ERA Real Estate has announced the addition of an IVR (interactive voice response) feature to the TextERA platform. TextERA, already hugely successful among ERA®-affiliated brokers and agents, allows potential clients to immediately access the listing agent, pricing, video and details about the property within seconds by following prompts from their yard signs. TextERA’s new IVR feature ensures that potential clients who still opt to make phone calls will also receive an immediate response.
ERA Real Estate has been at the forefront of mobile technology and consumer behavior, understanding that the No. 1 activity people do with smart phones is text messaging, and that 97 percent of text messages are open and read. However, data shows that sign calls do occur, but a staggering 50 percent of those calls go unanswered. With the IVR feature, agents can be assured that if a potential client tries to call them, they will not be sent to voicemail. Instead, the client will be automatically rerouted to their brokerage’s reception desk, and will receive a text with listing information. The system will also simultaneously text the agent to alert them that a potential client is trying to get in touch.
“Our overarching objective is to better serve the consumer and communicate with them in the way they prefer, ensuring that no inquiry goes unanswered,” says Frank Malpica, vice president of Strategic Partnerships & Programs at ERA Real Estate. “We have seen that the leads that come through TextERA are much more qualified than the leads that come from online browsing since these clients are physically in the neighborhood, so a quick, thoughtful response is crucial. The IVR feature is yet another way for ERA-affiliated agents to capture all potential client inquiries through automation and technology, and furthers our commitment to provide our agents and brokers with the latest industry innovations.”
Agents who trialed the IVR feature saw three times as many leads versus TextERA alone, propelling TextERA to the number one lead generating system in the ERA network ahead of industry portals. All leads sync to Zap®, ERA’s CRM system, creating a truly integrated experience for agents.
“While real estate portals may own the couch, ERA dominates the driveway,” says Malpica.
For more information, please visit www.era.com.
