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How many minutes before you answer email?

By
Real Estate Agent with Realty World Wichita

XV-6700 PhoneI admit it.  I one of those obsessed techno geeks you hate.  I can't get my hands on enough toys.  I need the next toy to hook up and love finding ways to do  things.

So why am I bringing up a 3 or 4 year old phone?  I guess I'm slow.   Here's the deal, 2 years ago, you could answer your email in an hour or two.  You could let an auto responder start your drip email, and the consumer would be happy.  Not so any more.  Consumers count the minutes until you respond.  I'm 51, I can't text worth beans.  I needed a keyboard to communicate in the manner my clients have shown me to reach them.

Bought this phone on Ebay (from a respected seller) for $180.  I'll upgrade in January with Verizon's "New every two" plan.  I have paid the $50 to have unlimited broadband on this phone.  I'm lucky to have Small Business Server and it syncs my entire Outlook every few minutes.  Emails, calendar, contacts.  Full sync up and down.  I can respond to an email enquiry in minutes.  I can text anyone, my appointments are current in 3 places (phone, desktop, server).

Life's great, mobile, and Idon't worry about how fast I get to a computer. My email is always fully branded (from my server), and my clients get my greg.fox@rwwichita.comemail on everything.  One last side benefit, I can send out hundreds of emails from my own server......

Mary Warren
Las Vegas, NV
Nice Greg...I have a Treo 650 and although it does e-mail I've never taken the time or effort to figure it out.  I do texting on it which is way too cool...if I'm at the office or home I'm checking my e-mail every 15 minutes or so.
Oct 07, 2007 04:14 AM
Wayne Miller
San Diego, CA

Greg,

Man, I feel like I'm falling behind and I can't get up! 

I've never been a big fan of texting (is this a word yet), but I'm learning.  The keys are so small I have a hard time seeing them and my little fingers can't move fast enough to keep up.  LOL

Last night I went out to dinner with some friends.  When I went to the restroom, there was a younger guy standing there doing his thing with one hand and texting with the other!!!!!!!!!!!

This was a wake up call that I must learn to respond to emails much faster than the average person or I'm sunk. 

 

Oct 07, 2007 04:30 AM
Al Maxwell
Keller Williams - Marietta, GA
Real Estate Agent
Yep, Greg, time continues on...and technology does too. People want quicker response time than ever before..
Oct 07, 2007 04:38 AM
Robert Whitelaw
Whitelaw & Sons Real Estate Services - Morgan Hill, CA
Broker, CEO, Realtor , ePro
I am right there with ya. During "normal" work hours, I can answer an email in minutes. I am carrying around an iPhone and it makes email, instant messaging and looking up listings on the fly a breeze.
Oct 07, 2007 05:31 AM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

I respond to e-mail in 30 seconds. That's the reason I got a BlackBerry. I have 3 e-mail accounts (but not all of them) forwarded to my BB, and each has its own chime or buzz, so I know instantly from which account I've received an e-mail. I also hold my BB during office meetings and hit the mute when it starts to buzz. While they're droning on about cleaning up a mess in the kitchen or dress code policy for the office, I e-mail or text responses.

It's one of those gadgets that you may have at one time even wondered why anybody would want such a thing, but after you get it, you can't figure out how you ever got along without it.

At home, my desktop e-mail is set to download every two minutes. 

Buyers and sellers expect instant responses, but then so do I. We get so spoiled by technology. 

sig

Oct 07, 2007 07:28 AM
Virginia Halter
RE/MAX Signature Properties - Harrisburg, NC
ABR, CDPE, CRS, GREEN, SFR, SRES

I check my email as often as possible.  Yes, it comes to my phone and I enjoy the convenience of that.    

I have to say that I do NOT check my email or answer my phone when I am in meetings or with clients because that is rude.  I kindly discuss with all of my clients that I would never do that to them nor would they ever ask me to do that to another client.  

Oct 07, 2007 01:40 PM
Chris Pollinger
Berman & Pollinger, LLC. - San Diego, CA
Consulting for Luxury Teams and Brokerages

My e-mail is pushed to my phone instantly, there are so many good choices for smart phones or palm based pc's (or iphone) that are reasonably priced and work amazingly well.  I have bought a few dozen properties across the US and have always used the first agent to get back to me via email. 

Oct 08, 2007 05:09 AM
Stephen Joos & Chris Brubaker- HouseFront
HouseFront - Denver, CO
Great post.  And it seems in the real estate business the quicker you are the more business you can get, I agree with Chris P.  that most people probably go with the agent that gets back to them first. 
Oct 08, 2007 09:35 AM
Greg Fox
Realty World Wichita - Wichita, KS
Techy Broker in Wichita Kansas

Good comments by everyone.  I know Blackberry's are very popular, but my Pocket PC, with Windows Mobile 5.0 seems to connect to the rest of the world so well.  I see the way of the cell - smart phone such a future, I bought my first .mobi   Haven't done anything yet, but It's MINE!!!

Oct 08, 2007 11:16 AM