We've put together an example to hopefully trigger some thoughts on the things you'll want to consider.
There are many factors, but to keep it simple, below is a very basic scheduling cost comparison* between two popular scheduling methods used in real estate today:
- In House: The cost to the listing office to have showing agents call the office directly, with a receptionist/front desk staff doing the scheduling.
- Outsource: The cost to the listing office to have showing agents call an appointment center or call center service.
Any vendor would be glad to provide specific quotes, and of course that is true of ShowingTime.
In House
Consider a 10-agent office with 30 listings for the example. Below are some approximate costs* to consider for scheduling showings using your own staff and a front-desk software product, such as ShowingDesk:
- Availability to take showing calls = 58 hrs/wk: 8am - 6pm M-F, 9am - 1pm Sat & Sun
- All company listings handled + other admin tasks during lulls in showing request calls
- Ballpark costs*:
- Average software cost = $900/yr (prices will vary based on vendor, market, upgrades, promotions, etc.)
- Labor cost = 58 hrs/wk x $12/hr = $696/wk, $36,192/yr
- “All in” total annual cost = $900 + $36,192 = $37,092
- Approximate hourly cost = $12.30/hr
Outsource
For the same 10-agent office with 30 listings, below are some approximate costs* to use a service such as the ShowingTime Appointment Center to schedule showings on your listings:
- Availability to take showing calls = 91 hrs/wk, 8am - 11pm (EST) every day
- All company listings handled (optional Call Coordinator service available for handling prospect calls)
- Ballpark costs*:
- Average service cost = $7 per listing/mo x 30 listings = $210/mo, $2,520/yr (prices will vary based on vendor, market, promotions, etc.)
- Labor cost = included
- “All in” total annual cost = $2,520
- Approximate hourly cost = $0.54/hr
***
How your office prefers to handle showing requests is a big part of the answer to 'What It Costs To Schedule Showings'. An office might also decide NOT to factor in the labor costs of front desk staff - or only use a percentage of that cost.
The bottom line: it's important to factor in all costs incurred with each method, so you're comparing apples to apples to make the best decision for your company. If you have any questions about this example, have other feedback, please let us know.
There is much to be said about the pros and cons of In House vs. Outsource, which we'll discuss in the future.
2 comments:
Professionalism, availability, and flexibility are huge factors too:
a) Look at the many ways an appointment can be confirmed, text, email, vmail, any combination of the three.
b) Look at the reports that can be sent to the seller, so that they are informed and already prepared to meet with you about a price adjustment, if needed.
c) Book appointments via the web, or by phone
d) Skilled and trained staff who are experts at booking appointments in a call center that never misses a call and is open longer than your office.
Thanks for the comments, Drew, all excellent points. I want to mention, too, that in the example, the Appointment Center would be open an extra 33 hours per week compared to the office example. It seems offices often are looking for ways to trim costs; choosing an Appointment Center may seem expensive until you do the apples to apples cost comparison.
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