All companies “kill” for having customers data, data about real interest in consuming or just curiosity about products and services.
Companies need this data, and they buy consumers’ data, sometimes without realizing it.
Big Techs have studied consumers to incredible levels, and they offer this info to advertisers very segmented. In this way, they ensure that the product information reaches the population segment that theoretically is more interested; therefore, the ROI companies get in each advertising campaign is better and better.
In other words, companies are very interested in knowing all the consumer´s data. For that reason, they handle more and more, an enormous amount of data, and thus, at each stage of their growth, they can carry out developments that are closer to potential clients’ needs.
But what about traditional real estate agents? Here, unfortunately, there is a significant gap to be covered by a startup / proptech.
In general, real estate agents do not save the client’s data. Surely they do not do it because of the effort to do it. Although the real estate CRMs usually have client sections where agents can save the client’s data. The truth is that agents receive thousands of notifications from portals, and this data gets lost because they cannot handle it. It is easy (or not) to understand. For example, if an agent place a portal ad for a rental apartment, this agent (at least in big Spanish cities) receives more or less 100 messages/contacts in just one day. This agent will probably close the deal with one of the 20 first contacts that he/she will receive. So, what do we do with the rest? Yes! we all think that the agent should save all of them, as they are potential customers for other properties or services offered.
Unfortunately, the general culture in the real estate sector does not help at all.
However, the idea penetrates in the market more and more, not only keeping all client’s data but the ability to relate this data to other services.
Therefore, the proptech sector has to find a way to facilitate data management. Not only a place where saving the data and make the process easy and automatic but also a way to use this data later on, a way to help the client giving a solution related to the request the client initially sent (including maybe other services).
It is undoubtedly one opportunity to help the sector to be more techie and competitive. Bringing technological transformation to more areas, assisting dissatisfied customers, giving them a voice, increasing communication.
Gustavo Lopez
Operations Director at the Real Estate Agents Association in Catalonia