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Attend any real estate seminar or boot camp, and you'll hear advice about using a call answering service for your real estate business. A call answering service automates an administrative task - freeing you up to run your business instead of dealing with constant interruptions by the phone ringing.A call answering service is also a great tool to have in place should you decide to run a marketing campaign that will generate dozens of phone calls in a relatively short time. You don't want to be showing a property and having your cell phone ringing off the hook while talking to a potential buyer or seller!
You can find various call answering services at various levels and price points. What follows are some of the services I've used - and the pros and cons of each one.
Answering machine - This is the most basic of answering services. These days, new phones have digital answering systems built in, but you can get by with the old stand-alone machines that used tape cassettes to record calls. Like voice mail, an answering machine picks up your calls - and lets you screen callers, too - an important consideration if your office is in your home.
Pros: With newer phone / answering systems, you can access your calls remotely. Answering machines are also very cost-effective when compared to voice mail and third-party answering services as you pay only once - when you purchase the unit.
Cons: If you're a high-level business or real estate investor, an answering machine may not project the most professional image - especially if you have dogs barking or children crying in the background and these noises can be heard on your outgoing announcement. (And whatever you do, don't have your child record the outgoing message. It really is not "cute" and it's definitely not professional.)
Voice mail - Whether you use a traditional landline or a mobile phone, voice mail is an easy and relatively inexpensive add-on that adds polish to your inbound calls. You can record a personal greeting that includes your Website address and email address as well as return calls at your leisure.
Pros: Voice mail sounds professional and is the business "standard," doesn't scream "home office" in the way an answering machine can, and is relatively inexpensive. For landlines, voice mail works even when the power is out - making it easy to retrieve messages via a cell phone.
Cons: Not all calls that get shunted to voice mail actually get recorded, as anyone who uses voice mail will tell you. (Sometimes calls will show up in voice mail hours or days after they were placed and other times colleagues will say, "Didn't you get my message?" and of course, you didn't.) With voice mail, you'll also incur a nominal monthly charge.
VOIP - Voice over Internet Protocol, or telephone over the Internet, is another great way to capture calls. Why? Because with services such as Vonage, you get a dashboard of account activity that includes information on calls dialed out as well as inbound calls, including hang ups (where the caller didn't leave a message). (With a cell phone, you have this info as "missed" calls.)
I really liked Vonage and its dashboard and would return the calls of those people who hung up without leaving a message - because after all, they were potential leads. I would say something like, "I saw that we got disconnected . . . were you looking for a house to buy or sell?" Following up on people who hung up actually lead to a really great deal once.
Pros: Often times, calls from one VOIP user to another are free (Skype, another VOIP application, offers free Skype to Skype calls). VOIP applications may also combine email and chat functions, making it easy for people to contact you.
Cons: VOIP connection quality is not always that great and Internet-enabled mobile phones don't work that well, either. And, depending on the service, the monthly cost can be higher than a traditional landline.
Third-party answering services - This is the service usually associated with professionals, such as doctors or lawyers. The service picks up the call for you, and instead of your prospects or clients getting an answering machine or voice mail, they get a "live" person who acts as a representative of your company.
Pros: Frees you up completely to focus on your work and not worry about missed calls. Adds a level of sophistication to your company that you might not get with voice mail or an answering machine.
Cons: Much more expensive than voice mail or an answering machine. Third-party answering services may not offer inbound telemarketing services for marketing campaigns, either.
Telemarketing firms - These firms may offer traditional answering services in addition to inbound telemarketing. If you're running a marketing campaign or a weekend event, such as an auction, that will generate dozens or hundreds of calls, a telemarketing firm is right for you.
The telemarketing firm acts as a representative of your company, captures the number of the person calling, and the reason why the person is calling. Using a script, the firm asks questions of the people calling the number on the marketing piece.
Depending on your needs, the script can include a number of questions in order to qualify the prospects. Be sure to ask lots of questions yourself when reviewing inbound telemarketing firms. Some charge a flat rate, others charge by the number of elapsed seconds - time and costs which can add up significantly pretty quickly.
Pros: If you're running a campaign, having someone answer hundreds of calls and then pre-qualifying the leads is good, saving you the time.
Cons: As with anything, it's garbage in, garbage out. You have to make sure that the script fits your business and the type of prospect you're looking for. Some firms let you customize the script and they can train their staff regarding your business and what you're looking for.
Whichever type of answering service you use, be sure it fits your business and budget. Ask around at REIA meetings and those in your network how they're handling calls. You'll learn which are the best companies to work with and which systems are right for you.
Pros: With newer phone / answering systems, you can access your calls remotely. Answering machines are also very cost-effective when compared to voice mail and third-party answering services as you pay only once - when you purchase the unit.
Cons: If you're a high-level business or real estate investor, an answering machine may not project the most professional image - especially if you have dogs barking or children crying in the background and these noises can be heard on your outgoing announcement. (And whatever you do, don't have your child record the outgoing message. It really is not "cute" and it's definitely not professional.)
Voice mail - Whether you use a traditional landline or a mobile phone, voice mail is an easy and relatively inexpensive add-on that adds polish to your inbound calls. You can record a personal greeting that includes your Website address and email address as well as return calls at your leisure.
Pros: Voice mail sounds professional and is the business "standard," doesn't scream "home office" in the way an answering machine can, and is relatively inexpensive. For landlines, voice mail works even when the power is out - making it easy to retrieve messages via a cell phone.
Cons: Not all calls that get shunted to voice mail actually get recorded, as anyone who uses voice mail will tell you. (Sometimes calls will show up in voice mail hours or days after they were placed and other times colleagues will say, "Didn't you get my message?" and of course, you didn't.) With voice mail, you'll also incur a nominal monthly charge.
VOIP - Voice over Internet Protocol, or telephone over the Internet, is another great way to capture calls. Why? Because with services such as Vonage, you get a dashboard of account activity that includes information on calls dialed out as well as inbound calls, including hang ups (where the caller didn't leave a message). (With a cell phone, you have this info as "missed" calls.)
I really liked Vonage and its dashboard and would return the calls of those people who hung up without leaving a message - because after all, they were potential leads. I would say something like, "I saw that we got disconnected . . . were you looking for a house to buy or sell?" Following up on people who hung up actually lead to a really great deal once.
Pros: Often times, calls from one VOIP user to another are free (Skype, another VOIP application, offers free Skype to Skype calls). VOIP applications may also combine email and chat functions, making it easy for people to contact you.
Cons: VOIP connection quality is not always that great and Internet-enabled mobile phones don't work that well, either. And, depending on the service, the monthly cost can be higher than a traditional landline.
Third-party answering services - This is the service usually associated with professionals, such as doctors or lawyers. The service picks up the call for you, and instead of your prospects or clients getting an answering machine or voice mail, they get a "live" person who acts as a representative of your company.
Pros: Frees you up completely to focus on your work and not worry about missed calls. Adds a level of sophistication to your company that you might not get with voice mail or an answering machine.
Cons: Much more expensive than voice mail or an answering machine. Third-party answering services may not offer inbound telemarketing services for marketing campaigns, either.
Telemarketing firms - These firms may offer traditional answering services in addition to inbound telemarketing. If you're running a marketing campaign or a weekend event, such as an auction, that will generate dozens or hundreds of calls, a telemarketing firm is right for you.
The telemarketing firm acts as a representative of your company, captures the number of the person calling, and the reason why the person is calling. Using a script, the firm asks questions of the people calling the number on the marketing piece.
Depending on your needs, the script can include a number of questions in order to qualify the prospects. Be sure to ask lots of questions yourself when reviewing inbound telemarketing firms. Some charge a flat rate, others charge by the number of elapsed seconds - time and costs which can add up significantly pretty quickly.
Pros: If you're running a campaign, having someone answer hundreds of calls and then pre-qualifying the leads is good, saving you the time.
Cons: As with anything, it's garbage in, garbage out. You have to make sure that the script fits your business and the type of prospect you're looking for. Some firms let you customize the script and they can train their staff regarding your business and what you're looking for.
Whichever type of answering service you use, be sure it fits your business and budget. Ask around at REIA meetings and those in your network how they're handling calls. You'll learn which are the best companies to work with and which systems are right for you.
Michael Ouellette is a Real Estate Investor / Mentor / Speaker / Entrepreneur who has built a full service real estate investment firm which invests, negotiates, and liquidates short sales. He loves to inspire and train real estate professionals in their career. You can visit www.MikesMAPnow.com for free information and details or Email him at: MikeO@LMSGnow.com
Disagree! Businesses that direct me to a recording the first, oh, three times I call, never get called back (and I don't leave messages). If I cannot get a human, I assume the business is shady, disorganized, or both.
It's easier to imagine the "saved money" from an answering machine, than the (larger) forgone profits from the people who call but never call back.
A call center is better than a recording, sure, but nothing beats getting the owner/manger, or even a receiptionist/CSA.
Talking to a human reduces the customer's uncertainty about whether they can get what they want and whether they can trust the business. A likeable voice on the other end of the phone will make a happier customer.
Think about what happens when you leave a message. You just spent time and effort, but you have nothing to show for it. You don't know if anyone is going to attend to your needs, and your problems are no closer to being solved.
People like other people -- let them talk to one!
Thank you for the comment, Scott. I think Mike is saying that an option (albeit not the best) is to send folks to an answering machine or voicemail.
Personally, I've always preferred an answering service, telemarketing firm or in office staff.
With all three of those options, a real live person is answering the phone, branded as your office, and has the resources to answer questions, but more importantly, take down the appropriate information and schedule a call back.
As a business owner, you can't get anything done if you're always answering a live phone.
I agree: People do like other people. That's why I like callers to speak with one! :)
Delagation by automation or by situation so that you can focus on the things that put the bang in your buck!
Revenue Generating Activites...and let others handle the rest.....
See you at TTK!
Mike
Answering Services now offer a variety of customizable options or Remote Receptionist services. A great use of an answering service is having them patch or direct connect calls to you from a special list of clients or specific call types you want to handle personally. If you are not available for the call, then the information can be sent via text/sms to your cell phone at the completion of the call. You can also leverage the 24/7 availability of an answering service to handle incoming calls generated by advertising on late night cable and radio. An answering service may also be available to make appointment confirmation / reminder calls.