As a real estate professional, your level of customer service can either keep you top of mind or out of mind. Real estate is largely a referral-based industry, so how well you take care of your customers can directly affect your business.
In a recent article on Inman.com, Nico Hohman, a real estate agent and construction manager for NextHome Discovery, offered several tips to help you give great customer service 100% of the time.
It starts with you
“To provide great customer service, you first have to want to provide great customer service,” Hohman wrote. Essentially, providing the customer with a great experience must come from the heart. If it isn’t genuine, your clients will know.
Exceed, don’t just meet, expectations
Great customer service requires you to go above and beyond for your clients, not just meet their expectations. That’s the only way to stay relevant to your clients, according to Hohman.
“If you are working with homebuyers who like craft beer, don’t just show them on a map how close the nearest brewery is to the house. Drive them past the brewery on the way to the showing, then provide them with a growler of the spot’s signature brew when you arrive,” he wrote.
Be mindful — it always wins
Customer service is intentional, Hohman wrote. Every conversation with your client can have an impact on how they receptive they believe you are. Don’t say things like “no problem” or “don’t worry about it” when a client asks you to do something. Instead, Hohman suggested, take your customer service game to a higher level with phrases such as, “my pleasure,” and “I would be happy to take care of that for you.”
Do it all the time
When it comes to customer service, consistency is key. It’s only truly great when it’s given 100% of the time. According to Hohman, this quote from Clayton Christensen concisely summed up customer service: It is easier to do things 100% of the time than it is to do things 99% of the time.
“What he meant by this expression is that not giving your best every time is an easy trap to fall into,” Hohman wrote. “And if you don’t deliver your best just once, it’s easier to let quality slip again and again.
Source: “4 steps to customer service that never lets clients down,” Inman.com (Oct. 21, 2016)
