Keeping up with the newest technical innovations is critical for any industry. Real estate is no different.

With the internet becoming more ubiquitous by the day and technology developing on both the hardware and software sides, it's no wonder that being technologically adept is more crucial than ever.

While staying up to date on real estate technology might be time-consuming, there are numerous benefits to doing so.

That's because technology is becoming more user-friendly and can aid your business in ways we never imagined conceivable even a decade ago.

While real estate is not known for being a technologically advanced industry, it does rely on it.

Not only with technologies like MLS and IDX, but also with marketing, customer relationship management, and determining the effectiveness of your marketing activities.

Chatbots are one of the hottest technologies being deployed by an increasing number of enterprises, including real estate agents.

These programs have been all the rage in recent years, and the buzz surrounding what they can achieve appears to be too wonderful to be true. But are these programs just a passing craze, or are they bits of technology worth incorporating into your marketing efforts?

 

What Exactly Are Chatbots?

Chatbots are software robots that, as the name implies, imitate a conversation with a real person. They accomplish this by scripting, artificial intelligence, or a combination of the two.

Some have extremely basic functionality and are designed with rudimentary scripts that respond to questions like "What can I help you with today?" Alternatively, "Are you in need of assistance?"Others are far more advanced, employing powerful artificial intelligence capable of understanding natural language and, at times, making it difficult to discern whether you're chatting to a human or not.

Chatbots can also act as a link between a customer and an agent by switching between a bot and a human on the fly.

They're incredibly popular, and you've probably seen them at this point. They are usually found in one of the corners of a homepage and pleasantly inform you that if you have any questions, they can assist you in discovering the answer or put you in touch with a real person.

Though we normally think of Chatbots as programs that are embedded in websites, they aren't confined to that. Chatbots are available for Facebook, Slack, Discord, Twitter, and pretty much any other communication platform (including SMS).

 

Why Should You Be Concerned About Real Estate Chatbots?

The real estate sector is strongly reliant on communication. You must consistently demonstrate your value as an agent to both new and previous clients. If you had all the time in the world, you could contact every single potential client and handle every interaction yourself. However, this is not always achievable.

Real estate agents are only human, with only 24 hours in a day. Because there is always something that needs to be done, time is a very valuable and limited resource for real estate salespeople. This holds true no matter where you are in your real estate business.

You're so busy with daily chores that it's easy to overlook prospecting and following up with website visitors.

Too many fresh leads go through the cracks since it's difficult to keep up with all of the inquiries from prospective clients.

Chatbots can help in this situation. They can help steer visitors to your website, book in-person consultations, and even gather information about the home they're looking for and find it for them.

The advantages of chatbots:

 

1. They Provide Live, 24-Hour Support

One of the most significant benefits of adopting chatbots is that you may always have someone answering simple questions from your clients and prospects.

Chatbots, unlike real-life representatives, are available to visitors and clients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They can greet customers, respond to their questions quickly, and direct them to the appropriate location.

This enables customers' inquiries to be addressed even beyond business hours. You would also save money on customer assistance as an added advantage.

 

2. They Can Assist You In Qualifying Leads

Even if you specialize in a specific real estate area, each client is unique and has unique demands.

Some people look for condos, while others look for single-family homes. Some people can pay cash for a property, while others require financing. Some people need to buy a house right now, while others can wait a little longer.

All of that information must be gathered. Chatbots can assist in gathering some of that critical property search information by asking qualifying questions, saving it to your CRM, and immediately providing clients with properties they may be looking for.

Some Chatbots can also automatically send property alerts to clients when a listing that satisfies their precise criteria is added to the MLS.

 

3. Chatbots Assist In Client Relationship Management

Real estate brokers often have at least a thousand connections in their CRM, but keeping in touch with all of these contacts on a regular basis is quite challenging.

Chatbots can help you manage your client relationships by automating routine but necessary chores like tracking and recalling client activity, sending out email notices for open houses and even remembering significant occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.

These responses can be sent via email, social media, SMS, or any other sort of communication.

These messages can also be customized to gather more information or to prompt your receivers to take a specific action, such as booking a live consultation with you.

 

4. Chatbots Can Assist In Scheduling Property Tours

Some chatbots can monitor your website's visitors and determine whether they are interested in a specific property. For example, if a visitor returns to the same property time and over, the chatbot may intervene, invite the visitor to a property tour, and arrange it for you.

 

5. Chatbots Can Assist With Conversation Logging

Chatbots can also keep track of the conversations they've had with potential customers. This can be quite helpful for the human agent who replaces the bot and speaks with the consumer.

You'll be able to grasp what the client is looking for and have everything ready for them before ever speaking to them if you have access to the interaction they had with the chatbot.

 

Which Chatbot Should I Purchase?

Because there are practically thousands of chatbots to choose from, it might be difficult to select the one that is best for you. Despite the fact that they are frequently touted as artificial intelligence solutions, not all of them use actual AI.

But the truth is that you don't necessarily need to invest in a costly chatbot powered by advanced AI.

Many simple activities can be handled well by free, open-source chatbots. Let's take a look at some of the available chatbots.

 

Bots That Have Been Programmed

Scripted bots are one of the most basic sorts of bots. They are created utilizing simple computer logic and pre-programmed conversation options. Consider them as dialogue possibilities on an answering machine or alternatives in "choose your own adventure" books.

But don't be fooled by its simplicity. Even simple logic can be highly useful, allowing your chatbot to answer simple queries from your visitors, such as if they need to speak with a human agent, what type of property they're searching for, scheduling a meeting, and so on.

These are by far the most popular types of chatbots available, as well as those with the most communication service connections.

 

Check Out These Scripted Chatbots

• Formilla
• ManyChat
• Monkey on the Move
• The Flow XO
• LiveChat
• Botsify
• BotKit

 

True Artificial Intelligence Chatbots

When it comes to using artificial intelligence, these types of chatbots are the genuine deal. These chatbots can hold nearly human-like conversations thanks to machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and other artificial language approaches. This comes out as more warm and personable than any scripted chatbot could.

AI chatbots can also do considerably more complex jobs, such as supplying customers with appropriate listings depending on what was mentioned during the interaction.AI bots, like programmed bots, can also lead visitors to a real human whenever appropriate.

 

Check Out These True AI Chatbots

• Good day, Alex.
• ChatterOn
• Sequel
• Watson
• Bold360
• Rulai
• Ada

 

Conclusion

Chatbots are wonderful tools that every real estate salesperson can use. These incredible AIs, in the proper hands, are capable of saving tremendous amounts of time and ensuring you capture as many leads as possible from your website.