Everything an estate agent does, day-to-day, boils down to communicating effectively. Taking new instructions, arranging viewings, giving advice, closing deals, dealing with solicitors...the list is endless.

That’s why it’s vital for all estate agencies to have a strong communication network in place. That means for customers, external partners/suppliers and also internally for members of the team.

I know what you’re thinking. “Surely it’s impossible to keep everyone in constant communication without any information being lost along the way?” Well, that’s where cloud-based telephony systems come in.

Hosted VoIP systems are becoming more and more advanced and have a whole heap of features that all estate agencies can benefit from.

Here are some of the core issues that estate agents come across and, crucially, the way these problems can be solved by using a hosted VoIP system.

• VoIP systems direct calls to the right people, wherever they are. With a modern VoIP system in place, calls can come through to a desktop or a mobile phone meaning increased opportunity to successfully receive and deal with calls.

• With a VoIP system, an estate agency will be able to monitor when and why calls are being missed with a detailed management reporting functionality.

• Introducing a cloud based unified comms systems, such as Gamma Connect, keeps everyone connected in the business which will enhance the ability for diaries to be aligned and workload to be managed.

• Unified communications also don’t work via an app. This means costs are reduced. Your staff won’t be using up their expensive mobile data allowance to receive calls whilst they’re on the move.

• VoIP systems can be hosted across different locations. This means directing calls to the right office is made much easier.

• In particularly busy times, overflow systems can be set-up. This is ideal so that if a quieter office has capacity, it can take calls from a busier office meaning less calls are dropped and an improved customer experience is provided.

• Modern cloud-based telephone systems have call recording functions to help ensure no detail is lost.

• Being able to record calls means that an estate agency will be able to identity and solve any training needs and, if required, the recordings can also be referred to in the event of any disputes arising.

• In small agencies, people are not always in the office to answer the calls which can lead to a poor customer experience. After all, there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to arrange a viewing on potentially your dream house and getting nowhere fast, for example. Having a VoIP system allows users to access calls on the go, making these kinds of customer frustrations a thing of the past.

• In a competitive market, like estate agency, excellent customer service, online reviews and feedback can genuinely be decisive factors for potential customers. Cloud-based telephony can therefore be used to leverage even better results for your business.

• VoIP systems are run 24 hours which means important phone calls can be taken out of normal office hours and voicemails can also be left.

• If out of hours calls are missed for any reason, they are still easily tracked. This means the number can be called back at a convenient time.

• As the business grows, VoIP systems can be changed to suit the needs of the estate agents without the hassle or cost of adding and integrating new, single site, phone systems.

• Adding extra phone lines to a hosted system if you open a new office is a prime example of how easily expandable cloud-based telephony is.

Want to see how cloud-based phone systems have helped a growing estate agency in the North West to become more efficient and deliver an even better service? Click to view our Miller Metcalfe case study.