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How to Live Chat and Instant Message 101

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc

Ok, once I find myself giving people alacarte instructions, it is time for a blog post!

I want to talk about using Instant Messaging (IM) in your business. No longer is it the time wasting child's toy of the past. Now it is a virtual office business tool that more customers expect and respect.

Now you can:

  • Virtual office. Why be a cubical away, if you can be 1 click away, but across town? Get multiple agents within one company to join IM.
  • Get your lender, closing company on IM. I've been on the phone (or another IM window) with a client while chatting with a lender and a settlement company realtime. You can't do that with email and the phone. And yes it impresses clients and it SAVES TIME!
  • Use it to ping other agents with the "quick question" like "Hey Tony, are you still having problems with Countrywide short sales." Or for that matter you can IM 5 people the same question and 1 or 2 will reply in seconds.
  • Add live chat to your blog. Any user can ask you questions in real time, and the chat "widget" knows if you are in front of your computer or if you are "away."

So which program do you get?? All of them! But start with 2.

The most popular is GTALK as it is integrated into GMAIL. Most customers using Gmail can use Gtalk within their browser (ie, no new software).

The next most popular is AOLIM (AOL Instant Messenger) also known as AIM. Don't worry this is all free.

Then there is Yahoo IM (more for international users and foreign programmers), MSN IM, Skype, and the more obscure ICQ.

I suggest getting an AOLIM and a GMAIL/GTALK account. Try and get the same username too. Username can be YourNameRealtor or SomeAreaofHomes. I recommend something that has your name in it, so if you "invite" somebody, they know your name immediatey. (doesn't matter for Search Engines to have a city name)

Step 1: Go to www.AIM.com and get a free username. DO NOT download the AOLIM software. It is bloated, full of ads and doesn't work with other chat programs

Step 2: (optional) Get a Gmail.com account.

Step 3: Get a cross platform chat program. This lets you have 1 program that will allow you to chat with a person on any IM system. I highly recommend  Trillian .  

Alternatives: You can also integrate your AOLIM account into your Gtalk and not use any software at all. Put another way, just like you can use the web browser for email, you can also chat with Gtalk/Gmail users AND now AOLIM users. But the downside is it is built into the browser. If you are like me and you have 10 windows and 6 tabs open, it can be a pain to find where the chatting is going on. Hence getting Digsby to sit outside your browser as a stand alone product.

Step 4: Add your live chat to your blog. The best program is http://wimzi.aim.com because you don't have to have yet another software. It works seamlessly with your current caht program (anybody use Digsby's widget, I tried it once and didn't like it). Quick tip with WIMZI, skip "location checked", and avoid using contractions like "I'm" as it turns into "I/////m" and pick the "Flash" version (faster).

Alternatively, if you only do Gtalk, get your code here. I hated this when I tried it. It was too annoying, and too many steps to reach the new chatter.

Gtalk chat looks like this:

 

Advanced tweaking: Play with the advanced settings. Maybe turn off noises for each time a user comes on and offline. Turn off sounds for each back and forth message, but leave sound for the first incoming "hello are you there" message. Also you can tweak when it shows you as "away". I suggest 10 minutes of no keyboard use is "away." Also your chats are "logged" like emails so you can search them years later, or remove that feature.

Did I miss anything?

 

And if you want to be a part of FranklyMLS's Live Chat page, send me your chat code.


Written by Frank Borges LLosa

Broker FranklyRealty.com

Owner FranklyMLS.com

 

Comments (18)

Nelson Bermas
EXIT Real Estate Consultants - Lexington, SC
Your Lexington REALTOR®

Thanks for the info. I am going to check them both out. 

Feb 06, 2009 07:05 AM
Anonymous
Justin Dibbs www.TheArlingtonRealEstateGuide.com

Very easy to download and install although there is a lot of bloatware (6 things or so) that you can easily "decline" such as the Yahoo toolbar for your browser.  It's very easy and integrates with existing programs so you don't even have to tell a soul.  Thanks for the heads up Frank.

Justin

Feb 06, 2009 07:08 AM
#2
Tony Grego, 317-663-4173 #1 Trade Association for Alternative Inv
REISA - 317-663-4173 - Indianapolis, IN

Things make much more sense after reading this.

Thanks

Tony

Feb 06, 2009 01:41 PM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Frank,

thanks for this very needed lesson in the "Simple things for Dummy Series" (In the best sense of it). I really appreciate it. Nnot that this is rocket science, but the way you put it together makes it a really good and usefull lesson to me, and others like me

Feb 06, 2009 03:54 PM
Troy Erickson AZ Realtor (602) 295-6807
HomeSmart - Chandler, AZ
Your Chandler, Ahwatukee, and East Valley Realtor

Frank, thanks for simplifying this instant message dilemma.  I have tried yahoo as well as Google talk, and you are right, they are not easy.  I like the way you have combined different programs.  I do think instant access to potential customers is the way to go, either on your web site or your blog.

Feb 06, 2009 04:49 PM
Jon Wnoroski
America's 1st Choice RH Realty Co., Inc. - Green, OH
Summit County Realtor

Hi Frank - I have Meebo on my web site.  It has the HTML code that you can use to place it on your landing page and also has a monitoring system you can use to respond to questions that are made even while you are on another site or working on something else.  I do like the "real time" application and the ability to connect with potential clients searching my web site.

Feb 07, 2009 11:33 PM
FRANK LL0SA Esq.- Northern Virginia Broker .:. FranklyRealty.com
Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc - Arlington, VA

I tried Meebo and there was a reason why I didnt stick with it.

I just forgot

Frank

Feb 08, 2009 06:53 AM
Carson Porter
Baltimoresun.com - Baltimore, MD

I've been playing around with this too, if you have any success stories about converted leads live chat I could use a testimonial.

Feb 11, 2009 01:50 AM
Barrett Powell
Southern Advantage Group Realty - Cary, NC
Barrett Powell

The most popular IM is Microsoft Messenger.  It comes with every Windows based computer and sits very quietly in your task bar until a visitor request a chat.  That's why I use it.

Meebo gets my second vote.  Though there are some issues if you want to un-anchor it from the Window and stick it down out of the way.  There were also times Meebo would report you offline even though you were in fact logged in.

Use Microsoft Messenger.  The embedded code works great.

Feb 18, 2009 11:26 AM
Andrew Fayad
Cotter, AR

A great, 'less branded' live chat widget that works with any Instant Messaging client (Gtalk, Jabber, etc.) is Hab.la. They are free as well, and I've noticed their widget popping up on more and more real estate agent's sites. I like how you can customize the coloring and automatic messaging as well. I'm not comfortable with putting a sylized AIM, Meebo, or Gtalk widget on my site with Ads.

Their website is www.hablabusiness.com.

I have also seen a Facebook page that specifically caters towards realtors, ‘Hab.la Live Chat for Realtors"

I've actually landed several leads through Hab.la on my homepage. When a visitor comes to my site, I'm notified through Gtalk on my Blackberry. I send them a quick message, and they most certainly respond with thanks or questions.

Jun 11, 2009 06:39 PM
Anonymous
chatwithsms

I Frank,

I am using a live chat software that send the chat messages to my cell as a text message; http://www.cahtwithsms.com  

I have received 13 inquiries within the first week of implementing it. I can reply to the text message and the person receives it on the chat screen.

No hassle abouyt which IM to use.

No need to sit in front of the computer.

 

 

Jul 06, 2009 01:44 PM
#11
Anonymous
Joan Defenbaugh

I signed up for the ChatWithSMS thing this morning. So far the test chat that I performed worked pretty quickly. We'll see how it goes. I added the code to my blog and web site. Not sure if I will be able to incorporate it in my email signature from my KingThompson email address yet. I did add it to an MSN email signature. I just don't want to be blocked by other email programs because it reads my link to the chat as spam or something.

It was easy to install, easy to copy and paste - I even added it to my Facebook page - so it should be easy to remove, right? Fingers crossed!

Aug 08, 2009 01:03 AM
#12
Anonymous
chatlivehelp

Good contents. Really the instant service like live chat support is going popular day by day for its instant help.Feel free to also visit for this kind of help at...

http://www.chatlivehelp.com

Oct 03, 2009 04:52 PM
#13
Frederic Guitton
HomeBridge Financial Services - Orlando, FL

can anyone share their success with live chat? Check out http://www.activSalesAgent.com

Oct 05, 2010 04:46 PM
Christianne O'Malley
Dickson Realty - Reno, NV
Exceptional Service - Delivering Results in Reno!

I have not found where posting the widget on my blog on AR translates as a widget onto my Outside Blog. I have even checked the Widgets box for my outside blog and there is no place to add a chat widget. Any ideas?

Feb 27, 2011 04:44 AM
Anonymous
Charley Luciana

It’s embarrassing to say that it took us over six months to get started with live chat softwarefrom live2support. No idea why? It is great converter and lead generator. It has anything and everything needed to run successful live and automated chats. It has reduced response time and tremendously improved online customer service. It is a service that purely for business purposes. It has operator to operator chat facility and visitor monitoring window which provide extensive information about the visitor. All that helps us to create the right relevant responses for the visitors. Live2support is available at https://www.live2support.com/

Jun 15, 2015 09:48 PM
#16
Anonymous
Chanteele Amber

• • Live2Support live chat has provided us extensive chat options. The chat invitation and auto chat invitations functionality of live chat service has helped us to initiate communication with website visitors. The comprehensive visitor information has helped us to then make more targeted sales pitch. All this has helped us to increase our sales by 20% last annum. . Live chat service is available at https://www.live2support.com/

Sep 12, 2015 07:19 PM
#17
Willy Red

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Feb 11, 2022 02:04 AM