Success in the real estate business is determined by how patient, empathetic, skilled, and motivated your customer service efforts are. The way you interact and communicate with your clients can make all the difference and help you achieve your long-term goals.
Customer service is an essential part of the real estate industry. Whether people are looking for new places to buy or selling their own homes, they want a nice experience. Buying or selling real estate is an important life decision, and you do not want to mess it up.
Table of Contents
Why is Customer Service So Important in Real Estate?
The bedrock of real estate is excellent customer service. Realtors are responsible for delivering exceptional services and high-quality hospitality and ensuring that their client's requirements are met. You must provide a consistent stream of service before, during, and after you have worked with a client to develop meaningful professional relationships with them.
After all, this business is all about client referrals. And you will not get any referrals if you do not do your due diligence. Creating such business relationships with your clients helps your business go beyond the original transaction.
It is also essential for you to build a positive reputation in the market. This will help you elevate your business and help it grow while making profound marketing efforts. How people view your company and service is critical to your success.
Nowadays, customers have many options. Finding a realtor is only one google search away. People are often considering a few options before they select one, and customer service is the only way you can ensure that you are the one that is picked out of the lot.
You might have spent months with a client and developed a working relationship, but as soon as a better option comes along, they will not hesitate before making the switch. Information is readily available, and you need to ensure that what you put out there does not hurt your business.
Negative reviews from previous customers can be very damaging. Your potential clients can easily access these on websites like Yelp, Trulia, or Zillow, etc. Thus, providing active customer service is essential in maintaining your credibility. It also ensures that your existing clients stay with you.
At the end of the day, it is not about you; it is about them. The number of degrees or certifications you have or the number of houses you have closed does not matter. What matters is whether your clients were happy to work with you and their overall experience so that they come back for more. Essentially, the job of a realtor is 99% customer service and only 1% paperwork.
What Are the Key Principles to Effective Customer Service?
When you provide active customer service, your clients cannot help but boast about you. Here are a few fundamental principles that you should adopt to give the best experience to your clients and be a successful realtor:
Respond Quickly
Clients expect you to be on their beck and call. They want speedy service and quick responses to their questions and concerns. They also want you to provide the best solutions in no time. After all, if they had to engage in extensive research and put in the time and energy themselves to find their perfect home, they wouldn't have hired you. If a prospective client does not hear from you quickly, they will instantly move on to another. Similarly, if you are not giving your existing clients your time and making them wait, they will also be discouraged.
Anticipate Their Wishes
Align your system and yourself with your clients' needs. This will help you anticipate what they will require, and you can be one step ahead of them by providing quick solutions. Meeting your client's wishes before they have even expressed them is going to make them ecstatic, and they will start trusting you more. Do not try to slack off on effort and provide personalized experiences to each of your clients so that they are more comfortable in doing business with you.
Excellent customer service requires catering to each client's needs. This also generates the fiercest loyalty from them, and that means more referrals. Being a professional means that you have enough experience to provide your clients with the best service and solutions even if they have not asked for it. They might have overlooked something they need because they do not know enough. It is your job to provide them with the best options because you have the information. You do not want your clients to suffer because they did not know any better. After all, they are your responsibility.
Communicate Openly
Always share all information with your clients. The more you share, the better. Empower your clients by informing them about all the facts. Explain the processes in detail and why they need to know everything to make an informed decision. Resolve any queries or confusions that they may have.
Do not assume that they know things that might seem obvious too. A lot of first-time clients do not have much real estate knowledge and might be relying on you for it. Keeping them in the dark will only make them more frustrated. Make the process simpler and convenient for them. Email them useful articles or blogs that will improve their understanding but do not overdo it. You do not want to overwhelm them with too much information.
Craft Impactful Hellos and Goodbyes
Your clients will always remember their initial and last interactions with you very vividly. These interactions are usually more important than any other, so make sure that you nail your hellos and goodbyes. You can try to create an impactful presentation for them on the first meeting or send them a gift basket after their deal has been closed. Get creative with your methods, and be sure to add a personal touch to provide more personalized and memorable experiences that your clients would want to share with their friends as well.
Join Our Realtor Loyalty Program
Members get discounts on all closing gifts
Be Patient with them
You must acknowledge and remember your clients in a personal manner, hence, try to learn about them as much as possible. Most customers are not experienced with real estate matters and might lack significant knowledge. Others might be confused about what they want in a house or always asking you to find another one to become satisfied. The key to excellent customer service is being patient with such clients and help them understand what they want.
Guide them towards the best purchase and offer your insight. If you do not agree with their decisions, do not try to enforce your own on them. Let them choose what is best for them while you facilitate their overall process.
Provide Actionable Suggestions
Your job is to solve your client's problems. Differentiate yourself by not just providing them with pat responses. Instead, provide actional suggestions such as how they can spruce up the interior of their new home or improve the curb appeal of their property to enhance their selling prospects. Provide honest and diplomatic feedback to your clients regarding all their queries. Make your service seem seamless.
Be empathetic
Always let empathy be your guide. Put yourself in your clients' shoes to learn what they are feeling and what they want. Treat all your clients with respect, no matter if they are first time buyers, investors, or downsizers. If you have to tell them some bad news, do it carefully. If you feel your client is being exploited, inform them, and take reasonable actions to prevent it from happening. Empathy will, at the very least, make your clients feel comfortable and understood.
Dealing with Difficult Clients
Working with people can reap plenty of rewards, but there are often some headaches involved too. An essential part of customer service is knowing how to deal with clients who are a bit difficult to handle. As a realtor, you might encounter some clients who are making unrealistic demands, are not cooperating with you, or are just plain rude. To earn the title of a true professional, you must learn to handle this aspect of the job as well.
Here are a few tips that will help you deal with such clients:
Pre-screen Your Clients
The best way to avoid uncomfortable situations with demanding clients is by conducting a simple pre-screening before you take them on. Meet with your prospective clients personally to get an initial sense of what they are like and whether you will be the right realtor for them. Notice how serious they are, what their attitude is like, are they willing to listen to your suggestions, or do they think they already know everything? This will help you predict what their behavior will be later on in the process and help you prepare as well.
You should ensure that both parties go into an agreement by first being comfortable with each other to foster a genuine working relationship. This will also help you avoid any misunderstandings or misconceptions down the road.
Always Listen to What They are Saying
If you have already signed on some "difficult" clients, learn to be patient with them. Let them talk until they are finished. This will let them get everything off their chest and feel like you are taking them seriously (which you should). It will also help you understand if they have legitimate concerns or are they just trying to be know-it-alls. Sometimes, they might make completely unreasonable demands, but you cannot say it to their face; otherwise, it might aggravate the situation.
Make sure that you listen to their requirements, no matter how unrealistic, before you begin to offer them solutions. This will also help in making sure you are not misinterpreting them. It may be that they are not sure of what they want or have difficulty in expressing their requirements in words. Listen to them and give them the benefit of the doubt.
Educate them Early
Some clients become angry or are too demanding simply because they do not understand the real estate industry. Especially first-time buyers and sellers are not aware of what goes on in the whole buying and selling process. You must address this problem early in the process and get them on the same page as you. Do not become defensive if a client is difficult with you. Instead, simply explain to them in detail the situation they are in. Make sure you also educate them about what you are doing in every stage of the process, so they are not left out or feel that they are at your mercy.
Moreover, there will be many clients who will do their own research and go on different websites to check for listings. This makes them feel confident and secure in their decisions because let's be honest; this is a significant investment. They are bound to feel insecure and confused when a lot of their money is involved, which may cause them to react harshly with you. Instead of getting offended that they do not trust you enough, help them in their research.
Take the data they bring in and translate it to them to provide a useful insight, which could affect their decision. Sometimes, things may take more time, and this can make them impatient. Always keep them in the loop and help them understand how long each step in the process will take.
This will not only help them understand the circumstances better, but they will also become more trusting of you. You will provide them with proof of your experience and knowledge, and your clients will become motivated to listen to your suggestions with an open mind. This can help clear out any negative feelings and hostility between both parties and make the process efficient.
Always be Prepared
Clients can become emotional during real estate dealings, especially those who have not done it before. Get ready for all these emotions and ups and downs. Be prepared to handle any question or task that they might ask of you. It is your job to go the extra mile and provide your clients with solutions that they are comfortable with. Instead of acting stubborn, choose to be empathetic and envision things from their perspective.
Always maintain a calm and professional demeanor, even if the other person is being rude. Being a professional means that you must take the high road even if it is difficult to do so. Avoid arguing with them. Instead, listen first and acknowledge any problems that there might be. Do not brush stuff under the rug just to seem nice. Since you are the expert here, offer your solutions to fix the problem.
In some cases, regularly questioning your clients regarding their requirements and preparing them for the worst possible outcomes is also essential. You also need to set the preferred method of communication to avoid any miscommunication and help your clients understand what will be required of them beforehand.
Understand the Cause of Their Behaviour
The bottom line is that demanding clients are difficult for a reason. The key to providing them with the best customer service is to understand why they are difficult so that you can work on a solution. Do not give up on the first setback. Identify the type of people you are working with and react calmly. Your clients are your ally, not your enemy. They must feel the same way about you. Spend some time with them and work out what is bothering them or what is causing their challenging behavior. Help them understand what they should be doing instead. And hopefully, you will get them on board!
Steps to Go Above and Beyond as a Realtor?
You might do everything the right way but still lose clients. To ensure that this does not happen, you need to do much more than just provide decent service. The realtors that are memorable and stick out to clients are the ones who are creative, modest, and are people persons. They have no problem with going out of the way to keep their clients happy. For many people, buying a home is a very personal and memorable moment. Being a part of this process should be much more than just handshakes and paperwork.
Realtors who are invested in their client's satisfaction are the ones who are the most successful. This does not only mean that you get them a house and forget about them. It also means you must be there for them if they are faced with sticky situations regarding their property. For example, some realtors are not very honest and try to exploit their clients for hefty commissions. They are not concerned about how much money the process is costing their clients and do not offer them support regarding delays and hidden costs.
Be different from such realtors. You should prevent them from being exploited. For example, if the builders are delaying the finish date on a new house, get them to pay for your client's hotel bill. Your clients will always remember what you did for them and how much money you helped them save. Maybe take them out for lunch sometimes to understand their needs more carefully and to connect with them.
Secondly, try to be creative with your customer service methods. For example, you may create a welcome packet which is customized to give a personalized welcome for your clients in their new home. Add some information about their new neighborhood, the best restaurants, stores, and parks, etc. and throw in some local secrets. This will help your clients adjust to their new home, and they will be thankful to you. You can also send them a simple housewarming gift such as a houseplant, a basket of soaps, or even a gift card. This is a great way to develop a friendly relationship with them and earn affirmative word-of-mouth advertising, which is priceless.
You can also use your collected information to send them a card on their birthday etc. remembering the names of their kids or their pets is also an excellent way to establish a secure connection.
You can also go out of your way to assist them with other things that are related to their house. Offer them information on things like financers, painters, interior designers, handymen or removals or movers, etc. People really appreciate such efforts, and they are likely to keep your business card in hand. It is one less thing that they have to do. Not only does this help you make your clients happy, but it will also help you maintain valuable long-term relationships with local businesses. They can also help you gain more clients.
Go the extra mile to differentiate yourself from all the realtors out there. Make sure that you think of all your client's needs, whether they are anticipated or unanticipated. If you provide such customer service that all your clients need to worry about is packing and moving, you are likely to have no trouble in growing your business.
Take a different approach and work for much more than just the quick buying and selling of properties. Provide your clients with a personalized experience so that you can be remembered. Follow through with them on every stage of the process, even after the process has ended. For example, after they have moved in, ask them whether they are adjusting okay or are facing any problems. Also, if you cannot directly help them, you can always email them some useful information that will show them that you still care.
Always remember that an excellent realtor does not focus on price but service.
Join Our Realtor Loyalty Program
Members get discounts on all closing gifts