Click To Call’ Prompts 35% Increase In Estate Agent Calls

Estate agents are receiving 35% more calls than they did five years ago as the rapid growth of property portals encourages customers to ‘click to call’ at all hours of the day and night, according to new research.

Commissioned by leading outsourced communications provider Moneypenny, the research revealed that an increasing number of calls are judged by agents to be serious leads – with at least 40% of calls resulting in a valuation or viewing request and 10% claiming this figure to be as high as 80%.

Alongside a rising number of valuable phone calls, Moneypenny’s research also found live chat to be an increasingly important source of leads. 26% of agents have now adopted the technology and whilst that still leaves much room for improvement, it does put the sector ahead of IT and telecoms, financial services and automotive businesses.

Commenting on the findings, which also cement the phone as estate agents’ number one channel for customer communication, Samantha Jones, Head of Field Sales at Moneypenny said:  “Customers are increasingly using online searches for preliminary research and then ‘clicking to call’ directly from Google’s search results once they know what they want.  The result is more calls to businesses and calls that stand to have far greater value.

“This survey has proved that the phone call is still king for customers, even with the boom in online searching, but agents need to be able to respond quickly and ensure they make every call count.

 

“We know that 69%[1] of callers don’t leave voicemail messages, so it’s very important to  answer every call, particularly as 97%[2] of consumers give more business to companies who respond quickly.  Efficient call handling is essential as missed calls cost business.”

 

Craig Reynolds from multi-branch estate agent Urban & Rural, which works across Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, said: “Excellent communication is essential in delivering premium customer service. Our clients are always able to speak with someone – a real person – with a friendly and helpful manner. Better still, they’re greeted by someone who knows our business and the property sector, which is reassuring for them, and for us.”

 

The research also highlighted that despite an increasing number of calls generating serious leads, one in ten estate agents say that their branch staff find the phone a distraction and 17% say their staff would prefer customers to use email or live chat.

 

Moneypenny handles 13 million property calls and 2 million live chats each year.  Established in 2000, Moneypenny is the world’s market leader for telephone answering, live chat, outsourced switchboard and customer contact solutions. In total, more than 13,000 businesses across the UK benefit from Moneypenny’s mix of extraordinary people and ground-breaking technology.

 

For more information about Moneypenny’s work with the property sector visit www.moneypenny.co.uk/property

EAN Content

Content shared by this account is either news shared free by third parties or sponsored (paid for) content from third parties. Please be advised that links to third party websites are not endorsed by Estate Agent Networking - Please do your own research before committing to any third party business promoted on our website. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

New analysis shows majority of estate agents complete HMRC AML registration

Just 5% of branches still need to register More than 24,000 UK estate agency branches have registered with HMRC for money laundering supervision – an increase of around 2,300 branches in just over a year, according to new analysis from client due diligence platform Thirdfort. Some 24,003 estate agent branches across the UK have registered…
Read More
Breaking News

Gen Z could wait until 2044 to buy a home

Getting on the property ladder has never been tougher, and, for Gen Z, it could take up to 18 years to save a deposit in the UK’s least affordable cities, according to new research from Beswicks Legal, comparing 40 urban centres. The figures reveal that in places like Cambridge and London, Gen Z buyers may…
Read More
Breaking News

Pressure on landlords takes shine off BTL rate cuts

Buy-to-let fixed rates dipped to their lowest points since September 2022, and choice rose to a record high, according to Moneyfactscompare.co.uk. However, landlords are facing financial challenges, and rumours of more tax reforms in the Budget could hit investors hard. •    Average buy-to-let fixed rates over two- or five-year have dipped to their lowest…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

Three steps to pet-proof your property ahead of new pet laws

Landlords across the UK are set for one of the biggest shifts in rental regulation in years as the Renters’ Rights Bill edges closer to becoming law. While the bill aims to give tenants a greater right to keep a pet, a new analysis highlights the stark reality of demand versus supply: with a dog…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Budget-Friendly Ways to Boost Property Appeal

Upgrading a property’s appearance doesn’t always require a hefty budget. One of the most impactful yet affordable changes involves refreshing tired flooring, an element that potential buyers and tenants notice immediately upon entering a property. Carpet remnants have become a smart solution for cost-conscious property owners looking to make meaningful improvements, as they offer the…
Read More
Breaking News

Naked tenants, basement brothels and maggot rain

When a company specialises in 24/7 property management support, it’s got to be ready to handle pretty much anything, as can be attested to by Adiuvo, whose managers have, on more than one occasion, received tenant requests that have caused them to pause and say, wait, what? Adiuvo has now pulled back the curtain on…
Read More