The further we implement text messaging in our lives,
the further its impact reaches. We live in a time in
which many of the industries and services we rely on
are embracing, and therefore being changed by, SMS technology.
A notable example is realty, where text messaging is
streamlining business, improving customer satisfaction,
and boosting sellers' efficacy.
Text messaging is in large part so impactful in realty
because it is an ideal line of contact between buyers
and sellers. Buyers increasingly feel comfortable with
SMS, if not prefer it, as a mode of contact. Additionally,
text messaging offers intrinsic benefits. It is much
less invasive and time-consuming than a phone call,
and it spares buyers the effort of writing down information
received in a call, as a text message is its own record
of information that can be revisited. Texting can even
trump email, with more and more people preferring the
convenience and casual nature of SMS.
Communication is critical in realty, where sellers
are responsible for representing their properties as
best as possible, and buyers have important questions
to communicate to sellers. So, optimizing communication
is important to boosting realty and the way its business
is conducted. By incorporating texting, realtors can
do just this.
Texting has been put to task in realty in a range of
ways. In addition to basic communication between buyer
and seller, SMS is increasingly allowing sellers to
keep buyers updated on properties in a way that email
and phone calls do not afford. While some changes to
property may seem too trivial for an email, it is best
to keep buyers fully up to speed, the casual feeling
of SMS makes it appropriate for letting buyers know
if anything at all changes with a property they are
interested in.
Text messaging is also a great way to let potential
buyers know about upcoming realty events like open houses
and showcases. On top of the convenience and ease of
texting, emails may easily be lost in the abundance
of incoming mail so many people receive, making them
a potential nuisance. However, a text message will stand
out and may be easier to refer back to. Because realty
is implementing texting in these ways, buyer satisfaction
and seller efficacy get a boost.
Additionally, SMS can be smoothly incorporated into
the needs of realtors that email is often used to meet,
making texting an all-purpose communication medium for
realty. For instance, properties increasingly have their
own web pages, which emails may include links to in
order to give buyers access to detailed property information.
With the prevalence of smart phones, text messaging
can have it all by including links to online property
information in a text, which can then be easily accessed
on the phone in a browser.
Finally, text messaging affords realtors a notable
pragmatic benefit: text is cheap. Using SMS to reach
buyers en masse is more affordable than phone calls
and email, which cost more and tend to take more time.
By contacting buyers via text message when appropriate,
realtors can save themselves time and money, a further
advantage to the realty industry as it embraces texting
more and more.
The advantages SMS offers to realty are notable, as
is the change they can bring. With texting being increasingly
absorbed by realty, not to mention the huge range of
other industries texting is affecting, it's an exciting
time for technology and realty alike.
About the Author -
Sharon Housley is the VP of Marketing for NotePage,
Inc. a software company for communication software solutions.
http://www.notepage.net
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