WhatsApp for real estate agencies: here’s how you can use it

In this article, we’ll show you how you can take advantage of this messaging app in your real estate agency, in order to manage your customers

The current crisis caused by the pandemic has hit – and is still hitting – hard many sectors, including the real estate, which has estimated an overall 18% turnover decline in 2020.

In this context, the real estate sector discovers the need to reinvent itself, and find alternative solutions to digitize and be able to communicate with its target audience.

In this regard, instant messaging apps, such as WhatsApp (and in particular, its Business version, which is designed specifically for companies) allow you to get in touch directly with customers at any time and wherever they are.

What are WhatsApp Business’ features?

WhatsApp Business is the “corporate” version of the WhatsApp messaging app, designed for owners of SMEs. Through the app, the manager of a small business can easily interact with their customers in the same way they would interact with a friend through the traditional version of WhatsApp, but with a few more features that allow automatisation, organisation and quick message reply.

Here is a list of what WhatsApp Business allows you to do:

1) Create a company profile:  by providing users with all information relating to the business, contact details, opening hours, location, just as it happens for Facebook pages, creating a more direct and informal relationship;

2) Show business analytics: easily view the data about the contacts with which the company has interacted, such as the number of messages sent, delivered and read thanks to the analytics tool;

3) Bot set up option: an artificial intelligence, programmed to respond to customer requests in an automated way, thus saving time and resources to manage your contacts;

4) Send catalogs and other documents: with the possibility of forwarding multimedia files, such as photos, videos, audio messages or links to product pages, making the communication full of information;

5) Display distinctive features of the company: with logos and slogans that allow the brand to be easily recognizable by users.

WhatsApp has undergone huge changes over the years: it started out by being simply a messaging app between individuals, and now it’s turned into a platform also designed for companies that allows you to make calls, video calls, send images, videos, documents to customers, free of charge and instantly.

Why use WhatsApp to sell homes?

The real estate sector is changing, primarily due to the advent of new means of communication, which is why it is adapting to the use of these new technologies, such as WhatsApp to sell houses.

In short, here are the reasons why you should use the popular messaging app in its Business version:

1) Create broadcast lists: once a connection has been established between you and the new contact, you will have the possibility to add him/her to a broadcast list, or to send periodic messages to all your subscribers with a single click;

2) High message open rate: a multitude of users read the messages they receive on WhatsApp in a very short time, making communication much more effective and faster than e-mails;

3) Label all your contacts in the address book: it is an effective tool for segmenting customers, for example, by differentiating a customer who is looking for a house from one who wants to sell it, or labeling them based on the budget they have available, or according to the  geographical area they are most interested in;

4)Use chat histories: in order not to lose any information about the client if you manage a large number of contacts or if a contact comes back after several months, thanks to the chats you can review all the proposals, comments and objections or resume the negotiation from where it was left off ;

5) Communicate without time or space restraints: WhatsApp breaks down these barriers, just as it does not impose character limits, and gives the possibility to forward photos, audio, videos and links relating to the property for sale.

Offer after-sales assistance via WhatsApp

Real estate agencies can increase the loyalty of their customers by giving them the chance to contact the agency at any time, so you can create a lasting relationship of trust over time,

Nowadays, managing the after-sales service of a real estate agency through WhatsApp is a widespread choice among the players in the sector: companies have the ability to send personal documents, such as IDs and notarial deeds of property purchase, and this is done in complete safety since each message is protected by end-to-end encryption.

You can send the contact information on professionals in the renovations sector, or to provide assistance for utilities contracts (electricity, gas, telephone, etc). Furthermore, even the post-deed service can be managed via WhatsApp.

The idea of using WhatsApp is very successful and widespread, however it is obviously based on a relationship that is not without risks for both the agency and the client, in fact it requires time, dedication and a relationship of trust and transparency

How your real estate agency can communicate with clients through Callbell

If your real estate agency wished to establish a stable relationship of trust and communicate through WhatsApp, it will have to face the limits that the traditional WhatsApp app presents.

One of WhatsApp’s flaws, in fact, is that it cannot be used by multiple devices at the same time. This can be a huge problem for any company that has a dedicated sales or service team.

In this regard, Callbell  is the solution that meets the needs of real estate agencies of any size, and offers the possibility of managing a team of up to 100 agents. Simply invite your sales or support team to collaborate on the platform, and the chats will be distributed in a completely automated way.

In addition to WhatsApp, you can also integrate all the most famous instant messaging apps, so that you can manage all of them from one single platform, in an organized way. Moreover, you have the possibility to use reply templates, tags and many other features created to facilitate the collaboration of a sales or support team.

The mobile version of the platform is also available, that your team can use to manage chats directly from any smartphone, wherever the team members are.

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