Property ManagementNew Computer Phone Technology Offer Unique Advantages to Realtors
Being accessible to customers and prospects is a key to success in any small
business. But perhaps nowhere is it more critical than the real estate
industry, where catching a single call can translate into thousands of
commission dollars.
To stay reachable, you probably rely on technologies such as voicemail
systems, fax machines, cellular phones and pagers, which have all become common
tools of the trade. However, despite efforts to remain reachable through
traditional telephony methods, a chasm still exists between you and your
telephone system while you are away from the confines of the office.
Enter a new generation of networked personal computer-based phone systems
with intelligent call handling to offer the flexibility that Realtors need.
Called a PC-PBX, this new technology is boosting agents’ productivity while
reducing the cost of doing business.
Simply put, a PC-PBX is a phone system that runs on flexible, intelligent
computer software rather than a proprietary hardware switch. Not only does the
"computer telephony" technology provide standard features like voicemail and
auto attendant, but it also offers a wealth of new features that make agents
more productive when they"re in the office, and more accessible when they"re
not.
Here are some examples of how a PC-PBX phone system works:
Juggle calls intelligently. Each time you get an incoming call, a
PC-PBX phone system tells you the name of the caller and gives you the option
to take the call or defer it to voicemail. This is especially handy when
you"re already on a call. The system lets you decide which call is more
important - you can put the current call on hold and take the new call... or
keep talking and let the new call go to voicemail. You can even put the new
call on hold (with a message telling the caller to hold) while you finish up
with your current client.
Sally is at her desk talking to a mortgage banker. A new call comes in
and the phone system "whispers" the name of the new caller to her. The call is
from Ed, an out-of-town customer who wants to make an offer on a house, so
Sally puts the banker on hold and takes Ed"s call. Had it been a less
important call, Sally could have deflected it to voicemail and kept on talking
with the banker. By having this information at her fingertips, Sally can
decide which calls to take and which to defer.
Never miss an important call. Being out of the office doesn"t
necessarily mean being out of touch. Instead, you can reroute your calls to
any forwarding number - or list of forwarding numbers - so you can stay
reachable wherever you go. No more needing to give out multiple phone numbers
and, because the system announces who is calling, you can decide which calls
you want to take and which ones you want to defer to your office voicemail box.
Let’s say Sally is working at an open house. Rather than miss a day"s
worth of calls, she simply phones in to the PC-PBX and has her calls forwarded
to the phone number of the house she is at. When she picks up a call, the
system confirms that the call is for Sally and tells her who is calling. She
has the option of taking the call or deferring it to voicemail where she can
retrieve the message later.
Handle VIP calls. Sometimes it isn"t practical to send all of your
calls to a forwarding number... but you"d still like to be accessible for
important calls. With PC-PBX phone systems, you have a lot of options. You
can have calls from specific people forwarded while others aren"t. Or, have
the system page you when you receive an urgent voicemail message, and display
the name and the phone number of the caller on your pager. Another option is
to leave customized voicemail greetings for individual callers to offer impo
rtant clients special attention.
This feature is especially useful when spending the entire day out of the
office. For instance, Sally has several appointments lined-up for a couple who
is interested in buying a new home. She"s also expecting several important
calls that she doesn"t want to miss. Sally doesn"t want to annoy the couple by
having all of her calls forwarded to her cell phone, so she instructs the phone
system to only forward calls from the specific people she"s interested in. To
be on the safe side, she also has the system page her each time she receives an
urgent voicemail message, displaying the name and phone number of the caller
who left the message.
Reduce voicemail tag. Returning voicemail messages can be time
consuming, especially if you have to write down each person"s phone number.
With a PC-PBX, you can have the phone system automatically dial the number of
the person who left you the message. When you finish your call, you can
continue on and listen to the next voicemail message. Not only is this a time
saver, but it could also be a lifesaver when you"re in the car!
While in the car, Sally starts listening to her voicemail messages. Each
time she hears a message that she wants to return Sally instructs the phone
system to call the person back automatically. She doesn"t have to pull the
car over and write down any phone numbers. After she"s done talking to the
person, Sally simply goes on to the next voicemail message and decides whether
to call that person back, too.
Not only does a PC-PBX system deliver a wealth of intelligent features, but
surprisingly it"s also more affordable than a typical phone system. The
handsets are less costly, advanced features are included at no extra cost, and
the PC-PBX system reduces monthly phone bills and service fees. It"s
especially cost effective to upgrade the system. Anyone who"s had to go
through a "trash can upgrade" to add voicemail features or has had to deal with
the Y2K problem will be pleasantly surprised to see how easy it to keep the
system current.
PC-PBX telephone systems open new doors for Realtors, allowing them to treat
each client in a special manner while keeping control of his or her time.
Whether you"re working in a team or individually in an office, a PC-PBX
telephone system allows you to control calls and stay in touch with important
clients from the very beginning. This innovative technology solution offers
you the opportunity to never miss a call, stay connected and ultimately
expedite the selling process so that you can make more money.