"I’m Tired Of Playing Phone Tag With Agents & Homeowners"

The owner of a real estate company in Texas recently expressed his frustration to us on the often time-consuming process of scheduling showings. He’s got a dozen agents, 50-60 company listings, and a very nice web site – yet the office is bogged down. Can you relate?

“I’m tired of my listing coordinator playing phone tag with agents and homeowners trying to schedule showings on our company listings,” he wrote. “HELP!”

The scheduling process, on the surface, seems easy enough. Take, for instance, scheduling a hair appointment. It typically involves two people, and typically requires one call. Done.

Scheduling a residential real estate showing is more complex. There are multiple parties involved and it can sometimes involve playing phone tag with agents and homeowners:

1. The buyer
2. The buyer’s real estate agent
3. The listing agent and/or listing office
4. The homeowner

How Showings Get Scheduled

When a buyer expresses interest in seeing a listing, the process begins:

1. The buyer calls his agent
2. The buyer’s agent locates the listing in the MLS and calls the phone number provided
3. The listing agent/office answers and records the request
4. The listing agent/office calls the homeowner to ask if the requested date/time is ok
5. The listing agent/office calls the buyer’s agent back to let them know they’re set
6. The buyer’s agent calls the buyer back to let them know everything is ready.

That’s six steps, and six calls between four parties to schedule one showing.

Imagine one person – the listing coordinator, for example, in the Texas office cited above – scheduling showings on 50 listings. If each of the 50 listings had just one showing request, and if all goes well and there are no voice mails or phone tag, that’s 300 calls. It’s no wonder that owner wrote “HELP!”

Nobody wants to be frustrated doing the work they love, which in this owner’s case is running a successful residential real estate brokerage.

Thankfully there are options for managing this process, including software the listing coordinator can use to keep things flowing and organized, or outsourcing the process by using an appointment center service.

Either way, showings are a key piece of the sales process. Consider the ways you or your office spend time, and consider if that’s the best way to spend it. If so, feel free to contact us to learn more.