Admin

Real Estate Professionals Spend Spells On Phone Hold, Fed Propaganda.

By
Real Estate Agent with MOOERS REALTY ME Broker License 106759

A phone cradled in the neck or earbuds plugged in when on real estate phone call hold and waiting for the contact on the other end of the tin can and string.

cell phone dial phone photoSometimes silence is golden as during the wait, other real estate chores are performed from the check off list created each action packed day.

Other times the on hold process where it is announced why not call back at 3pm when the call volume is the lowest, the wait time can be spelled out. To set expectations that the average phone call on hold time is a day and a half. Ouch.

But while you are waiting and have to half hearted listen with one ear while multi tasking with other chores in the real estate day, what you are being told on hold can get tiring.

When a bank has charmed you with the scripted loop and over modulated music bed that is worn, fuzzy and distorted to remember, don't forget. Over and over.

To ask about our whiz bang passport checking account that you should not leave home without. That will make your life better, put a spring in your step. A song, the jingle of the bank in your heart.

Marketing, real estate is a fast paced, highly developed sport of pitching the property sticks and bricks. The surrounding area that wrap around the listings with our real estate red, white and blue sign out front.

Ready, willing and able to be bought, enjoyed. But over selling, being a tad too pushy and in your face can cause the reaction a ME real estate professional does not want. Over kill and monotonous.

The onhold when it goes on and on like a slide show of someone's pretty boring vacation carousel after supper beans and hot dogs and the invite over to their home to sit through it. Again.

You can hang up. Email, go visit the local bank lobby in person or call back. But often you have been spending days, too much time each of them sending out SOS, May Day distress signals. Opening up the hailing frequency. To find out what is taking so long in the round-trip trip to the ME real estate closing. To find out what can be done to free up the log jam. Whatever is causing the please stand by. On hold that gets prettylike watching paint dry exciting old. What is the problem so when the update of the buyer and seller is done, the actual delay is known by all the real estate players in the triangle. And the steps taken to get the processor, attorney, appraiser, whoever what they need happens. That's what we do as service providers and ME real estate information gatherers.

But being on hold often with a bank or attorney or other entity needing more staff to handle the load, it makes you think about if ever your real estate buyer or seller was in the same position.

What are your feeding the on hold buyer or seller, caller at your real estate office? On and on about your accolades or testimonials? surprise photoWhen the person waiting can get their dander up, a little hot under the collar when they don't want to be sold anything. Just provided with information quickly, efficiently by a real live person. Not directed to go online for what they need and made to sort through everything but the kitchen sink to find what they need.

The buyers and sellers of real estate property listings have a busy life too. Their time is even more important than yours, mine right? The option to be on hold, but not with the marketing message force fed, or asked to take a survey. When now would not be a good time to ask "how's my driving, etc" when a problem is getting bigger by the delay in resolution. Holding up a person when on hold....not a quality experience for the gal or guy left hanging, delayed, made to wait. Maine, she's big, beautiful and a lot of her to explore, discover anytime you can get away.

I'm Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

 

Comments(6)

Show All Comments Sort:
Debb Janes
Nature As Neighbors - Camas, WA
Put My Love of Nature At Work for You

Hi Andy, I now put my phone in speaker mode and work online while I wait for a "person" to answer - and I so agree with you - annoying as can be to be "sold" while you're wasting time waiting. But it's what we have to do for our clients - as you're right - it's our job to make their life easier. Have a wonderful day Maine Man.

Apr 18, 2013 12:46 AM
Larry Lawfer
YourStories Realty Group - Newton, MA
"I listen for a living." It's all about you.

I have had so many of these long waits arriving home with a very stiff neck. Those darn iPhones are so skinny and my neck is just not that flexible.  I don't like earbuds they hurt my ears and I have gone through a bunch of other solutions. I don't like speaker phone at all, so I just got myself a blue tooth and I am in heaven. It works with the iPhone, I am hands free and it does not hurt my ear at all for the length of the day.  For me the Platronics blue tooth was the solution. Some times we just gotta wait.

Apr 18, 2013 02:30 AM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

Debb ... So true...you have to listen in case they pick up, but in the meantime keep working, always hustling to whittle down the to do list. Greetings to you too on your end lady real estate video expert.

Larry ... It is hard to cradle an iphone...hard on c3- c4 too. Vote for blue tooth from L2 everyone! Thanks for the experience, input!

 

Apr 18, 2013 03:11 AM
Debbie Walsh
SHAHAR Management - Middletown, NY
Hudson Valley NY Real Estate 845.283-3036

I too just put it on speaker while I make these calls and do other work as I wait on hold.  I am determined to get through so I do what I have to do.

Apr 20, 2013 03:02 AM
Toni Weidman
Sailwinds Realty - Trinity, FL
20+ Years Selling Homes in New Port Richey, FL

I also put it on speaker and do my work while I wait. Sometimes though the music is too loud or too annoying.

Apr 20, 2013 10:18 PM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

Debra.... in the background as you wait, you never sit still and stop for sure. Making good use of your time. In the sport, addiction, passion of peddling, listing properties.

Toni ... There can be distortion, too loud a feed. And the type of music can date the firm, tell you a lot about how on top of things they are. Like a restaurant, sometimes you want the right music...other times the silence is golden. 

Apr 21, 2013 12:34 AM