Photo; Stuart Miles, freedigitalphotos.net
By Toby Welch
Is it mandatory to offer 24/7 service to your clients? Should clients understand that you have a life outside of real estate or is that hoping for too much? Establishing how accessible you need to be to your clients is not always a simple thing.
John Angus, broker/owner of John Angus Realty in Lac du Bonnet, Man., doesn’t claim that he provides 24-hour service. “I do my best to respond to my customers, prospective customers and clients in a timely fashion. Does that mean they get instant feedback? Not necessarily, because if I am with a client or a prospect, I do my best to give them my full attention.”
John Angus
But Angus says he has set up a system so “a real live knowledgeable person takes the calls and immediately sends the message to me. Doing your best to respond as quickly, as accurately and as honestly as you can is what my clients and prospects deserve. And it has been my experience that most people are prepared to co-operate with you and you can usually work out a mutually convenient time.”
Being accessible 24 hours a day doesn’t necessarily equal great customer service, just as providing outstanding service doesn’t require you to work 24 hours a day. Think of the professionals who don’t have clients calling them at all hours who still provide top-notch service. Doctors, teachers, dentists and bankers all come to mind. It isn’t mandatory to be constantly on-call for clients in order to be successful at your job.
But it’s tempting to always be available as the ramifications of not answering a call or email can be far-reaching. One sales rep shared a story of a client who dumped her because she didn’t answer her phone when the client called. The sales rep was having her hair blow-dried at a salon when the phone rang. And taking time off for holidays (gasp!) can lead to lost deals and clients if you don’t have a back-up plan in place.
Marty Waite
Marty Waite, broker and team leader of Re/Max Direct in Gatineau, Que., is available to his clients 24/7 from the moment he signs the contract with them. “It is not easy to do and deal with but I only want the best for my clients. I do not set boundaries with my clients. If I do receive a call and it is not the perfect timing, I will still take it or try to call back with the least delay.”
Waite says: “I believe that in this business you do have to be available to the clients 24 hours a day. I believe it’s part of our job. There are no Realtors working from 8 am to 4 pm. When you choose to be a Realtor, you necessarily expect to do long hours (and) receive calls at any time and you need to be ready for that or real estate is not for you. We need to be there at all times for them; they are the reason why we are in the business.”
Let’s be honest – the general public has no clue what being a real estate agent entails. Most people think sales reps sit by the phone day and night waiting for their call. They can’t comprehend why you aren’t able to drop what you are doing and immediately meet with them or take them through properties they want to see. It wouldn’t dawn on the average Joe that you are heading to your child’s recital or taking your spouse out for date night.
If you decide you don’t want to be accessible all the time, establish boundaries up front as to when you will and will not be available. This either annoys clients (people who have been “trained” to expect agents to be at their disposal) or clients respect sales reps for it. On your schedule, block out the time you want set aside for yourself and/or your family. Mark those occasions in your calendar just as you would any other appointment. The rest of your time is when you are available to your clients.
If you aren’t on standby 24/7, it is vital you let clients know when you will and won’t be available so they don’t wonder why they haven’t heard from you and become dissatisfied. One sales rep resets his voice mail message every morning stating the best times to reach him and the times he will be answering messages. He does the same for his email auto-responder. He said these two steps – which take an average of three minutes a day – have been a big hit with clients who like knowing when he is accessible.
Another sales rep suggests keeping your availability relatively the same from week to week, as that is easiest on the clients. While being in real estate typically isn’t a 9-5 job, some do find a way to make it work without slaving away on the weekends and weeknights.
Angus leaves us with a final thought: “Customer service is an attitude and not a casual, passing thing. It is a way of life and you build a good reputation as being available, honest, direct and prepared to go the extra mile to assist both your clients and prospective clients.”
