The innovation of most industries to use telecommunication technology is sending traditional marketing into new heights. Marketing methods that were only accessible to Fortune 500 companies ten years ago.
Internet certainly played a part in crushing the boundaries set by traditional marketing media methods such as TV, radio, billboards, and newspapers. It is however debatable how effective online marketing can reach its defined target market cheaper. Nevertheless with correct online marketing methods the number of internet millionaire has grown steadily over the years.
The internet however removed the personal touch that most experienced sales personnel use to make sales and develop rapport with their clients. Telecommunication advancement is taking big leaps to resolve the lost personal touch and further the success of the online marketing trend.
Hardware and software continuously improve and services become faster and cheaper even in under-developed nations. Telecommunication has created innovations that some industries entire sales process has changed.
Real Estate is a great example of reinventing the wheel. The need for realtors to broker a seller buyer agreement is increasingly losing popularity to cheaper alternatives. Online MLS listings, website listings, online forms, voicemail recordings, voice broadcasting, e-mail alerts have helped buyers and sellers interact with less need to a realtor sell the house.
Contact Center support for sales and customer service saved time for realtors and real estate agencies in answering basic questions and complaints and other related inquiries enabling the industry to focus it’s time into improving it’s services further to serve the general public.
American Real Estate and Mortgage is one of the companies in the USA that uses their website (
www.4thishouse.com) to enable buyers and sellers to meet online either through a “for sale by owner†type listing or traditional MLS listing. This is done using a fully automated system with almost no realtor intervention allowing real estate agents to service client at immeasurable numbers at a time with very little effort.
Contact Center on Demand implementation allows clients to contact agency personnel regardless of their home state and help sell their house efficiently and economically while the agency ensures the quality and control of the personnel. Contact Center on demand technology creates a 24/7/365 operation to address client needs if any such arises.
Web Camera and 360 degree virtual tour technology allow buyers to see and contact sellers at the comfort of their own home. An enhanced toll free number service gives the buyer additional incentive to call sellers even at long distances and saving hundreds on man hours by viewing the houses and talking to the seller before proceeding to physically checking the house itself. Sellers then save time by meeting only qualified and serious buyers since they are only contacted when their listing have been checked and still continue to receive buyer interest.
Technology improves further on computers, PDA and other handheld devices bridging the personal touch gap further and only imagination will stop it from progressing. Selling dirt has never been easier using copper wires. In the future there wont even be copper wires. If wives can be sold online, homes surely can.
Carlo Caparras is currently the assistant vice president on marketing for several ISP’s, webhosting, web development, web-services, outsourcing, and telecommunication companies including Asterlink, Cylynx, and Artemis Telecom.
