It is quite interesting that when you scan the traditional Real Estate Business websites, very few have evolved. A Real Estate Website should help firstly to develop an online presence so that a consumer can check out the legitimacy of your business. Secondary to this, it should be there to generate new listing leads and property management opportunities.
So, I am sure that most businesses have some strategy around driving traffic to their website and if they do not, they really should. Let’s say a company is implementing an SEO strategy that successfully attracts organic traffic in droves to the website. Do you expect that someone will convert themselves on the first visit all by themselves? The answer is no, they will not. They need a few more touch points hit before they may turn from a visitor into a listing or new management.
I do not care what type of business you have in today’s era; I will call it an online business. The only difference is your product is handled offline. Real Estate is essentially an online business, so you need to act like an online business by having support in real-time where people’s questions can be handled instantly by a real person. I have had first-hand experience looking at an extensive customer service operation as we look after 20 customer service reps for the #1 Photo Editing company for Real Estate in the world. Watching what their Real Estate Virtual Assistants achieve in the customer support space is amazing.
The point I am getting to here is to install a live chat function on your Real Estate Website. It is straightforward to do, easy to manage, and you will be amazed at the opportunities that come your way by doing so. The consumer now has a direct line to you where they can ask some simple questions. If you answer these effectively, you have increased your chance of getting the business. The consumers of today want answers fast, and if they cannot get them from you, they will get them from someone else who will be more than likely to be your competition.
When it comes to which live chat to choose from is the problematic part. I have tried so many in my time, and all online chat applications have their advantages and disadvantages. Just google live chat for websites, and you will see how many there are. My suggestion would be to watch the videos of how it works, check the features, and if you think it will suit most of them, it will give you a free trial you can avail. The things that I think are going to be beneficial are:
- Answering Facebook page messages on the same platform
- A visual mode to see visitors on-site that you can engage with
- API that can send data out of the chat into another platform like a CRM
Before implementing live chat, you will have to decide who is going to manage the conversation. Given that I run an Offshore Real Estate Business, I am going to say that this is a job for your Real Estate Virtual Assistant. If you agree with me, here are some things to put together before handing this task over. A list of common questions, answers, and a way for the VA to connect the right person if they need to speak to an agent or BDM now. If you have these two things in place, then I do not see why this task cannot be passed over successfully to your offshore team member.
The tips that I will be giving in this section are useful, and they are free for you. All I ask is that if you think they have some value, please share them with other friends and if ever you are in need of extra support in your business, just put us on the list. Reach out to me if you want to talk more on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-atcheler-b6004662/
