7 Fundamentals of Great Real Estate Customer Service

How do you boost customer service in real estate?

By exceeding customer expectations—right?

Well, maybe.

Sure, you still have to delight customers with excellent customer service.

But delivering that kind of service cost-effectively is easier said than done.

Plus, according to a CEB Global survey conducted in 2013, customer service often fails to deliver a proportionate increase in loyalty.

In some cases, says the survey, customer interactions can even lead to disloyalty. So, outstanding customer service alone no longer cuts it when building memorable customer experiences.

Ideas for Building Memorable Customer Service in Real Estate

To build brand awareness and customer loyalty, you have to create low-effort service experiences.

They help your customers solve their problems effortlessly.

It’s the best way of building your brand in a service industry like real estate.

So, reducing customer effort should be a key goal for every service company out there.

Below are seven real estate customer service ideas on how you can create low-effort service experiences.

They’ll help you delight customers and build loyalty:

1. Express genuine care — Making a sale is a top priority. But you can’t treat customers as just another transaction. You have to do more. You need to show genuine concern by doing the small things, like make meetings on time, actively listen to what clients are saying, not interrupt conversations to answer your smartphone, communicate regularly with clients, and manage their expectations.
2. Respond to unexpressed needs — Service providers need to respond not only to clients’ expressed needs but also their unexpressed needs. But be patient with clients. They don’t always know what it is they want. If they don’t, try to help them figure out what they want by asking leading questions. Answers to these questions can help you unearth information that can reveal customers’ unexpressed needs. They can also help you better understand clients’ preferences.
3. Create personal experiences — Creating experiences for customers is excellent. But it’s not enough. You also have to create unique and memorable experiences. Often, that means doing the little things, like sending birthday cards not just to clients and their children but also their dogs. If they have kids, update them on schools in the area. On a hot day, bring some water or lemonade.
4. Provide actionable suggestions — As a service business, your job is helping clients solve problems. So, don’t answer clients’ questions with pat answers. Instead, provide actionable suggestions, like how to spruce up the home’s interior, so it sells better or improves a house or property’s curb appeal. Also, respond to clients’ questions honestly, truthfully, and diplomatically. That will make their service experience more seamless.
5. Keep clients informed — Tell clients what you’re doing through every step in the process. If you’re selling a house, make sure clients know what you’re doing to sell the property. You don’t want clients calling you for an update. Instead, get to them first but base your communication efforts on their preferences. If they like getting updated by phone, do that. If they prefer emailing back and forth, do that. Clients will appreciate your efforts.
6. Differentiate yourself from the competition — Make it easy for clients to choose your services by differentiating yourself. Some companies, like Walmart, do it by having the lowest prices around. That’s a hard strategy to execute in a service industry. Specializing in a niche, on the other hand, separates you from the pack. Plus, clients like dealing with people that have the same passions and interests as they do.
7. Empower potential clients — One way to empower clients is to help them help themselves. Offering classes on financial literacy to explain to clients what options are available to them works well. So, do things like having knowledgeable speakers address critical topics in real estates, such as the outlook on the housing market or workshops on short sales. Doing these types of things can convert potential clients into customers.

Conclusion

These seven tips can help you not only boost customer service at your firm but also build customer loyalty. Then, use feedback from implementing these services to refine your services for future customer experiences.

Want to take your business to the next level?

Provide low-effort service experiences that help customers solve their problems quickly and easily.

It generates word-of-mouth advertising and builds a memorable customer experience.