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Floor time or opportunity time is being describe as a way for agents to get leads, usually generated from an incoming telephone call. Some brokers are migrating to "Call Centers" and still looking for that phone to ring so they can capture the lead.

Now there is a new way to capture leads, called the INTERNET. Most real estate related websites have, one way or another, some kind of property display, why not make it interactive and start offering customer service on line?

Maybe you should make your Website the mirror image of your office. When someone visits your office, what happens? As soon as you walk in, someone greets you and asks how he or she can help you. You can add that capability to your Website with an approach called Web-based customer interaction. In particular, this approach means that you attempt to discover what your customers are looking for, answer their questions, and make it easier for them to find their way around your "listings."

In the past, one solution was to provide a contact information form or an email link to let users email a request for assistance. Getting an answer, though, could take hours if not days.

Now, many companies offer products that let you add real-time service via voice or text-based chat to your site. Typically this is done by adding an icon to your Web pages with something like "click here for help." When the customer clicks on the icon a window pops up prompting him or her to type in a question. Meanwhile, the agent or customer service representative will be monitoring the site.

The software on your site will notify the agent of the customer's request and let the agent chat directly and immediately with the customer. Part of what the agent sees is the page the customer is on, which further lets the agent tailor his or her response to the customer.

One of the best company's offering this service is Human Click. With their software, you can direct (push) customers around your site, providing a true virtual tour, while remaining online with them in a chat session. The agent can attempt to suggest which property fits their needs, answer questions, make an appointment, and most important give the customer a truly personal experience.

Why wait for the phone to ring when you can make your Web site ring?....

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