New SmartPhone- New Levels of Customer Service
I hope that this won't wind up sounding like a commercial-
but it might! I have been using my new BlackBerry Bold for a couple of weeks
now and I am amazed how it has not only helped me, but my customers too. Now
that I have it, I don't know how any professional Realtor can do their business
without one, or at least, something similar.
Now, I have to say that I loved my old cell phone, but I
never knew what I was missing. The ability to read and respond to e-mails
anywhere, anytime is amazing. We all know that the Real Estate world is moving
more and more online, and the ability move with it is a necessity. Either you
go where you customers are, or you run out of customers.
Let me give you some examples- until I got the BlackBerry, I
would wait until I got to my office or home before responding to inquiries from
my websites or listings. I have always tried to be diligent in getting to them
as quickly as possible, but this business is all about customer service-
especially service to the person standing directly in front of you. Often, to
accommodate a customer, that means evening appointments that sometimes go
longer than planned, and that pushes back the time to answer e-mails until very
late in the evening. Today- that's unacceptable.
We all go on online because we want the info- and we want it
now! Waiting half a day or more for an e-mail just won't work. Potential customers will
move on- just as I would if I were in the same situation. Now, I can usually
respond immediately or at least within a few minutes. THAT'S A HUGE IMPROVEMENT!
That is a signal to my customers that I am there for them, and that they have
no need to look somewhere else! I think that's a powerful statement!
Just today, I had a problem scheduling a showing for a
listing of mine. I was able to send a text message to coordinate an appointment
with the buyer's agent. What's so great about that? The relative unobtrusiveness
of text messages. There's a big difference between calling another Realtor
while they're with a customer and interrupting their "quality time" by playing
"phone tag" to try to take care of something routine like a meeting time change, and being able to accomplish the same thing with
a couple of short text messages. I know when I'm with a customer, I hate to answer
the phone, even if it's important, because I value my customers- they deserve
to have my full attention while I'm with them. It's better for everyone when I
can handle the minutia of my business as discreetly as possible.
Of course, there's so much more than just the email
capabilities. The ability to access the MLS anywhere, GPS mapping, taking and
sharing pictures, and all the usual PDA stuff- but like it's on steroids! I
can't believe how much more efficient I've become with my new toy! I spent a
lot of time researching which Smartphone to get, and for my purposes- there is
absolutely none better than my BB Bold. If you're a Real Estate Professional, I
highly recommend the BlackBerry Bold.
If you're not a Real Estate Professional, and you are
looking towards working with one, I would ask them about their capabilities with
regards to addressing website and e-mail inquiries in a timely fashion, and
maybe even them ask about their ability to get online remotely. If they can't,
maybe they are missing out on opportunities to serve you better; maybe they
aren't the right Real Estate Professional for you.