More hours, and less waste in 2009...part 3!

OK, so I know that I have been blogging more than my fair share about Google voice, and the implications that it has for a real estate agent.  I mentioned in a previous post that I am relying on this service heavily when it comes to "filtering leads."  This really does fit in nicely to my series "More hours and less waste in 2009."

Here's how:

It's actually hard to quantify exactly how much time GOOGLE voice saves me during a day, but last Friday, I kept pretty close track, and guess that on average, it is saving me 30 minutes a day on the telephone.  The ability to prioritize phone calls as we prioritize e-mail is HUGE.  I started the day at work in my office, catching up on some computer work.  A call came and I did not recognize the number.  GREAT, must be an internet lead.  Anyway, I continued to finish up what I was working on, and sure enough...in about 45 seconds, there was a transcript of a voicemail sent to my e-mail.  This was a pretty warm lead...one worth following up on quickly.  This lead followed my instructions in the voicemail, and left me the property address that they were calling about, so I took about 30 seconds to pull up the listing before calling the lead back.  Within two minutes of her initial call, I was on the phone with her, armed with the information that she wanted.  She shared with me her surprise that I was able to get to her so quickly (I am becoming less worried that this system is off-putting to leads)  

We had a very nice chat about the particular neighborhood that she was interested in, and about this particular house.  While we were chatting, another call...from an unrecognized number.  Sure enough, another lead that followed my instructions, and left a property address.  I was able to print out that listing, while talking to lead #1, and scheduling time to go view properties.  I wrapped up with lead #1, and called lead #2 back, in under three minutes from his initial call.  He also thanked me for getting back to him so quickly.  We spoke for about ten minutes, and during that time...two more calls...unfortunately, neither of which were leads.

While talking with lead #2, I missed a call from my business partner, who was updating me on her activities for the day, and a call from a lender, updating me on a loan that is in process.  I was able to mark both of these messages to return later, as neither were time sensitive.  Lead #2 and I were able to arrange a time to meet, and I was able to share with him a list of lenders that he might want to speak to (which was great, because when returning the lender's call later, I could ask him to be on the lookout for this person's call!)

The day continued much the same way.  If I was not in the middle of something, I was still inclined to pick up the phone, should it ring.  If I was in the middle of something, I didn't feel pressured to drop what I was doing in order to answer the phone.  I received several personal calls that I was able to return during a break, and I received a number of calls that did not require a returned call at all (a painter letting me know that he had finished work in our listing, and...a solicitor...who immediately got flagged in my address book to go into a voicemail message made especially for his kind!) It takes me less than ten seconds to see that there is a voicemail that doesn't need my attention...probably three to four times that to get a telemarketer off the phone!)

 So, the best I can figure is that this system is saving me around 30 minutes a day. That's 14 hours a month, and 168 more hours a year with my son.  I can think of no better endorsement than that!

A very nice side effect seems to be that people are not put off by going into this voicemail, when I am able to call them back relatively quickly WITH information.  It makes me look on top of my game, impresses them, and seems to make them interested in becoming MY client.

I'll continue to give progress reports on this system...if anyone thinks of other ways that I can use GOOGLE VOICE, or other things that I can do to create more hours in 2010, I'd love to hear about it!

Here's a recap of the current list:

A recap of the list:

Twenty five things in 2010 to create more hours in the day:

1.  
   1. Google Maps and Verizon Droid to navigate showings    Saves approximately 20 minutes a day! (Three times a week.)
   2. Coffee Maker with built-in grind function and auto shut-off  Saves 3 minutes a day! 
   3. Using Google voice to filter leads, and manage calls   Saves 20-30 minutes a day!

Twenty five things in 2010 that can reduce impact on the environment:

1.  
   1. Goole Maps and Verizon Droid to navigate showings
   2. Coffee Maker with built-in grind function and auto shut-off