As an estate agency, it’s likely that a vast majority of your budget is allocated to your marketing. From the cash you splash on your website, the fees leveraged by portals like Rightmove and Zoopla – lead acquisition is the foundation of a good estate agency business.
However, while all of these activities are designed to drive enquiries directly to you – are you then making the most of those emails and messages once they are received?
A study carried out by Rightmove in 2017 showed that, on average, agents took up to 48 hours to respond to lead!
And with buyers, vendors, landlords and potential tenants being more demanding than ever before, it’s time to reconsider – how quickly should estate agents take to respond to a lead?
How quick replies improve instruction rates
When it comes to general marketing, 50% of all sales go to the business that responds first. In fact, a lead response time of five minutes or less is ideal, as after that time the odds of converting a lead drops by 80%.
And when it comes to winning sales instructions, timing is even more important. After all, most potential vendors will be making their way through a list on Rightmove, or through the Google search results.
Additionally, for a vendor, a slow response can be an indication of how you may react to buyer enquiries, and therefore not a positive indicator for the future relationship.
Impatient buyers
With increasing numbers of properties being marketed by more than one agent, ensuring that you are first in the line when it comes to responding to a buyer enquiry is vital. Research shows that between 35% and 50% of all sales go to the estate agent who responds first. And why not?
As a buyer, the selling agency is not a key concern, so they are most likely to view the property through whichever agency responds to them the fastest.
Multiple enquiry channels
One of the biggest challenges facing estate agents when it comes to lead management is the multitude of platforms that leads can come through on. Gone are the days of simply responding to emails and phone calls.
Instead, you can expect to get messages through social channels, form fills and emails on your website, plus people commenting on property posts on your social media platforms asking for more information.
How Yomdel can help you respond to every lead, instantly
When it comes to quick lead response, Yomdel are on hand to make sure you never miss out on another instruction.
We measure response times in seconds, not minutes or hours.
All of our chats are responded to within 15 seconds!
A real person will respond on your behalf in real time, 24 hours a day. They can take on the qualification process for you, even booking valuation appointments into your diary if you wish.
Yomdel’s customer experience services give your agency the ability to be available all day every day, leaving you and your teams to focus on what you do best – selling property.
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.
