Customer Service ?the Real Estate Revolution

Title:Customer Service ?the Real Estate RevolutionWord Count:513Summary:Traditionally, real estate has been viewed as asales industry. But perceptions are changing.Agents around the country are coming to believethat the key to real estate success isservice ?not sales.

Keywords:real estate service, real estate tipsArticle Body:Traditionally, real estate has been viewed as asales industry. But perceptions are changing.Agents around the country are coming to believethat the key to real estate success isservice ?not sales.Competition and technology now give customersalmost unlimited choices, so agents are having towork harder and spend more to win listings. They抮 e discovering that business success comes fromrepeat business and word-of-mouth.And customer service is the key.Loyalty and good-will can 抰 be bought ?not evenwith the sale of a house. Customers like to betreated with honesty, respect, and integrity.

They want a realistic and accurate propertyappraisal. They want an agent who commits toaction. They want to be able to speak to someonewho can help them when they call. They want to feelwelcome when they walk into the office. They don抰 want their intelligence insulted byadvertising. They don 抰 want to be fed a line(even if it is what they 抎 like to hear?.Agents with business sense know that if they canprovide this customer service ?if they canpioneer great customer service in realestate ?they 抣 l have a real edge on theircompetitors. Far from being an impediment tosuccess, they see today 抯 marketplace as anopportunity to flourish.Obviously, the sale is still critical, but it抯 part of a greater whole ?almost like a criticalKPI (Key Performance Indicator). It 抯 based onthe simple premise ?serve and you will sell. Thepremise holds true because all the pre-requisites

of a sale are intrinsic to good customer service:The price is realistic, the marketing isintelligent, the advertising appropriate, andcommitments are made and kept. Vendors, buyers,landlords, and tenants alike receive the samehigh level of customer service.5 Quick Tips for Finding a Service Oriented Agent1) Ask to see references ?It 抯 not that muchdifferent from a job interview. Think of the agentas the job seeker, and encourage them to provetheir customer service qualifications. The rightagent will be only too happy to provide as manyreferences as you 抎 care to see.2) Analyse their business growth ?Assuming theirreferences are in order, ask after their businessgrowth. References provide you with qualitativeevidence of customer focus. You should supplementthis with something quantitative. If the agent isstill growing rapidly in today 抯 environment,

then they must be doing something right.3) Analyse their market share ?Like growth,market share can be an indicator of customer focus.Ask what their share of the target market is.4) Observe their behaviour ?Do they return phonecalls? Do they commit to action? Do they meettheir commitments? Are the punctual? Do they keepyou informed? Do they remember important detailsyou provide them?5) Gauge access to staff ?When you first called,did you get to speak to someone who could help you?If not ?if they took your name and number and toldyou they 抎 get someone to call you back, thismight be indicative of their customer serviceapproach.