subject: Call Capture Benefits Agents And Consumers During A Recession [print this page] Although the dark days of the recent recession appear to be slowly lightening, businesses are still trying to keep costs down while maximizing profit. In the real estate market especially, the nature of the game has changed. Gone are the days of sub-prime lending, as consumers are far more skittish, either burned by the market itself or afraid they will be. One of the best tools a real estate agent can use, even in these still-unsteady times, is call capture technology.
Call capture operates on a simple principle - customers want information, and the call capture number provides it. These numbers are most commonly seen on real estate company billboards or on top of "for sale" signs. They are almost always toll free numbers, allowing the customer to call free of charge. Paying for customer phone calls in a flagging economy may not seem to make sense on the surface, but it can be an excellent way to generate leads.
One important feature of call capture technology is that it allows a real estate agent to provide exactly the information they want to potential clients. The call capture number can lead the caller through an automated menu with several choices. Some popular options include a short summary of information about a specific home, to transfer to the real estate agent themselves, or the option to leave a message for further follow-up. This allows the consumer to obtain information without feeling pressured, having been the one who made the first move.
From a business point of view, call capture allows for excellent lead generation, but without having to resort to cold-calling. Cold calls often result in a great deal of failure before a potential success, and require the business to outlay both time and money to get the calls made. A call capture number, while billed to the business, operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but has no possibility of rejection. A client who is calling the number is clearly interested in some form of information being offered by the real estate agent, and most call capture technology will provide relevant details about the caller's phone number and address, which can then be used to tailor information to their specific needs.
As well, call capture allows businesses to avoid the pitfalls of "do not call" legislation. Once a client has called the capture number, the business has the right to contact them within the next 90 days as they fall under the heading of the "90 business day inquiry." This means that an agent can avoid the sometimes unsavory reputation that goes along with a great deal of cold-calling, and can instead be seen as a conscientious business person who not only pays for customer's calls, but returns them promptly and with specific property information.
From a technological standpoint, this system can save businesses money during a recession by identifying which ads are performing and which are not. There is no need to spend additional money on non working ads in a bad economy. Most call capture packages will come with the ability to track which ad is generating the most calls, and which is under performing. This allows a business to remove advertising that doesn't work, and replace it with what brings in the leads. It may be something as simple as changing the font or size of the ad, and ad tracking gives your business the freedom to experiment and see what works.
The most important feature of a call capture service, however, is that it saves businesses money, which is the big picture in a recession. Although the cost of the service and calls are fielded by the business, 800 number rates are significantly cheaper than they were even five years ago. In addition, large advertising campaigns cost significant amounts of time and money, whereas a call capture advertisement, once up, will continue to perform day and night, and with no extra cost to the business.
It also promotes customer relations if done well. A sloppy call service with a poor menu and limited information will generate little to no actual leads, as most buyers will go elsewhere. A well thought-out menu, combined with specific house information and agents who return calls quickly, and with detailed answers to questions, will help both with a current sale and also encourage customers to spread the business's capture number by word-of-mouth.
This technology is not foolproof. A business must work hard to make sure that the information on the number is constantly updated, and that calls are returned promptly. Done well, however, a call capture number can significantly increase a business' customer base at a limited cost, while saving its customers money during hard times.
by: Brandi Armstrong
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