Customer experience has become a key focus for a huge number of businesses in 2021. A survey carried out by Super Office showed that 46% of businesses see customer experience as their number one priority for the next five years, comfortably beating both product (34%) and pricing (20%).
As service-based businesses, for estate agencies, positioning themselves as an organisation which provides an excellent customer experience is even more vital. It’s what allows you to maintain your fees, retain longer term relationships and ultimately drive instructions.
However, how vendors, buyers, landlords and tenants expect to access services from agents has shifted considerably over recent years.
We take a look at how the landscape for customer experience in estate agency is changing…
People want more information before taking action
Long gone are the days where a potential vendor would simply book a valuation and wait for your ‘pitch’. Vendors now want to know more about the process, the potential valuation, your fees and services before committing.
In general, homeowners are more time poor than ever. They want to make the right decision based on research, ideally provided to them in an easily consumed way. Being responsive to their questions makes it much more likely that you will win the valuation, and at the right fee.
And it’s not just about fees.
Immediacy in customer experience
A study carried out by PWC found that, across all industries, speed matters to at least 70% of customers. In a digital age, everything happens at a faster pace, and your potential customers will expect you to meet this.
Therefore, taking a day to respond to an email enquiry is not likely to equate to a good customer experience in the eyes of most potential clients.
The pandemic has only accelerated this immediacy. During the various lockdowns, people’s working patterns changed. And so did the times at which they engaged with businesses they want to work with.
Digital assets
In general, much of the initial experience for your customers is now digital. Whether it’s a buyer watching virtual tours before committing to a viewing, or a landlord choosing you because of the helpful information on your website, for the majority, the experience starts online.
Creating a bank of great digital assets from videos introducing your team to long form content helps people understand your processes, sets expectations and showcases your expertise. All before someone even speaks to one of your team.
How Yomdel can help you shape a better customer experience
Yomdel provides fully managed live chat. This allows you to overcome many of the main points that stop agencies from providing the ultimate customer experience.
Our expert agents answer your visitor’s questions, nurture enquiries and book viewings and valuations for you, 24/7, ensuring you don’t miss out on valuable opportunities.
They can signpost or send digital assets to potential customers to enable them to make decisions on your services.
The beauty of using managed live chat is that a real person is always on hand to help your customers and potential ones feel valued - even when you’re ‘closed’.
If you haven't yet looked into a 24/7 managed live chat service, or you'd just like to know more about the options available to you, don’t hesitate to get in touch, we would be happy to chat.
