According to Collect.chat, the real estate sector leads the list of the top five industries profiting from chatbots. Agents not using chatbots are undoubtedly missing out on one opportunity to grow their real estate business. 

Generating leads in real estate is challenging. In today’s digital age, most clients begin the process of buying or selling homes online. Agents can’t afford to let these leads slip through the cracks. Using a chatbot can tap into online traffic to generate and convert leads into customers. 

Chatbots handle conversations with potential clients that are at the top of the sales funnel. They collect necessary information by asking relevant questions and answers and alert agents of new leads. 

Here’s why agents should use chatbots and how they can implement them.

Be available 24/7

Between meetings, property showings, and paperwork, real estate agents are often busy and can’t remain available to clients throughout the day. Additionally, not all questions require input from a live agent.

Chatbots can answer client queries and offer support around the clock, 365 days a year. Regardless of the day or time, customers can get the information they need or leave their details for an agent to contact them later.

Furthermore, According to The State of Chatbots Report, the top reason why people use chatbots is to get quick answers. When a potential client is seeking answers about a property they are interested in, they don’t have to wait for a live agent to assist them. However, chatbots can provide immediate assistance.

Qualify leads

Agents can spend a lot of time sifting through leads and qualifying them. Chatbots, however, interact with each potential lead, collecting their information and saving it to a database. 

Agents have access to a filtered, pre-qualified lead base, which prevents them from wasting time on unproductive queries. They have all the details about what a customer wants before ever contacting them. This allows agents to jump right into building a relationship with the prospect and curating properties for them.

Schedule property showings

Not only can chatbots collect essential client information, but they can also schedule home tours for prospects that are deeper into the sales funnel. Chatbots are an easy way to facilitate the introduction between the client and the agent. Agents can then take over at this point.

Document conversation history

Chatbots keep a log of every interaction they have with leads. This history is helpful when an agent takes the reins from a chatbot to interact with a prospect. They can review prior communications and get a better understanding of the customer’s needs before contacting them. Agents can also review chat logs to identify trends between customers and chatbots, such as interest in particular properties or areas. It also helps agents to see frequently asked questions. Maybe the same question keeps popping up, so agents can put this information more prominently on their site.

Getting started with chatbots

Chatbots provide agents with numerous benefits – it’s easy to see why many real estate professionals are implementing them. However, chatbot applications vary, so agents should spend some time defining their goals and researching different solutions before getting started.

Many agents benefit from deploying a chatbot on both their website and Facebook page.

Website chatbots 

HubSpot research found that 57% of consumers are interested in getting real-time answers from chatbots on a company website. Agents can connect chatbots to their website so that they engage visitors with questions and relevant conversation.

Implementing a chatbot may sound intimidating. However, agents can use a tool like Botsify to create and deploy a website chatbot within minutes. The platform allows agents to create a custom virtual experience for prospects, provide an immediate response, and gather qualified leads. 

Agents can use other tools to implement a chatbot on their website, including Apartment Ocean, Automabots, ManyChat and Chatra.

Facebook Messenger chatbots

According to VentureBeat, there are more than 300,000 chatbots on Facebook. Customers not only spend time communicating with friends and family on Messenger, but they also prefer to engage with businesses there as well. According to a survey by Twilio, 9 out of 10 consumers want to use messaging applications to communicate with brands.

Agents, for example, can run Facebook Messenger Ads for property listings that lead prospects to a Messenger chatbot when they click on the ad. The Messenger chatbot can ask specific questions and instantly qualify leads. Agents get essential information about leads without having to spend time interacting with them.

With MobileMonkey, agents can deploy a chatbot to engage with customers on Facebook Messenger. The chatbot is a sequence of chat pages that trigger on Messenger based on what the customer selects or types. The platform allows agents to use the Bot Builder to set up a chatbot with quick forms, images, text, qualifying questions, and more.

Preparing for the future of real estate with chatbots

Chatbots will never replace the role of a real estate agent. However, they make it easier for agents to generate and qualify leads, offer 24/7 support, and more. Agents that implement a chatbot on their website and Facebook page will enhance their workflow as well as their customers’ experience – both of which will give them a competitive advantage in the real estate industry.