Regardless of it being fair or not, the public perception of real estate agents has often been less than flattering. Opinion polls often rate real estate agents toward the bottom when considering occupations viewed in a good light.
My hope would be as the market has changed over the last few years, that customer service provided by agents has improved across the board and this improvement will one day be reflected in polls indicating our profession is gaining approval from the public.
It would make sense that customer service has improved. The market continues to eliminate part-time agents and those who had no business being in real estate sales to begin with. These same agents would certainly have had some part in the bad public opinion. Lack of training, lack of education, lack of experience and lack of ethics creates the possibility of bad customer service.
Even experienced agents could be benefiting from today's market as it allows for more quality customer service. Less business means more time for follow up and communication with the customer. Follow up and communication are the heart of good customer service.
Of course an argument could be made that customer service is not improving at all. While it is true that more and more part-time agents are leaving the business, it is also true that more and more full-time agents are now being forced to take second jobs and thus becoming part-time by default. Part-time in this business translates to less follow up, less communication and less time for quality customer service.
We may also have to consider the customer service dilemma created by today's mortgage mess and downward spiraling home prices. These two factors are at least partially responsible for the new "short sale" market that has been created. The listing and selling of homes contingent upon third party approval or a short sale contingency is rife with the potential of bad customer service.
Agents may not wish to admit that they have never successfully closed a short sale transaction. Agents may also not want to admit that they are unfamiliar with the steps and the process. This leaves agents handling this type of business on the fly and well, doing things on the fly can contribute to bad customer service.
So the question remains, is customer service improving among real estate professionals as a group? Time will tell. On an individual basis we can provide extraordinary customer service, which many great agents have done and will continue to do. On an office and company level we need to be confident that those agents with us understand the value of providing the best possible service regardless of the trends in the marketplace. The latter is my responsibility and it is one I take seriously. Those who fail to see the seriousness of the issue will need to correct their thought process' or find another place to work.
I think the public would want it that way.
Related Florida real estate views:
What do consumers want to know prior to relocating?Selling real estate is not very prestigiousDid we miss your call?- Greg Staker - Watson Realty Corp. - 407-304-0255
