One of the key aspects of being a realtor is being able to nurture new leads and convert them into clients. Those leads are increasingly likely to come from online sources such as social media, email, and website visitors. On one hand, this provides an excellent opportunity to collect data on potential customers so they can be targeted with an effective sales pitch. On the other hand, having new leads come in from a wide variety of sources can mean that people either fall through the cracks and are not contacted at all or that work is duplicated wasting your time and energy.

That’s why it is imperative that real estate agents have effective CRM systems in place to manage leads. Implementing a new system and learning new processes can take time in the short term. However, once your real estate CRM is up and running, it should make your life much easier. Your CRM should be the beating heart of your operation allowing you to access data and information about new leads quickly and putting them into a sales funnel. This means that selecting the best CRM software is an important decision and you need to know what to look for when choosing a CRM. Below are the top four things you should look for when selecting the best CRM for real estate agents and brokers.

1. It makes your job easier.

A good CRM system works as a tool to enable you to do your job as efficiently as possible. The user interface should be readily accessible on desktop and mobile and the information it provides must be presented in such a way that it is easily digestible and actionable.

As the saying goes, time is money, if your CRM is saving you time it is also saving you money. It needs to provide you with good options for scheduling tasks. A new lead is worthless unless it is followed up on, choose a CRM that will synchronise with your existing calendars so that reminders will not be missed.

The best CRM for realtors will pull in leads from multiple channels and will combine duplicates. If a customer has engaged with you on social media and then browsed your website, you don’t want to contact them twice. At best this is a waste of time, at worst it will be off-putting and will lose you that customer. Make sure your CRM prevents this from happening.

2. Provides effective lead management.

Not all leads are created equal. Some people will look at properties because they hope to one day be able to move. On the other end of the spectrum are those who are ready to make a purchase as soon as they find the right property and realtor. A good lead management CRM will enable you to quickly determine where on the sales journey a new lead is so you can choose how you wish to contact them. A customer who is just browsing out of curiosity is better serviced by putting them on a drip email campaign keeping your agency at the forefront of their mind. A client who is ready to make a purchase would benefit from a direct call and sales pitch. The best CRM for real estate will allow you to see which is which and directly communicate with them in the most appropriate manner.

Your CRM needs to provide you with all the details about each lead so that when you contact them you know what they are looking for. The type of properties viewed, in what price range and location, and how many bedrooms and bathrooms are required should all be recorded and displayed.

3. Allows effective communication.

In a world of hyper connectivity and instant communication people expect to be able to connect with you quickly and conveniently. Your CRM needs to provide real estate contact management that not only allows you to prioritize leads but also to communicate with them across a variety of channels.

Some customers will prefer to be contacted directly on their mobile phones. Your CRM should enable you to contact them by telephone or by text message. It must also allow you to send personal texts directly to a specific customer or to send automated texts when required.

Other customers will find being contacted on their phones intrusive so other means of communication should also be available. Email is a key component of any marketing campaign and cannot be ignored. However, increasingly people are aware of anything that is obviously part of a marketing strategy and may ignore it. For this reason further communication methods will have to be provided. You want to look for a CRM that allows an instant chat function that can be directly accessed from the best CRM for real estate.

4. It automates multiple tasks

Your CRM should do more than organise, provide information, and allow easy communication. If you have to check constantly what new leads have come in and what actions need to be taken then your CRM is only doing half of its job. It isn’t possible or desirable to be constantly checking your CRM, you may be in a meeting with another client and unable to do so, but some leads require instant responses. Customers who come to you via portal are usually looking at multiple listings and at this stage are just as likely to go with a rival than they are with you. The best CRM systems are designed so when a new lead comes in from a portal it triggers an automated response.

When a client finds a property they want they don’t want to wait and risk losing out. If they need to contact you personally to book a viewing and you are not available, this may cause them concern and create a negative image of your agency. Chose a CRM that has an automated appointment and viewing booking system so as soon as a customer is ready they can easily take the next step.