| You hear a lot of talk among techies about computer/communications convergence, where the boundaries between the phone system and the computer networks disappear. There's some truth to that convergence, which can help you better manage your communications systems. In some cases, you can simply take advantage of options built in to your existing phone service, such as using automatic forwarding. In other cases, you can take advantage of these converged systems and, for example, view faxes sent to your voice mail number in your e-mail or via the Web. Consolidating Communications Conduits Perhaps the biggest challenge for any agent is to keep track of all the communications channels available. Typically, you have two or three phone numbers (brokerage voice mail, home office, cellphone, and perhaps unified messaging service voice mail) and one or two e-mail accounts (brokerage and personal), one or two fax numbers (brokerage, home office, and perhaps unified messaging service). You could spend all day just checking messages! The best way to manage this multiplicity of conduits is to rely on just a few and avoid the others. Here's my strategy, which would probably work for you as well: I do not give out my brokerage office's main number or the voice mail number it supplies me, so I never have to check that number. (And in case someone does try to leave me a message on it, my greeting requests they call my home office number, and I've disabled the voice mail box so no messages can be left.) I use my home office number in all my marketing materials and in all directories I'm listed in. I give my cell phone number only to people I'm actively doing business with (brokerage office staff, buyers, sellers, escrow officers, mortgage brokers, etc.). My home office number's answering machine does list my cell phone number, so if someone needs to reach me urgently, she can. I give out only my home fax number, so I don't have to check for faxes at the brokerage office. I use only my personal business e-mail address in my marketing materials, directory listings, and so on. My brokerage does provide me an e-mail address on its system, but I set that to automatically forward all messages to my personal e-mail.
I have my brokerage e-mail account forward automatically to my personal e-mail account, using a setting in my broker's Web-based e-mail console.  You may have different ideas about how to consolidate your communications than I do, and that's great. Here are some variations to my plan you might prefer: If your cell phone is your "main" number, give out your cell number instead of your office number. You can probably also have your home office number automatically forward messages to your cell number when you're out. This forwarding capability is often included in phone-service plans or can be added for a monthly fee. And if you work out of the brokerage office most days, perhaps give that out as your "main"number. The point is to steer everyone to just one main number, whatever that might be. If you don't want your faxes to sit at your home office, give out your broker's fax number (if that's a more convenient location) or consider using a unified messaging service or fax-to-PDF service that lets you access faxes over an Internet connection on your computer. (See Chapter 3, "Working with Electronic Media.") If getting e-mail when you're out of the office is critical, consider subscribing to a cellular service that provides e-mail access from your phone or phone/organizer combo, or to a service like Research in Motion's BlackBerry or Good Technology's GoodLink that sends a copy of your e-mails to a wireless handheld device. These services are great for quick messages, but if you need full e-mail access for attachments for example, consider subscribing to a 3G cellular data service, using a special modem card on your laptop that gives you Internet access almost any where. (Chapter 2 explains this technology in more detail.) Note that both types of services can get pricey.
 CD Resources: For mobile messaging services, links to Good and Research in Motion. For cellular messaging services, links to Cingular Wireless/AT&T Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. For unified messaging services, links to IGC, J2Global Communications, and Telecentrex. For fax-to-PDF services, links to Data on Call, Innoport, and MongoNet.
Phone service Options You might think that the new VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service could be handy instead of regular phone service if you already have a high-speed Internet connection at home. After all, traditional local phone service can get really expensive what with all the taxes and fees, and phone companies have been jacking up the prices by selling local phone service with unlimited long-distance calling plans that, for most people, actually end up costing more money than if they got an inexpensive long-distance provider (such as at www.smartprice.com). VoIP providers often offer a discount compared to traditional local phone companies, but they too typically add in expensive long-distance plans that make the total cost nearly as high as the local phone company's. (Most people don't make that many out-of-state calls, which is why these unlimited service plans can end up costing you more than they should.) Note that VoIP service won't work if the power is out or if your Internet connection isn't working. Also, some alarm systems won't work with VoIP phone lines. So be sure to shop carefully and, if you're not using VoIP to take advantage of its unique virtual-phone capability (as explained in this chapter), consider getting local phone service with your cable company's high-speed Internet service. If available in your area, this is often the cheapest option for local phone service. The only issue: Like VoIP, if the power goes out, this kind of phone line won't work. |
Increasing Your Reach In many urban areas, there are many area codes. Being in an area with multiple area codes can impede your business, because potential clients in adjoining area codes may perceive you as not a local agent and thus be less willing to trust you. Using Toll-Free Numbers One way around the multiple area code dilemma is to get a personal toll-free number(those with the area codes 800, 866, 877, and 888) from your phone-service provider. (Your cell phone will still have a local area code; toll-free numbers are not available for cell phones.) But using a toll-free area code could peg you as someone completely out of the area, since it's unusual to see toll-free numbers except for regional and national businesses. Unified Messaging Services There's an intriguing option for managing all (or at least most) of your incoming communications in one place: unified messaging. Usually delivered as a Web-based service, unified messaging provides a single console for all your messages: voice, fax, and sometimes e-mail. (Sorry, these services don't handle cell phone calls.) With these services, you get a separate phone number that can take voice messages, receive faxes, and sometimes even forward calls to other phones such as your cell phone. Faxes are converted to image files that you can print or download from the Web console or, sometimes, they're sent automatically to your e-mail. Voice mail messages can be played from that Web console via a computer's speakers, or you can dial an access number to retrieve them via a phone. Unified messaging systems providers typically charge a monthly fee that varies based on the number of services you subscribe to. In some cases, your brokerage may offer such a service as part of your desk fee. Offerings include IGC's MaxEmail, J2 Global Communications' JConnect, and Telecentrex's RealtyOne800 services. I personally prefer having a dedicated fax machine at my home office, as well as a phone on whose greeting message I can provide my cell phone number, so my home office becomes my central information hub. But that means I don't see my faxes until I get to my home office. If you're in your car for the major portion of a day, a unified messaging service can make a lot of senseas long as you also have a laptop equipped with a cellular modem for Internet access anywhere, as covered in Chapter 2, "The Right Connections." A portable printer is also a good idea so you can print any faxes that require immediate delivery to a client. (I rarely have such an urgent need for faxes or e-mail access while I'm out and about, since clients tend to call, and I can always swing by my home office when the need arises. But I also live in a compact city which means I'm never that far away from the office.)
A sample unified messaging system (here, voice mail and fax) from Accessline Communications, a service my brokerage provides its agents as part of the monthly desk fees.  |
Using Multiple Cell Phones You could get several cell phones, one in each area code you want to do business in. To keep costs down, use the pay-as-you-go services. But of course that means you have to carry multiple cell phones, which is a major hassle. I'd consider this option more if I were doing business temporarily in another area, such as selling a relative's home in another part of the state, where you don't want other agents or potential buyers to think you're ignorant of the local market. Using VoIP Virtual Phones A new option is to use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service. VoIP uses the Internet to send the audio in phone calls and voice mail messages rather than the traditional phone network. (You'll need a high-speed Internet service such as DSL or cable modem to use VolP, however.) Because the phone calls travel over a system designed for computer data, the calls and their numbers have much more flexibility than is possible with the traditional phone network.
Some VoIP services, such as Verizon's VoiceWing, let you set up virtual phone numbers in your choice of area codes so you can have a "local" number in several area codes that all ring to the same phone line.  For example, in VoIP, a phone number is essentially a mailbox, and it's easy to set up multiple mailboxes that are automatically forwarded to a main mailbox. In the VoIP world, that means you could have local phone numbers in each of the area codes near you that when called ring through to the same phone. With VoIP, you can have one phone but multiple numbers. Of course, you'll pay a monthly charge for these virtual numbers. Plus, when you call someone, he'll see your main number and it's actual area code if he has caller ID service on his phonebut that's not a big deal, because the goal is to have clients feel comfortable calling you in the first place. You can't use VoIP with your cell phone to get multiple "local"numbers in different area codes, at least not yet (there are companies working on ways to do so, of course), but you can use VoIP virtual numbers that ring your home office phone, which you then set to automatically forward to your cell phone. CD Resources: For VoIP services that offer virtual-phone options, links to Lingo, Packet8, Verizon, and Vonage. For help in getting inexpensive phone service, a link to www.SmartPrice.com. |
