Levels of Call Capture For Real Estate Lead Generation

Businesses that are responsible for finding sales leads have often taken advantage of the unique technology offered by call capture. The real estate industry has particularly made use of the technology in order to both generate high-quality real estate leads and to determine the effectiveness of their marketing. Don Mcclain is basically from Austin but he is known nationally for his knowledge in real estate investment prospects, assisting entrepreneurs to sell their residence without the conventional real estate agent sales methods, and assisting other investors to meet their real estate investment objectives.

However, some business owners are still not aware that different levels of call capture exist. The three main levels are basic caller ID, ANI (Automatic Number Identification), and finally the integration of call capture with online reporting and tracking.

First, caller ID is a basic form of call capture that comes standard on many phones and phone services. Although most businesses have this type of caller ID, it is a technology to which even individual consumers are now accustomed. Caller ID displays a list of numbers that have called a line on a small screen generally attached to the phone.

The advantages of caller ID are twofold. First, it will allow you to see numbers that have called the business line. Many potential customers do not leave messages because they are unsure what to say. Caller ID allows the business to return calls even when customers do not leave messages. The second advantage of basic caller ID is cost. Caller ID is often just a few extra dollars a month. However, this disadvantages of basic caller ID comes in the form of limitations. Most importantly, caller ID will not capture blocked or unlisted numbers.

The next level of call capture is Automatic Number Identification. Like caller ID, this service provides businesses with incoming call numbers even if the caller does not leave a message. However, this technology is actually older than Caller ID, having been created by AT&T in association with long distance calling and billing. Today, it is even used by 911 operators in order to identify numbers.

Toll free numbers also use ANI due to the fact that the FCC has ruled that businesses have a right to know who is calling them if they are paying for the call. Automatic Number Identification (ANI) has one large advantage over basic caller ID. It is very difficult to block a number when using ANI. Thus, business owners have the ability to connect with more of their sales leads by using this service.

Real estate agents have most likely come to understand ANI in association with toll free real estate call capture systems. When real estate agents use this technology, the customer dials a unique toll free number that is routed to a system that the agent has set up to provide information about specific properties, general real estate information, or allow interested buyers and sellers to reach the agent directly. An extension number that the customer dials determines which message the caller should hear, and the ANI captures the lead for the real estate agent.

Finally, the newest development in real estate call capture technology is the ability to capture and then accumulate all leads generated in one place where they can be viewed by the agent. This way, agents do not have to waste time scrolling through a phone's caller ID. Instead, lead lists are pre-generated. As well, leads are reported with the extension number dialed so agents know which property or recording the caller was interested in. This provides for better follow up and allows ad tracking to evaluate marketing strategies.

Real estate agents, especially, can benefit from call capture for lead generation. Because of agents' busy lifestyles, spending time tracking down numbers is not time spent efficiently. Real estate agents can have their leads forwarded to them immediately as they come in on their cell phone or email or run reports at the end of the day for follow up. Generating a higher quality and quantity of leads means more sales for the agent. Using call capture to generate leads is also more cost effective than purchasing outside leads.