When digital homebuyers discover your website to view your listings, there’s no better way to capitalize on this crucial moment than a live chat messenger app. Savvy real estate agents and brokerages are increasingly utilizing live chat to turn curious homebuyers into loyal subscribers. Are you one of them?
Do you know how many prospects visit your site each day without contacting you?
If you are not keeping track of your website analytics, you might be shocked to learn just how many potential clients are leaving your site without engaging with you every day!
Fortunately, the right live chat software can help you dramatically increase your engagement with online visitors.
How To Get More Visitors To Commit To Your Real Estate Website
There are several marketing ideas that you can use to get online prospects to investigate your brand further.
For example, you can:
- Give your content an overhaul and make it more enticing
- Add video to your home page that clearly conveys the benefits of working with you
- Install pop-up email captures for those who are leaving the site
- OR, you can utilize live chat software to interact with clients at all times
What is Live Chat Software?
Live chat software is any application or program that allows a business to chat with online visitors via a pop-up chat box.
You have likely already used live chat software while browsing online. Most cell phone providers and large retailers have been utilizing live chat for years.
When someone visits your real estate website you can use live chat to promptly answer their questions. In most cases, a consumer will leave a website to explore your competitors because they haven’t found the information they need.
The information a prospect requires may be listed under your services page but they don’t know where to find it. If you are able to chat with them at the exact moment they are searching, your chances of landing the client are much higher.
Create Conversations With Potential Home Shoppers
Live chat solutions are not just for providing facts and information. Consumers are using chatbots and live chat options as a way to feel out a new service provider. Many real estate agents, however, shy away from implementing chatbots, which is a huge mistake!
The majority of homebuyers are now accustomed to communicating via chat. Text messages, Facebook Messenger and Instagram direct messages- this is the way most of us speak with one another in 2018 (for better or for worse), so embrace it!
Don’t be afraid to show your personality and speak with clients like they are already a friend. A simple emoticon goes a long way in communicating intentions over chat. 🙂
Make Sure Your Software is Mobile
As a real estate agent, the world is your office. When you are out at networking events, showing homes, or delivering keys, you need to be connected to your website. The best live chat options allow you to be completely mobile, chatting with website visitors from any location.
Real Estate Agents, Choose Your Live Chat Option Wisely
There are a lot of live chat options out there. Some are fast, efficient, and cost-effective, while others fall short of the mark. We spoke with the large pool of real estate agents that we work with and discovered their favorite live chat software for their websites.
With that in mind, here are the top 5 that you should consider…
5 Most Popular Live Chat Options For Real Estate Agents and Brokerages
#1) Intercom
Intercom offers a wide range of packages that include services outside of live chat such as full support, sales, and marketing. Typically, Intercom works with small to medium-sized businesses and is a great fit for the average real estate agent.
Among other features, Intercom has the ability to auto-respond to website visitors. It is extremely effective in deciding when a “real” human response is required. Having the bulk of your inquiries handled by strategic auto-responses can save you time and keep your notifications to a minimum.
With Intercom, there’s also Slack integration which allows you and your team to respond to visitors directly from the app.
Expect to pay a little more for this solution at a price tag of about $105 per month.
#2) Drift (Powered by Slack)
Drift is one of the easiest live chat software options to set up. If your knowledge base is focused more on real estate and less on tech, this could be the solution for you. Like their parent company, Slack, Drift is fast, efficient, and has a beautiful UX.
Adding to its appeal, Drift also sends outbound emails to your clients, books meetings for you, and records all live of your conversations.
While Drift is one of the most sophisticated and beautiful options out there, you will have to pay for it. Depending on your need, the cost for a real estate agent can be up to $500 for the “Pro Version”.
#3) Facebook Messenger (For Your Real Estate Website)
Facebook’s Messenger App is one of the most widely used live chat options in the world. Real estate agents have the option of using Facebook Messenger for Business. This can be implemented in a few different ways, from a simple “Message Us” button that can be embedded via Javascript or HTML text, to a full chat box on your site.
The only thing you need in order to use Facebook’s chat widget is a Facebook business page (which every real estate agent should already have). Facebook is the most cost-effective live chat option but it also has the least amount of features.
#4) LiveHelpNow
This live chat solution is tailored for small businesses, perfect for the majority of real estate agents. Users have the option to customize the exact type of services they want with LiveHelpNow.
One of our favorite features of this software is the ability to learn more about your visitors with LiveHelpNow’s analytics. You can also build a FAQ section with multiple call management options to choose from.
The price varies depending on the solutions you require but expect to pay around $20-25 per month.
#5) LivePerson
Finally, if you are concerned with security, LivePerson could be the best solution for your real estate business. LivePerson has placed their focus on servicing larger clients and provide live chat software to companies such as Virgin Atlantic and United Way.
Their pricing model charges business owners for each live chat that happens through the website, which can be an advantage if you’re expecting a low volume of conversations. Otherwise, you may find it difficult to plan your budget if your chat volume varies drastically.
The services and support features are tailored for larger enterprises, however, so this may be a better option for a brokerage rather than a solo agent.
Conclusion
Regardless of what option you decide to go with, implementing a live chat software solution on your real estate website helps you capture more leads, provide more value, and build stronger connections within your community.