Real Estate Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2011 · 74 posts · 24 votes
Hello all.
I look forward to meeting many of you at the Investor Summit in CO.
I am looking for recommendations for a live answering service. We average about 100 or so inbound calls a month and in many cases we are unable to pick up the phone.
I know from experience a missed call in many cases translates to a missed opportunity as we struggle to get back in touch with the seller. The seller will continue to go down the list of home buyers until they reach a live person.
I am looking for suggestions of "live answering services" who can answer the call and run through about 5 questions, and potentially schedule an appointment.
Are there any services out there that understand talking to "motivated sellers"?
San Antonio, TX · Member since 2010 · 93 posts · 32 votes
14y
I used patlive for a while and then switched to voiceconnectinc. I think they were bought by claritel. if you google them they are specifically related to the real estate field and answer calls for agents, investors, mortgage brokers and the like. I have them tied into my buy and sell site so when I get a call the first thing they ask is 'do you want to buy or sell a house'. If they say buy, then the operator takes them to my website and asks them the questions for my web form. Once they submit it, the client's info in automatically in my database and I get an email notification. I can quickly read through their info and do a quick analysis based on their responses and be very prepared for the call when I call them back. This isn't very expensive unless you're getting a ridiculous number of calls and even then it's well worth it. I must say it's not without it's problems. I've missed calls here and there and you have to stay up on them if you see you received a 20 minute call without a lead in your system - clearly those are not right. They are very responsive and helpful to correct a bill if those things occur and you get a login to check all the calls. if that happens, all yo have to do is call the number back and get their information. It's few and far between but I'm giving you the pro's and the cons with them. hope that helps.
Real Estate Professional · Falls Church, VA · Member since 2012 · 238 posts · 83 votes
14y
Hi Craig,
I've used live answering services and also a virtual assistant, and the VA wins hands-down. She is also incredibly affordable, since she charges only by the minute. In fact most of the folks I work with regularly use VAs rather than services. VAs can also help you with other tasks if you like, which a live answering service can't do.
Do a query for VA services and I'm sure you'll find many available, some may even be local.
Real Estate Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2008 · 619 posts · 75 votes
14y
Alison, which VA service are you using for the answering service? I have looked for an answering service for sometime, but have considered VA's. Please send any recommendations. Thanks.
Real Estate Investor · Northeast TN, TN · Member since 2008 · 516 posts · 361 votes
14y
If you're set on a live answering service you might want to check out PatLive (www.patlive.com). They have years of experience working with real estate investors.
San Antonio, TX · Member since 2010 · 93 posts · 32 votes
14y
I used patlive for a while and then switched to voiceconnectinc. I think they were bought by claritel. if you google them they are specifically related to the real estate field and answer calls for agents, investors, mortgage brokers and the like. I have them tied into my buy and sell site so when I get a call the first thing they ask is 'do you want to buy or sell a house'. If they say buy, then the operator takes them to my website and asks them the questions for my web form. Once they submit it, the client's info in automatically in my database and I get an email notification. I can quickly read through their info and do a quick analysis based on their responses and be very prepared for the call when I call them back. This isn't very expensive unless you're getting a ridiculous number of calls and even then it's well worth it. I must say it's not without it's problems. I've missed calls here and there and you have to stay up on them if you see you received a 20 minute call without a lead in your system - clearly those are not right. They are very responsive and helpful to correct a bill if those things occur and you get a login to check all the calls. if that happens, all yo have to do is call the number back and get their information. It's few and far between but I'm giving you the pro's and the cons with them. hope that helps.