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Real estate personnel are better equipped than ever to meet the needs of each and every client.
In an episode of REB’s sister podcast, The Smart Property Investment Show, Tara Bradbury, principal leasing agent at Active Agents, delved into how technology enabled her property management firm to offer personalised service to their clients.
Explaining the why behind the decision to establish Active Agents, Bradbury stated she sought to streamline the complexities involved in renting within the local Hervey Bay area.
Bradbury relayed that clients applying for rental properties “couldn’t get through because they had to view the property, or they had to do a paper-based application”.
“We were actually knocking back amazing people that we should really be inviting to this region,” stated Bradbury.
In a bid to shake things up, Bradbury said that the firm used the property management platform Managed to “automate the key areas that we want to automate” and “communicate well as human beings in the areas that we should be communicating in”.
“The main attraction to me was how they process their payments and the ability to run an operation that can be more focused on working with property managers that are working on areas that are important for the property.”
Bradbury relayed that her team also explored how selectively automating elements of their communications process can benefit their clients.
“We actually call the inquiries that come through (and) make them aware of our tenant viewings that are booked in.
“If we can’t reach them on the phone, we’ll have a preset email that we send to them that has a list of the inspections for the week that they can attend.”
Nonetheless, Bradbury was still emphatic that continuing to personally reach out to tenants by phone was important in ensuring that clients “don’t feel as though they’re just an automated transaction in the agency”.
“There’s plenty of software programs out there that can do high automation with your tenant inquiries that come through. I made the decision during COVID that I didn’t want to step down that path,” Bradbury explained.
“I would suggest that easily still, 95 per cent of our rent roll are happy to pick up the phone and have a conversation.”
The principal leasing agent also spoke on how technology also helped Active Agents in developing and collating notes on the requirements of their clients.
“We do have some tenants that have experienced DV (domestic violence), so we have more protective mechanisms and steps that we have on their files because they need to be safe and protected within their homes as well.”
Ultimately, these interpersonal practices endeavoured by Bradbury are an indication of how technology can help the real estate sector to meaningfully engage with their clientele.
“That’s the service that our clients are going to see, which is going to make it really difficult for them to want to choose to find another agency in the area,” Bradbury concluded.
Listen to the full conversation with Tara Bradbury and Phil Tarrant here.
