Importance of Customer Service in Real Estate – 6 Reasons & Best Practices
Formulating customer service procedures is an important step in starting a real estate business. Customer service is the process of interacting with customers/clients by fulfilling their needs and demands out of a business’s products and services. With that in mind, proper customer service should be a standard practice of your real estate company. To effectively enhance the customer service procedure of your business, knowing the reasons why it is important can help you do so.
Importance of Customer Service in Real Estate – 6 Reasons & Best Practices
Increase Loyalty of Customers
A survey report conducted by Microsoft states that 96% of customers/clients consider customer service as a significant factor in placing their loyalty to a company. That fact alone is reason enough why you must put emphasis on customer service. If the customer service rating of your business is excellent, that directly means that your customers/clients are satisfied. And if the rating is consistent, that’s when customer loyalty starts to build. Other than that, trying to establish customer loyalty is among the essential company branding tips.
Build Strong Relationships
Relationships between a real estate buyer and seller aren’t one-and-done deals. They should be continuous and long-lasting so that your company can maintain its clientele count. That can be achieved through excellent customer service. If your company has strong relationships with its clients, finding leads for new clients becomes easier. Loyal clients will tend to refer other people to the services of your real estate business. And some of these people aren’t just prospective clients, they could also be potential business partners.
Increase Productivity
Great customer service can help in improving the productivity of your real estate business. That’s because it can quicken the operations of your company, and can draw in more and more clients. More clients mean more potential revenue and profit. In the first place, if your business has fewer clients, there’s not much to attend to. The progress is basically stagnant, which results in a lesser productivity rate.
Advertise Your Business
Without an excellent customer service reputation, advertising or marketing your real estate business will be challenging. According to a survey by Gartner.com, customer experience is the expected basis in competing in the market for 89% of existing companies. That fact is evidence that customer service quality is as important as the quality of your tangible real estate offers.
Investing
If clients are satisfied with the way your agents interact and handle their needs and demands, it’s likely they’ll be enticed to invest in your real estate properties. Thus, successfully establishing a strong relationship with your clients, and increase the profitability of the company. On the side of your business’s executives, investing in customer service training for the agents should be strongly considered.
Create Brand Loyalty
If your company is lauded for its customer service excellence, it could suggest loyalty towards your brand is expressed by its clientele. If there are people loyal to the brand of your real estate business, they can help in stabilizing its footing in the competitive market. Once that happens, other demographics in the market will be aware of your brand, which can aid in globalizing the real estate business.
Tips for Great Customer Service
Here are some customer service tips that you and your real estate agents can apply in dealing with clients.
Respond Quickly
Promptness and responsiveness are among the checklist of factors in obtaining an excellent customer service rating. Keep in mind that some of your clients are business people as well. Each of them has a tight schedule to follow. We all know that business people are time-conscious individuals. So whatever questions, concerns, or demands they ask or request, it’s important to respond to them ASAP.
Remember and Acknowledge the Clients
For sure you know the feeling of being remembered or acknowledged by someone you’ve only met once or twice. It’s a heartwarming feeling, which could lead to a good relationship with someone. The same goes for an excellent customer service process. By remembering and acknowledging your clients, you’re tapping into their feelings and establishing a somewhat personal relationship with them. You should know that this tip is one of the first steps in earning the trust of your clients.
Keep Clients Informed
Of course, if you want your clients to purchase your offers and generate sales, you have to keep them informed. Another reason why you have to inform them constantly is for none other than customer service quality. By doing so, your clients will feel that their association with your business is valued and appreciated. Other than that, since they’re your clients, you’re obligated to provide them with useful information in the first place.
Be Communicative
Communication has been emphasized countless times as a crucial element in maintaining firm relationships. That especially includes relationships between real estate agents and clients. That said, being communicative towards your clients will contribute to the excellence of your customer service quality. In addition, having constant client communication can help in tracking customer satisfaction.
Nail Your First and Final Interactions
First impressions will always last in customer service, as well as last impressions. So over the course of your client interactions, make sure to start strong and finish stronger. It’s that simple. Just showcase your poise, expertise, and confidence in conversating with them.
Be Patient
Dealing with clients that are too demanding and hot-tempered is part of the customer service process. Should you encounter such a situation, it’s highly important to maintain your composure and professionalism. If they have concerns and complaints, just provide them with reasonable explanations in a professional manner.
Differentiate Yourself from Competitors
There are general standards in performing customer service. However, you have to freedom to be innovative in how you do it. Doing so is one way of differentiating your real estate business from the competition. Try to outmatch how other companies serve their clients by conducting a SWOT analysis of their customer service standards. Your real estate company must consider planning a budget estimate in innovating its customer service procedure. With an innovative customer service process, your company’s chances of earning a high client rating will be off the charts.
Provide Suggestions When Needed
Some clients are unsure of what they want or need. If you encounter such clients, it’s your job to help them by providing suggestions. Real estate agents must be able to guide their clientele effectively. In providing suggestions, try to assess in your mind what the client may want or need based on his/her profile. Once you give suggestions that could be according to your clientele’s preference, they will surely be satisfied with your service.
Empower Clients
Giving your clients a sense of control of their purchasing and investing decisions is one way of achieving customer service. At the end of the day, it’s your clients’ final say on what should be the results of the negotiations since what’s on the line is their money. In customer service, you don’t control your client; instead, you serve and guide them.
Remember that customer service is practiced by every real estate business. Your clients are the recipients of your products and services. That said, value their presence on your business through exemplary customer service.
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