5 Tech Tricks for Better Real Estate Customer Service

Real estate agents should always be focused on how to better serve their clients and prospects--but I'm sure we don't have to tell you that! What we can share with you, however, are the tech-based tips and tricks that will ensure you offer your customers the best service in your market.

Here are five ways to do just that:

1. Collaborate during the home search

If you're working with buyers, it's likely they started browsing homes online before contacting you. Fortunately, many property search platforms and mobile apps now offer collaborative search options where the buyer can share listings, messages and favorite properties with a partner or spouse, and their agent. By joining your client on the property search app, you can streamline communication and quickly share listings that may interest them all in one place.

Want to move your buyers' search to your property app of choice or your website? Consider demonstrating the benefits of searching on your app or website during the buyer presentation. Pull up the app on your device and show--don't just tell--the capabilities that app offers, be it collaboration, accurate housing data, or the ability to snap a photo of a home and instantly pull up its information.

Bonus tip: If you have access to the analytics of the property app or website your buyers search on, use the details of their search history to suggest better properties to them. For example, if you notice they're primarily searching in one neighborhood or looking at homes with a specific feature like an in-ground pool, send them listings that match that criteria.

2. Introduce technology early, but gently

Speaking of client presentations, use the buyer's or listing presentation to introduce them to the technology you use during the sales process. This lets them know what to expect and lets them get comfortable from the start.

However, rather than focusing on the tech, concentrate on building a rapport with that potential client and explaining the transaction process. During that conversation, you can talk about the tools you use to make everything run smoothly.

Once you've wowed the consumer with your presentation, get them to sign the listing or buyer's agreement on the transaction management platform of your choice. This is a gentle introduction to the technology, and on platforms like dotloop, they'll then be prompted to create a free account so they easily keep track of future documents. It's a quick and painless way to onboard them.

Bonus tip: If your clients are particularly hesitant to sign documents digitally, consider letting them sign their name using their finger or a stylus. Being able to draw their own signature may feel more natural and comfortable to some people than signing with the generic fonts that platforms default to.

To do this, look for an option that says, "Draw Signature" or something similar. In dotloop, this option is available in the bottom left of the "Adopt your signature" window that pops up during the first instance of signing.

3. Expedite offers

We don't have to tell you that this is a crazy market, and it's not unusual to see homes sold within days of that listing going live. That means buyers and their agents have to be extra proactive in order to secure a home.

Technology to the rescue! Gone are the days of thoughtfully considering a home, a prolonged back-and-forth between the listing and buyer's agents, and printing out and signing offer forms. Today, agents need to put in an offer ASAP. With digital transaction technology like dotloop, agents can write an offer, have their clients sign it, and submit it to the listing agent—all within 10 minutes.

4. Streamline all steps of the transaction

You may be an old pro when it comes to handling real estate transactions, but for most consumers, a property transaction happens only a few times during their lives. Keep it simple for them by requiring them to log in to as few apps as possible.

The best way to do this is to centralize the transaction experience in one place, preferably your transaction management system. From there, your clients can log in, see all the documents they've signed, get notified of which documents they still need to sign, and more.

Depending on the platform you use, you can also centralize all communications in one place. Dotloop, for example, features text messaging capabilities in their mobile app. Agents can use it to send documents for signing via text, and clients can then sign right from their phone, and all parties can get important notifications sent right to their mobile device to expedite the transaction.

If your transaction platform integrates with other apps, you'll also be able to initiate and manage things like escrow and the notarization of documents from one place. Dotloop, for example, integrates with Earnnest and Notarize to streamline these processes.

5. Keep the relationship going after the sale

Staying in touch with clients after the transaction is the best way to encourage referrals and repeat business. Use your CRM or lead management tool to periodically reach out to past clients and stay top of mind.

You can set your CRM to remind you to reach out periodically with a phone call or text, or you can automate outreach with drip email campaigns or happy birthday messages.

One of our favorite outreach methods is the "house-aversary" message, sent annually on the anniversary of the home sale. If your CRM integrates with your transaction platform, you can set up the date of sale to automatically be imported from the transaction platform and trigger a message on that date in the CRM. Dotloop users can even trigger a video message to be sent via dotloop's BombBomb integration.

We particularly like the idea of sending your clients a snapshot of their home's current market value in this message. It's an opportunity to remind your former clients of the value of the home they've invested in—and of the value of your services.

To learn about more ways dotloop can improve the client experience, visit dotloop.com.