Now more than ever, it’s crucial for you and your team to stay connected to your prospects, and prove that you’re willing to go the extra mile to help them navigate their home search in these unprecedented times. We wanted to dive further into this facet of customer care and service, so we went undercover to find out more… 

After creating a fake customer profile, which included name, email, and phone number, we “shopped” homebuilders on the top 200 list and submitted web forms. Over a period of 30 days*, we collected data about how long it took for builders to respond, how often they responded, specific follow-up tactics, and the role that online sales counselors play in customer service — and we’re excited to share what we’ve learned with you!

*No initial autoresponders counted as an actual follow up.

Did you know: it takes 6-8 touches to generate a viable sales lead?1 

• Only 9% of builders responded 7+ times
• 25% only responded 1 time
• 32% responded more than 3 times
• 16% did not respond at all

Takeaway: The greater the effort your team makes to respond to prospects, the greater the chance you have to convert. Especially now, prospects want to be taken seriously (and cared for). Go ahead and show them how much you care.

Average Follow-Up Time

Did you know: following up within 5 minutes makes a conversion 9x more likely?2 

• Average response time: 26 hours
• Fastest response time: 3 minutes
• Longest time to respond: 7 days
• Average number of follow-ups made: 2.87

Takeaway: On the internet, we can get almost anything we want instantaneously. So it’s no surprise that prospects respond positively when you respond to them promptly. If you don’t get back to them quickly? They may be on their way to another builder’s virtual tours…

Online Sales Counselor (OSC)

Top responders (defined by 7 or more attempts): 80% had an OSC

With OSC:

• Average number of responses: 4.3
• Phone call attempts made: 2

Without OSC*:

• Average number of responses: 2.1
• Phone call attempts made: 1

100% of the no responders did not have an OSC**

Takeaway: Teams that have online sales counselors are more dedicated to making more responses than those who don’t. Considering the amount of response attempts is related to a greater chance of conversion, an online sales counselor is something to look into.

*Once a call was made, almost all follow up stopped.

**No autoresponse counted as an actual follow up.

Specific Follow-Up Tactics

Did you know: both text and video were done by our top responders?

Phone*: 32% 

Text: 11%

Video email: 5%

Takeaway: In today’s digital age, prospects appreciate the ease and convenience of text and video. When you utilize methods that they’re most comfortable with, you prove that you’re in touch with your audience, and care about satisfying their needs. 

*Every form had a phone number listed and most builders reached out only once via phone.

At g2, we’re always looking for ways to help you improve your new home sales and marketing strategy — and in this time of social distancing, it’s never been more important to stay connected to your prospects. Because conversions are more likely to happen with a quick response time, multiple responses, specific follow-up methods, and the presence of an online sales counselor, now’s a good time to start implementing these tactics into your customer service strategy. Have any questions? We’d be happy to talk them through with you! 

1 Salesforce

2 Lasso