your regular working hours and your timezone with GMT (or UTC) offset.
Example: Thank you for calling XYZ Realty. Our regular operating hours are 10 AM to 7 PM EST (GMT -5) on Monday through Friday, 12 PM to 6 PM on Saturdays.
If you’re using a chat or email service, there are scripts available to print (show or automatically put into text) the current date or time.
With that information, customers can know when to expect a standard response rather than wondering if your business is inadequately staffed. This doesn’t mean you can’t respond after regular business hours if you wish.
Anticipating Customer Needs
As a professional, you know many of the best practices and common pitfalls of a standard real estate transaction. With the properties in your market, you have access to information that could enhance or detract from the sale.
Be sure to deliver information to clients in a timely, orderly fashion to not only avoid confusion and unfortunate surprises but to show how active you are in the process. Building a portfolio and a customer brief at the same time can help.
If you’re working on a problematic situation that has few updates, this is an excellent time to help customers inspect the property deeper. Additional details help customers be as prepared as possible for the final sale or help both of you move onto another project.
The last part may seem like parting with a sale, but the right alternatives can lead to faster, more efficient transactions. While the client may be waiting on a property owner or buyer on the other side, that negativity may still stick to your business.
Instead, you can show that your business is agile and efficient by finding backup options, showing industry examples of why the sale is slow, and helping your client prepare for other deals with your team.
For other details on juggling efficient real estate through helpful, evolving customer service, contact a real estate support and client services expert.