Press Release
Weichert, Realtors® Leading the Way in Providing Responsive Personal Service on the Web
2/7/2007
MORRIS PLAINS, N.J. – While browsing real estate Web sites, have you ever sent a quick e-mail asking about a home that sparked your interest only to find yourself waiting several hours or even days for a reply?
Responding to online home buyers within minutes, not hours, is among the many ways that Weichert, Realtors® has brought the attentive personal service it is known for to its Web site, weichert.com. And as measured by online traffic and inquiries, that level of service is just what Net-browsing house-hunters are looking for.
“The number of visitors to weichert.com increased 21 percent in 2006 from the year before,” said Mike Montsko, president of Weichert Lead Network, Weichert’s industry-leading customer contact center.
“What that tells us,” he said, “is that people are finding the information and services available on weichert.com to be of real value. They’re returning again and again to our site, they’re staying longer, and they’re taking advantage of our quick response time to go out and see homes with local Weichert Sales Associates.”
Whether buyers on weichert.com call the “Quick Connect” 800-number or send an email inquiry, a swift response is the norm. Trained service professionals staff Weichert’s contact center seven days a week to ensure that online buyers get the same personal attention as those who walk into their local Weichert office.
Supported by state-of-the-art technology, the center’s service professionals can initiate a “warm transfer” directly to the cell phone of a Weichert sales associate who is a neighborhood specialist in the appropriate geographic area. That local sales associate can then answer any questions and arrange an appointment to see the home in person. If the buyer has a special need, such as preferring a Spanish-speaking sales associate or one who is a condominium or luxury-home specialist, the contact center’s service professionals will strive to make that match.
A few months ago, personal service on weichert.com was expanded with the introduction of a streamlined mortgage form. Prospective buyers viewing a home online can click “Apply Online” to submit a short mortgage credit approval form to Weichert Financial Services. Typically, a mortgage representative, called a Gold Services Manager, gets back to the buyer that very day to discuss mortgage options and arrive at a comfortable monthly payment. Same-day mortgage credit approvals are the norm.
The Weichert Web site responds to customer needs in other ways as well.
One popular feature is Open House mapping. With a few clicks, buyers can pull up that weekend’s Weichert Open Houses, decide which ones to visit, and then get a customized printout that efficiently maps out their Open House tour with directions from whatever starting point they choose.
Testifying to the usefulness of weichert.com to buyers and sellers is that visitors stay on the site longer on average than visitors to any other real estate Web site, according to Hitwise, a company that tracks online trends.
Montsko expects activity on weichert.com to accelerate. “January saw a real jump in activity,” he said, noting that on a recent Sunday, the Weichert Web site had its highest traffic day ever, recording nearly 136,000 visits. Most significantly, he said, the number of those visitors who sought either to see a home in person or find out more was up 20 percent from January 2006.
Over upcoming months, you can expect to see “exciting new enhancements” unveiled on weichert.com, Montsko said, in line with Weichert, Realtors’ commitment to stay on the cutting edge of delivering customer-focused information and service on the Web.
Weichert has more than 18,300 sales associates in nearly 490 company-owned and franchised sales offices in key markets throughout the U.S. A family of full-service real estate and financial services companies, Weichert helps customers buy and sell both residential and commercial real estate, and streamlines the delivery of mortgages and home and title insurance. For more information, call Weichert's customer service center at 1-800-USA-SOLD or visit Weichert's Web site, www.weichert.com. Each Weichert franchised office is independently owned and operated.