subject: Call Capture Service Providers Are Not All Created Equal [print this page] A call capture service is one way that an up and coming or established real estate agent can generate viable sales leads. As the real estate industry continues to recover, the country moves away from the sub-prime mortgage crisis and agents find themselves with more properties to sell, the need for a method to handle large volumes of inquiries on properties and capture leads becomes paramount.
A call capture service offers real estate agents a toll-free phone number that can be displayed on all signs and promotional materials, and that allows potential customers to call in with an inquiry on a property any time of the day or night. As well, these systems are able to legally capture and record phone number data for call back at a later time.
While there are now many call capture service providers in business, not all services are created equal, and an agent would do well to know what to expect when choosing a provider - what should be provided and what to look out for.
Most real estate capture providers will provide multiple extensions with their call capture service, all tied to the same basic toll-free number. These extra extensions are often bundled as a part of the call capture service price - and many include hundreds of extensions for an agent's use. It is important that these extensions be "mirrored" or copied. That way whatever you put into one extension is automatically copied into a set of others. Having these mirrored extensions in place allows an agent to know which properties are generating calls, at which times, and where their highest-quality leads are coming from by using a different mirrored extension for each ad. This feature of a real estate lead capture system allows advertsing tracking, better place advertisements and saves advertising dollars.
Call capture services must also perform the basic function of capturing caller information, and an agent must be careful to make sure that the method employed by the company will produce results. "Standard" caller ID will not capture calls that come from a blocked or private line. To be successful a real estate lead capture system must use a toll free number and therefore what is known as an automatic number identification (ANI). This system will capture any caller id whether it is blocked or not. This feature of a toll free number call capture service is permissible under a ruling made by the FCC that states that if a business is going to pay for the call, as is the case with a toll free number, they have a right to know who is calling them. Any call capture service that does not include a reliable number identification method should be avoided.
Not every call capture service is created equal, and agents would do well to take their time and find the right provider for their needs. Some will charge too much for too little, and some will have extra services that agents don't need. Some may have only just jumped on the real estate lead generation bandwagon so make sure your provider has been around awhile and has longevity for the future. Being choosy with a call capture service is key to getting the best results.
