The phone service and phone system requirements for Real Estate Agencies have evolved over time to align perfectly with the features of a Hosted VoIP phone service platform. These agencies by nature employ highly mobile associates who need to be accessible to their customers.
Real Estate agents are tied to their mobile devices and typically don’t mind providing their cell phone numbers to clients. However, the broker-owners and managers of such agencies often prefer that agents utilize the company-provided direct dial numbers. This gives managers a better understanding of their agents' call volume and activity and helps position them to retain customers if an agent leaves. So, how do they tie an extremely mobile work force to their company phone system?
- Direct Dial Numbers for Field Agents – First, all field agents will be assigned a direct dial phone number that they can share with clients.
- VoIP Soft Phones for Mobile Devices – These agents will receive a soft phone application to be installed on their mobile devices. This essentially acts like an office business phone with all features like transferring, conference calling, and extension dialing. When the app is turned on, agents can make and receive calls through the app rather than from their cell phones. The caller ID will even display correctly, as if they were using a desk phone.
- Voicemail – The agents will have a company voicemail using this set up. If the app is turned off, inbound calls will go directly to voicemail. The associate will receive the voicemail to their company email. Management can also control the voicemail greetings used, ensuring a consistent brand standard across all agents' mailboxes.
Real Estate agents love VoIP service because they can turn off the soft phone app when they are not available. Understanding that after-hours calls are part of the business, there still are times when agents may not want to be reached - for example, during a showing, focused family time or even sleep time!
Agencies also benefit from the ability to transfer calls from the main line or signage lines to an agent’s extension. If a company auto-attendant is used, callers can utilize a directory to reach their specific agent.
Management should endeavor to control call activities for their agents, requiring the use of the soft phone app for agency business. They can print business cards with the direct dial numbers and require that email signatures only include their direct dial numbers. They can inspect the adoption of their requirements through a review of the call detail records. If inbound and outbound calls appear light for the agent, they either have a productivity problem or a compliance problem.
Many commercial and residential Real Estate agencies have already taken control of their agency call activity by switching to Hosted VoIP. Is it time for your agency to make the switch to a Hosted VoIP provider who can deliver the customer service your business deserves?
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A better phone system for your Real Estate agency with advanced features to match your unique business needs! Make your company's business communications better by engaging in better customer experiences at every touchpoint. Want to learn more? Our small business phone service representatives are here to answer any questions you have!
