In the real estate world, many offices and agents utilize appointment services, whether it’s the ShowingTime Appointment Center or other options.
Despite the growing trend of subscribing to real estate appointment centers, some agents steadfastly believe in many common myths regarding appointment centers, such as them not being personal, customer-friendly or worth the money.
We’ve debunked those thoughts in the past and, of course, will continue to educate the real estate industry about the use of appointment centers.
Here are four more things you probably didn’t know about real estate appointment centers.
1. They’re Real (People), and They’re Spectacular
Just because real estate offices or agents outsource their calls doesn’t mean you’ll be talking to robots. Appointment centers employ real people who, in some cases, are available around the clock to help service real estate agents and sellers.
Plus, most are well-trained, seasoned customer service representatives who are prepared and able to handle all of your showing requests calls and appointment-scheduling needs.
2. They Help Your Business and Brand
No one is more committed to your business and your brand than you, but appointment specialists do more to help your brand than simply answering the phone saying, “Hello, this is ABC Realty, how may I assist you?”
Sure, if you outsource phone calls you won’t be able to answer every call and schedule every appointment yourself. But doing so gives you free time to focus on more important tasks, such as marketing, expanding your social media presence and prospecting.
Plus, which is more professional and better for business: Having showing request calls answered in a timely manner by an appointment specialist? Or taking hours to respond to calls/playing phone tag?
3. You Get More Than Phone Calls
Some appointment services offer more than just appointment specialists answering phone calls.
ShowingTime Appointment Center subscribers, for example, also receive:
- Feedback automatically requested from buyer’s agents, with up to three follow-up reminders
- Feedback forms branded with your company logo, a listing photo and your headshot
- In-depth reports such as the Listing Activity Report, Activity on Comparables, Showings I Have Requested and more
- Branded emails and text messages representing your office
- The ShowingTime mobile app for agents on the go
- Mobile app access for sellers to monitor activity/feedback
4. It Could Be the Cheaper Option
For offices who employ several front desk staff members, outsourcing your calls might give you the most bang for your buck.
For this example, let’s consider a 15-agent office with 40 listings. Keep in mind the purpose of the comparison isn’t to provide actual pricing, but simply to help your real estate office think about costs that factor into the decision.
In-HouseAll company listings handled, plus other admin tasks during lulls in showing request calls | OutsourceAll company listings handled, plus optional services for handling prospect calls | |
|---|---|---|
| 58 hours/week 8am-6pm M-F, 9am-1pm Sat. & Sun. | Availability | 168 hours/week |
| $900/year | Average Software/Service Cost* | $7 per listing/month |
| 58 hours/week x $12/hour = $696/week, $36,192/year | Labor Cost* | Included |
| $12/hour | Approximate Hourly Cost* | $0.38/hour Toal annual cost: $3,360 |
*prices vary based on vendor, market, upgrades, promotions, etc.
For single agents, ShowingTime Appointment Center plans start at $35/month in most markets.*
Are you a real estate agent looking for tools that will help you save time? Learn how the ShowingTime Appointment Center helps free up your time to focus on other tasks to grow your business.