Weichert, Realtors® Leading The Way In Providing Responsive Personal Service On The Web

(Wednesday, February 07, 2007) - While browsing real estate Web
sites, have you ever sent a quick e-mail asking about a home that sparked
your interest only to find yourself waiting several hours or even days for a
reply?
Responding to online home buyers within minutes, not hours, is among
the many ways that Weichert, Realtors® has brought the attentive personal
service it is known for to its Web site, weichert.com. And as measured by
online traffic and inquiries, that level of service is just what
Net-browsing house-hunters are looking for.
"The number of visitors to weichert.com increased 21 percent in 2006
from the year before," said Mike Montsko, president of Weichert Lead
Network, Weichert's industry-leading customer contact center.
"What that tells us," he said, "is that people are finding the information
and services available on weichert.com to be of real value. They're
returning again and again to our site, they're staying longer, and they're
taking advantage of our quick response time to go out and see homes with
local Weichert Sales Associates."
Whether buyers on weichert.com call the "Quick Connect" 800-number
or send an email inquiry, a swift response is the norm. Trained service
professionals staff Weichert's contact center seven days a week to ensure
that online buyers get the same personal attention as those who walk into
their local Weichert office.
Supported by state-of-the-art technology, the center's service professionals
can initiate a "warm transfer" directly to the cell phone of a Weichert
sales associate who is a neighborhood specialist in the appropriate
geographic area. That local sales associate can then answer any questions
and arrange an appointment to see the home in person. If the buyer has a
special need, such as preferring a Spanish-speaking sales associate or one
who is a condominium or luxury-home specialist, the contact center's service
professionals will strive to make that match.
A few months ago, personal service on weichert.com was expanded with
the introduction of a streamlined mortgage form. Prospective buyers viewing
a home online can click "Apply Online" to submit a short mortgage credit
approval form to Weichert Financial Services. Typically, a mortgage
representative, called a Gold Services Manager, gets back to the buyer that
very day to discuss mortgage options and arrive at a comfortable monthly
payment. Same-day mortgage credit approvals are the norm.
The Weichert Web site responds to customer needs in other ways as
well.
One popular feature is Open House mapping. With a few clicks, buyers can
pull up that weekend's Weichert Open Houses, decide which ones to visit, and
then get a customized printout that efficiently maps out their Open House
tour with directions from whatever starting point they choose.
Testifying to the usefulness of weichert.com to buyers and sellers
is that visitors stay on the site longer on average than visitors to any
other real estate Web site, according to Hitwise, a company that tracks
online trends.
Montsko expects activity on weichert.com to accelerate. "January saw
a real jump in activity," he said, noting that on a recent Sunday, the
Weichert Web site had its highest traffic day ever, recording nearly 136,000
visits. Most significantly, he said, the number of those visitors who sought
either to see a home in person or find out more was up 20 percent from
January 2006.
Over upcoming months, you can expect to see "exciting new
enhancements" unveiled on weichert.com, Montsko said, in line with Weichert,
Realtors' commitment to stay on the cutting edge of delivering
customer-focused information and service on the Web.
Weichert has more than 18,300 sales associates in nearly 490 company-owned
and franchised sales offices in key markets throughout the U.S. A family of
full-service real estate and financial services companies, Weichert helps
customers buy and sell both residential and commercial real estate, and
streamlines the delivery of mortgages and home and title insurance. For more
information, call Weichert's customer service center at 1-800-USA-SOLD or
visit Weichert's Web site, www.weichert.com. Each Weichert franchised office
is independently owned and operated.

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