Four Things You Need From A Real Estate Appointment Center Service

Back in January, we wrote about the costs of scheduling showings yourself vs. using an appointment center to manage the work. An agent responded with his thoughts, which includes his take on the four things you must have.

What Would You Do With An Extra 23 Hours Every Week?

Most of us are fighting to squeeze everything we can into a day. We sometimes cheat ourselves out of sleep to get more done, or take work home instead of spending time with family. Even so, we often get to the end of a day and say, 'where did the time go?'

For real estate offices and agents, there actually is a way you can gain another 23 hours each week. Let us explain.

Schedule Showings Online Or Call The Listing Office?

Real estate offices like using ShowingDesk, the front desk software that enables them to effectively handle calls from agents, schedule and manage showings, generate feedback and create reports. Sometimes, though, they are confused about how ShowingDesk works with ShowingTime's online scheduling product available in more than 60 MLSs. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

How Residential Real Estate Agents Can Get More Listings

Residential real estate listing agents are always looking for ways to get more listings. Do a Google search and you'll find plenty of links to help you figure out what to do. That, along with browsing through real esate newsletters - RISMedia Daily e-News, RE Technology, Inman News, Cracker Jack/Agent and more - can be valuable resources. So, here are a few more links to help:

Setting Listings To 'Courtesy Call' Can Mean More Showings

When Realtors use an appointment center service to help them manage appointments on their listings, they can choose among several options for the 'appointment type'. One of the fastest options is called 'Courtesy Call'. Here's how it works.

How To Confirm Showings In Six Seconds Or Less

1. Get a showing request on your mobile device.
2. Type 'Y' to confirm the showing.
3. Carry on with what you were doing.

No calls, no phone tag, no delays. That's how quickly the 'blocking and tackling', a.k.a. the busywork, 'the administrative part' of showings can be completed in some real estate markets. That is, if you use an appointment center service or your Multiple Listing Service has an online scheduling system in place.

"I'm Tired Of Playing Phone Tag With Agents & Homeowners"

The owner of a real estate company in Texas recently expressed his frustration to us on the often time-consuming process of scheduling showings. He's got a dozen agents, 50-60 company listings, and a very nice web site - yet the office is bogged down. Can you relate?

Top 10: Why Realtors Love Online Appointment Scheduling

From time to time, Realtors belonging to MLSs using ShowingTime's online appointment scheduling system like to comment on their experiences ("Easy to use and I love it!" ... "LOVE IT!!!!" ... "I love, love, love the new ShowingAssist program. It makes life so much easier!!"). If you're a Realtor and you wonder if online scheduling - while securely logged into your MLS - would be a helpful feature, consider these Top 10 comments from your fellow real estate professionals:

Another 9,000+ Agents Scheduling Showings Online

“Our members are looking forward to online scheduling with ShowingTime,” said Jim Abele, Manager of the MLS of Greater Cincinnati. “Streamlining the appointment request process with 24/7 availability, reducing phone calls, and saving our subscribers time has great value.” But how?

Could You Be Missing 1/3 Of Your Showing Appointment Requests?

Selling listings doesn't happen without getting showings. Listing agents put a lot of effort into getting the listing priced properly and having it look great, and then marketing it for maximum visibility.

But the benefits from doing all that work could be greatly diminished if nobody is around to answer showing calls. So what do you do?