Mike Simonsen at Altos Research just introduced me to Meebo, another nifty little blog tool, which I suspect will start popping up all over the place shortly. Following Mike’s lead, I installed it — it’s the “Chat” box on the far right side of the screen.
What does it do? In geek-speak, it’s a web-based universal chat client.
What does that mean? In Realtor speak, it enables Web 2.0 “Floor Time.”
Floor Time is a venerated lead-generation real estate tradition, the equivalent of doctors being “On call.” The agent on floor duty has first dibs on incoming phone queries and on walk-ins; success in landing clients is mixed at best, but it certainly never hurts to try it.
Back to Meebo … if somebody is browsing my site, they can see whether or not I’m online. If I am and they have a question, they simply pop over to the chat box and type it in! I respond the same way — by typing. If I’m offline, they can still type a question, and I’ll get it when I next log in.
Very nifty!
Tags: Meebo, Real estatePossibly related posts
12 responses so far ↓
1 Norm Fisher // Jan 23, 2007 at 8:01 am
Oh good! Something else to keep me at my computer even longer. My wife will love this.
I have often thought of adding a “live chat” feature to my website. I think it will be an excellent tool to develop some rapport with visitors. Let us know how it works for you Kevin.
2 Noni Moos // Jan 23, 2007 at 8:48 am
Talking about [blog tools] (www.BitWine.com) BitWine enables you to place a widget on your blog that let people call you.
But here is the killer app: you can charge for that call.
People can set appointments so you do not have to be on-line even though it helps the buyers that are looking for a quick solution or consultation.
It is a Desktop Taskbar (not a toolbar) so you can be doing other things and not even notice that. It downloads from within Skype 3.0 as an Extra, (tools do-more, get extras, featured) It installs in seconds.
Think of it as meeb o with Instant Billing capabilities.
You do not have to charge your callers, but if you do, the payment is instant. The call enjoy all the tools of Skype, Audio Video, Chat, Whiteboard, Call Recording and what ever Skype tool that works for you.
The system uses PayPal as a main payment platform and It is free.
Check this one out for instance:
http://www.bitwine.com/users/11265_canadian_mortgage_wizard
NM
3 Kevin Boer, Three Oceans Real Estate // Jan 23, 2007 at 8:53 am
Noni,
Interesting, very very interesting. While I personally can’t imagine charging people for interacting with me on this site, I can imagine leadgen companies or brokerages setting something like this up and charging the agent (not the prospective client) for the call.
4 A new way to contact me - Meebo! at Maury Properties // Jan 23, 2007 at 9:51 am
[…] I had thought about adding this before, but got inspired to actually do it by Mike Simonsen’s post yesterday. I noticed that his post also got Kevin Boer, a Palo Alto agent, to add it to his site as well. […]
5 Danilo Bogdanovic // Jan 23, 2007 at 10:37 am
Being on a team that generates a huge amount of leads that get distibuted to the respective agent on floor duty, this is a great tool!
Currently, many of the leads that come via email (people signing up for MLS searches through our company site) leave bogus email addresses and/or phone numbers because they do not want to be bothered. They may have questions, but are scared that they will get emails or phone calls if they give their info.
By giving them a way to anonymously interact with an agent, they may be more inclined to ask questions. This will help build a relationship and possibly a client in the future.
6 Phoenix Arizona Real Estate Blog by Dalton’s Arizona Homes » Blog Archive » Got a real estate question? Get an answer, fast … // Jan 25, 2007 at 6:26 pm
[…] Kevin Boer at Three Oceans described Meebo as creating virtual floor time - the equivalent of sitting in the office (usually with a good book) waiting for the phone to ring. It was this analogy that caused me to take the plunge. I spend a good chunk of my day in front of the computer anyway, and the chat provides another method for readers to make contact. […]
7 Real Estate Blog Lab - A Laboratory For Real Estate Blogging » Meebo and WC3 Validation Errors // Feb 1, 2007 at 12:17 pm
[…] I found this Meebo post at 3 Oceans Real Estate by Kevin Boer quickly followed by seeing it appear on: […]
8 Mariana Wagner // Feb 1, 2007 at 10:30 pm
This is an awesome tool. Thank you for sharing it with us, Kevin.
9 Trulia Blog » Talkin’ about Lead Generation: mobile phones and the web // Feb 23, 2007 at 8:04 am
[…] While online chat clients for blogs and websites can improve chances of turning readers into clients (check out Kevin Boer’s blog on this topic), I had to be online at the same time as my blog readers to receive the chat immediately. With days full of open homes and client meetings, I imagine many agents are in the same boat. […]
10 Got a real estate question? Get an answer, fast … | Phoenix Real Estate and Homes for Sale - Dalton’s Arizona Homes Blog // Jun 19, 2007 at 11:45 am
[…] Kevin Boer at Three Oceans described Meebo as creating virtual floor time - the equivalent of sitting in the office (usually with a good book) waiting for the phone to ring. It was this analogy that caused me to take the plunge. I spend a good chunk of my day in front of the computer anyway, and the chat provides another method for readers to make contact. […]
11 Dennis Blackmore // Jan 15, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I agree, my wife gets upset with my time on the machine - but I will probably entertain this great idea, thanks
12 A Perfect Example Of Co-opetition: The Real Estate Industry … Barry Nalebuff Would Be Proud | 3 Oceans Real Estate, A Boutique Real Estate Brokerage Serving the San Francisco Bay Area // May 6, 2008 at 4:03 pm
[…] buyer of one of Bob’s listings, however, may well go through to the agent on “floor duty.” That agent turns this phone call into a client, who goes on to buy a different listing, […]
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