The real estate business was designed to assist potential home buyers in purchasing their home. Whether they are first-time buyers or seasoned home owners, real estate agents are still the best option to help people find the property they need – but the business of real estate has changed dramatically over the years.

In the real estate industry’s infancy and beyond there was always a lot of leg work involved. Agents worked from offices but rarely spent much time there. A majority of the day was spent showing homes to buyers; often late in the evening or on weekends. Clients were obtained by walk in traffic, by the use of flyers and newspaper advertising, by cold calling and door knocking.  While some things have remained the same, there is much that has changed.

These days, the introduction of technology has advanced the industry and improved the marketing methods used by real estate agents. Real estate call capture technology is rapidly becoming the leading method of marketing and sales for real estate. Like most significant advances in business, call capture is a simple but highly effective technology that allows the agent to shift their focus to the most important things in their business – their clients.

A real estate call capture system gives the agent a unique toll free number which includes unlimited extensions that can be put on advertisements, signs, websites, and newspapers listings. Call capture technology is completely virtual and requires no installation of hardware or software. The concept is simple, yet the benefits are staggering.

The impact that real estate call capture technology has had on the industry is quickly becoming apparent. With its use, agents have increased their revenue and number of leads. Every lead is automatically tracked and followed up on, so potential buyers and sellers are never overlooked, no matter how busy the agent may be. Every time someone calls, the information is passed on to the agent regardless if the caller is calling from a land line, mobile or blocked number. This definitely benefits the agent as they don’t have to worry about people not leaving messages or leaving inadequate contact information. Hits on websites can easily be transferred into leads by directing them to the call capture system which then can be converted into sales.

With the call capture system generating, capturing and updating the agent on all leads that are coming in, they can spend more time nurturing the those leads and their clients that they are already working with.

There are many extras included with most real estate call capture systems as well. They provide the agent with access to a wide variety of sales and marketing tools, such as newsletter systems, marketing campaigns, and advertising systems. The various extensions that can be added can also be assigned to certain ad types. Agents know if the person is calling in regards to an ad they read in a newspaper, online advertising, a magazine, or on a sign rider. This assists in determining what type of advertising is working best, making it possible to allocate money and resources to the most effective ads.  By using the advertising tracking abilities of a call capture system, an agent can free up valuable time and resources that can be better spent on only the best advertising and on taking care of their clients and their needs.

There are benefits to the home buyer as well. Because of the fact that most real estate agents spend a majority of their time away from their office, it can be difficult to contact them. Messages can be left and calls missed. A hopeful buyer may miss out on the opportunity of purchasing a home because they couldn’t reach their agent, and the agent may miss out on a sale and commission. The call capture system can forward a client’s call to the office, home, cell phone, or any other phone number of the agent’s choosing. This ensures that the agent can be reached at any time. The result is that the clients feel as if they are receiving personal service and a client is more inclined to work with an agent who can offer them personal, quick, and efficient service.

Being able to service clients more efficiently is the key to obtaining more sales, establishing good customer relations and excellent word-of-mouth advertising. Agents can now spend more time listening to what their clients need rather than having to spend so much time trying to find ways to generate more leads and manage their advertising. Having to focus energy on creating flyers and ads is time consuming and can also be counter-productive to what the agent is trying to achieve.

This call capture technology is drawing more and more interest towards the real estate business. There is definitely huge potential to make money in the real estate industry, and by using up to date programs such as call capture, money can be made more quickly and with less initial cost. Real estate agents who use the call capture system report that it has changed their way of doing business significantly and that it makes them feel more comfortable and confident in their jobs.  It is expected that, like web sites and cell phones, call capture will soon be a standard tool of the real estate industry.