Top Customer Service Issues and CustomerServ’s Call Center Expertise in Property Management, Real Estate and Vacation Rental 

CustomerServ’s Property Management and Real Estate Call Center Vendors Drive Higher Sales and Satisfaction

The real estate industry is no stranger to disruption. Twenty years ago, the internet brought about fundamental changes to the home buying, home rental and vacation rental marketplace — and it has been evolving ever since. Property management, real estate and construction companies are currently feeling the impact of dramatic transformation generated by mobile technology, IoT innovations and shifting consumer expectations.

An influx of younger, digitally savvy homebuyers and renters has entered the market with high expectations for a personalized experience. Older millennials are now in their 30s and are gravitating toward homeownership. Millennials currently make up the largest share of homebuyers — a trend that will continue for the next decade, according to the 2019 National Housing Forecast by Realtor.com.

How are the behaviors and demands of younger generations impacting property management and real estate firms?

• Online marketing through mobile websites, apps and social media is key for attracting prospective homebuyers and renters. Millennials rely on their mobile devices to manage their lives and thoroughly research every purchase decision, including finding the perfect home. The National Association of Realtors Research Group reported that, in 2019, 81 percent of older millennials and 80% of younger millennials found their home using a mobile device.
• Multichannel capability is critical for creating a high-touch, human connection with consumers. The millennial generation’s mobile-first mindset means that they demand instant, on-the-go access to property management and real estate firms via multiple communication channels. Most importantly, they expect companies to engage with them in their preferred channel.
• A personalized experience bridges the gap between consumers and technology. Whether buying or renting a home, or staying in a vacation rental, tech-savvy consumers want their spaces outfitted with state-of-the-art electronics, smart appliances and IoT-connected devices that are personalized to meet their lifestyle needs.

Top Customer Service Challenges for Property Management and Real Estate Companies

In the intensely competitive real estate, hospitality and property management industries, providing instant access to knowledgeable staff is often the differentiating factor that drives customer loyalty and higher sales. For property management and real estate companies, it can be challenging to balance one-on-one time with clients with the need for always-on availability. But potential prospects don’t have time to wait. When calls go unanswered, they will simply move on to a competitor.

To ensure round-the-clock access to high-touch customer service, property management and real estate businesses are leveraging outsourced call center services to deliver value to prospective homebuyers, sellers and tenants.

Property Management: Full-service firms provide professional property management and real estate services often for an extensive portfolio of properties. These companies rely on their call center partners to answer initial inquiries about homes, condos, vacation rentals and other properties for sale, rent or lease, schedule tours and follow up with prospective homebuyers, sellers and tenants.

Real Estate: To be an effective advocate, real estate agents must spend a considerable amount of one-on-one time with their clients — time when they’re not available to respond to calls, emails or texts from prospects. Real estate firms are leveraging call centers to ensure that every call is answered by a trained customer service specialist who is available to answer questions, provide additional details about listings, services and schedule an appointment with a real estate agent.

Online Homebuying: Direct-to-consumer home-buying and selling services appeal to millennials. According to research from the Zillow Group 2018 Consumer Housing Trends Report, 57.5 percent of millennials said that, when selling a home, they prefer to take the lead and do it themselves. As homebuyers, millennials do more research throughout the process, and 37 percent preview or screen homes themselves. Still, because most millennials are first-time buyers and sellers, they have questions and require multichannel access to information and resources.

Home Design & Construction Services: Home design services and home improvement contractors spend much of their day at noisy worksites, which is not the best environment for communicating with clients and prospects. However, delays in responding to inquiries, quotes or problems with a project can translate into lost business and bad reviews. Customer-centric home design and improvement companies are employing call center services to provide instant accessibility, generate leads, schedule appointments and follow up with clients post-project to ensure their satisfaction and a positive recommendation.

CustomerServ’s Call Center Outsourcers Are Specialists in Property Management, Vacation Rental and Hospitality  

CustomerServ’s IoT contact centers specialize in the following services for property management and real estate companies:

• Home buying & selling
• Apartment leasing & rental
• Vacation rental
• Owner and guest services
• Agent support
• Financing support
• Home building & design
• Home furnishings
• Construction support services
• Property management services
• Maintenance and HVAC

The types of properties serviced include:

• Single-family homes
• Extended stay
• Apartments
• Condos
• MDUs
• Commercial
• Residential
• Apartment hotels
• Vacation rentals
• Hotels

CustomerServ’s contact centers that specialize in the following:

• Inbound customer service
• Inbound sales support
• Emergency maintenance
• Property locator services
• Reservations desk
• Scheduling
• Concierge services
• Technical support
• Agent & third-party support
• Email support
• SMS & live chat
• Social media support
• Back office
• Outbound sales & support
• 24/7 hours of operation
• PCI & SOC II certified call centers
• Nearshore, onshore & offshore
• Bilingual & multilingual agents
• Site-based & work-at-home agents