When you’re in the business of buying and selling homes, there are lots of factors to consider that can make the customer experience top-notch for your clients.
- Are you offering fair rates on mortgage loans?
- If you’re a realtor, do you know where to find the best houses that meet your clients’ “dream home” requirements?
- Are you keeping in contact with them through preferred communication channels, like emails and text messages?
These are all vital points that make up an enjoyable customer experience. However, there might be one key channel that you’re forgetting: the phone call.
Studies show that there’s no right or wrong time for consumers to consider a home purchase, meaning it’s always a good time to invest in new ways to boost your phone call strategy.
Here are three key reasons that properly identifying your calls can boost the home buying experience for your clients.
Home Buying and Selling: 3 Benefits of Branded Communication
Fewer missed calls
Phone calls shouldn’t be an afterthought; when it comes to customer communication preferences, calls regularly rank number one.
For urgent financial matters, such as when a customer is looking for important information about a home loan they’ve applied for, the phone call is preferred 2x as much as any other method of communication, like a text or email.
But if you’re calling your customers and they don’t know who’s on the other line, it’s unlikely that they’ll pick up the phone.
Another startling statistic? We’ve found that 87% of people admitted they don’t answer unknown numbers. And when they do answer the phone, they aren’t prepared to engage in the conversation.
Think of it this way: how agitated would you be if you were having a nice dinner with your family and another diner, who you’ve never met, walks up to your table and asks, “Interested in refinancing your existing home loan?”
Unknown calls are like unwanted conversations, and the chance that you’ll make a connection with a customer who’s not ready to engage with you is slim to none.
But with a branded call, your business could go from speaking with unengaged clients to a 90% boost in your engagement rate.
A lift in brand visibility
Brand awareness is everything when it comes to grabbing your clients’ attention.
You might be excelling at branding your business in other channels, but are you focusing your attention on one of the easiest avenues for branding your business, a.k.a. the phone call?
According to our data, 77% of people say they would view a brand as “more premium” if they clearly identified themselves when calling.
And that’s not the only reason to brand yourself – you could also be losing tons of potential sales if you neglect the voice channel. Nearly 3 in 4 people say they would consider switching their business to a competitor who took steps to identify their calls!
Marketing and advertising departments spend a bundle promoting their identities across many different channels. But when it comes to brand visibility, the phone call needs to be considered a top priority.
Increased trust
With scam calls becoming an increasingly larger problem for consumers – 53% reported receiving more scam calls in 2022 than in 2021 – every business needs to restore trust in the phone call. Home buying is stressful enough, even without the threat of scam calls.
The pandemic caused more people than ever to work from home and invest money into home remodeling projects, and scammers are using this to take advantage of consumers.
In May 2022, the number of housing-related scams jumped by 300%. Scammers used hot words like “remodeling” and “safety concerns” to trick unsuspecting victims into giving away their personal information.
It’s no wonder that consumers are increasingly skeptical of unidentified phone calls!
But by branding your communication, you reduce the risk of consumers falling victim to a bad actor; it also increases the trust between you and your clients.
In the housing business? Here’s a tip
What’s the number one reason that customers ignore phone calls from their financial service provider or mortgage lender? It’s simple: they don’t know who’s calling.
About 85% of people say when a call appears as a 10-digit number instead of identifying the business, it makes the business appear illegitimate.
And 90% of people said it’s “extremely” or “very important” that a call from their financial institution is clearly identified with the institution’s name.
Kent Welch, First Orion’s chief data officer, recently offered some advice to REALTOR® Magazine’s audience on what consumers need to watch out for when it comes to scammers.
His number one tip?
“First and foremost, don’t answer unknown numbers.”
Have you considered branding your phone calls to customers?
Branded Communication gets proven results
First Orion’s Branded Communication solutions provide a simple yet effective way to improve the home buying experience. It also IDs you in their call logs, so customers have an easy way to call you back if you missed them the first time.
One of the nation’s top mortgage lenders uses INFORM to contact more customers and drive more revenue. The results? 26% boost in answer rates and 90% increase in engagement rate. Read the case study to learn more.
