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Missed calls are often seen as minor setbacks in the hustle of managing properties. Handling tenant requests, coordinating maintenance, and overseeing administrative tasks can lead to some calls going unanswered. But what is the real cost of these missed connections? Can it be prevented when you book a 24/7 property management call center?
Every unanswered call is a missed business opportunity. This could be a prospective new owner interested in your property management services, a current tenant needing urgent help, or a dissatisfied owner with complaints. Missing these calls can mean losing out on new owners, failing to resolve important issues, and damaging your reputation.
Let's explore how missed calls can affect your property management business and discuss strategies to address this issue effectively.
Why It Happens
There are several reasons why your property management office might be missing calls. These include:
- Insufficient Staff: With too few team members to answer calls, especially during peak hours, your staff may be overwhelmed and unable to keep up with call volumes.
- Busy Staff: Even with enough staff, they might be occupied with other tasks like answering emails, attending meetings, or handling in-person inquiries. This multitasking can lead to missed calls.
- After-Hours Calls: Tenants and owners may call outside of your regular business hours. Without an after-hours answering service, these calls go unanswered until the next business day.
- Prioritization Issues: Your business might prioritize other forms of customer service, such as in-person visits or email responses, over phone-based interactions, leading to missed calls.
- Technology Limitations: You might lack the right technology to efficiently manage and prioritize incoming calls. Without advanced CRM systems and call-handling solutions, ensuring that every call is answered promptly becomes challenging.
What Happens When You Can’t Answer Your Calls
When your property management business misses a call, several scenarios might unfold, each with potential negative outcomes:
- The Call Rings Endlessly: A tenant or potential new owner calls, and the phone rings until they lose interest and hang up. This missed connection can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction. Tenants with urgent maintenance issues may feel neglected, while prospective new owners may question your reliability.
- Caller Placed on Hold: The caller is put on hold, placed in a queue, or offered a callback at a later time. Tenants facing pressing concerns, like emergency repairs, can become impatient and unhappy. New owner inquiries might decide to seek management services elsewhere if they perceive delays in communication.
- Voicemail Activation: Your voicemail service activates, prompting the caller to leave a message. Many callers may hesitate to leave voicemails, resulting in unresolved issues and missed opportunities. Tenants needing immediate assistance may feel their problems aren't prioritized, and potential new owners may move on to other property management companies.
How Much Do Missed Calls Cost Your Business
Industry statistics reveal that businesses miss about half of their incoming calls. For property managers, this figure is particularly troubling due to the nature of your interactions. Every missed call could be a high-value interaction with potential or current clients who expect prompt and direct communication.
Here are the possible opportunities that you could be missing:
Lost New Owner Leads
Around 80% of business communications are phone calls, making it a critical channel for property management inquiries. When a potential new owner’s call goes unanswered, the likelihood of them calling back is slim. Statistics show that 85% of unanswered calls will not attempt a second call. This means every missed call from a potential new client represents a lost opportunity for growth and revenue.
Decreased Tenant and Owner Retention
Tenants rely on property managers for timely responses to maintenance issues and other concerns. Similarly, property owners depend on property managers for prompt updates and effective handling of their investments. Missing owners’ and tenants’ calls can lead to unresolved problems, resulting in frustration and dissatisfaction.
Keep in mind that more than 60% of unhappy clients will take their business elsewhere. For property managers, this means losing tenants who may not renew their leases due to poor service experiences or owners who might switch to another management company.
Negative Reviews
Bad customer service spreads faster than good service. When tenants and potential new owners experience poor service, such as unanswered calls, they are likely to share their negative experiences with others through online reviews. People will tell 1.6 times as many individuals about bad service than they will about good service. Negative reviews can damage your reputation, making it harder to attract new tenants and clients.
Financial Impact of Lost Calls
Businesses lose billions annually due to missed calls. For property managers, this financial loss can come from several areas, including lost rental income, increased vacancy rates, and reduced owner acquisition. Promptly answering every call can help mitigate these losses and improve your bottom line.
Challenges with After-Hours Calls
Property management is not a 9-to-5 job. Tenants may have emergencies at any hour, and potential new owners might call outside of business hours. Without a robust system for handling after-hours calls, these critical connections can be missed, leading to dissatisfied tenants and lost business opportunities.
How to Prevent Missed Calls by Hiring a 24/7 Property Management Call Center
Improving how calls are handled can significantly enhance client satisfaction and operational efficiency. Consider implementing these strategies:
Enhanced Training
Equip your team to handle various calls, from routine inquiries to urgent tenant issues. Proper training ensures they can provide high-quality service, resolve problems quickly, and keep clients informed.
However, training an in-house team involves significant time and financial investment. Regular updates and retraining sessions are necessary to keep up with industry changes. There is also the risk of inconsistent service quality if the training isn't uniformly effective across all team members.
Outsourcing During Peak Times
Partnering with a specialized property management call center is a good investment. Our team of agents at Phone Tenders 24/7 Call Center is trained specifically to handle property management calls.
We manage overflow and after-hours calls, ensuring no call goes unanswered during busy periods or when your office is closed. Our service structure includes:
- Leasing Department: We pre-qualify, answer questions, and schedule showings.
- Mainline Department: We have custom scripting for any calls into a management office, including new owner leads and inquiries about management services. This ensures leads are captured and never hit a voicemail.
- After-Hours Emergency Repair: For after-hours calls, we handle emergency repairs to ensure immediate assistance.
Our property management call center offers full coverage options, meaning calls come directly to us without disturbing your in-house team or virtual assistants. Alternatively, we can manage overflow, where calls ring to your team first and then transfer to us if unanswered, ensuring nobody hits a voicemail. We also provide after-hours call handling.
Never Miss a Call With Our 24/7 Property Management Call Center
To avoid the high cost of missed calls, property managers should consider partnering with specialized call centers. Our team of trained agents at Phone Tenders 24/7 Call Center, for example, is equipped to handle property management calls, ensuring every call is handled with the professionalism that they deserve.
We offer comprehensive solutions, including leasing inquiries, maintenance requests, and after-hours emergency repairs. By ensuring consistent, high-quality service, you can enhance tenant satisfaction, secure new owner leads, and maintain operational efficiency.
Ready to learn more? Schedule a demo today!