"High Touch" or "High Tech", What Do Clients Want?

I still hear comments from agents in our industry talking about the need for “high touch” versus “high tech”. They feel that we are all potentially losing our contact with our clients because of the impersonal nature of email and the internet. The National Association of Realtors completes a yearly buyers profile report. According to this report, the number of people initiating their home search on the internet continues to increase at an explosive rate. (Close to 79% of all consumers begin their search on the internet.) All trends are pointing toward greater reliance on real estate information on the internet: including listings, school information, and mortgage information.

With the popularity of real estate sites, it is clear consumers find value in the ability to search and find the information. We, in the real estate industry, are also consumers and prefer the speed, anonymity, and control provided by the internet. As a result, it highlights the importance for all real estate professionals to utilize and understand the technology that enables our clients to become more knowledgeable about the local market.

Being comfortable with technology, in many cases, allows us to communicate effectively with our clients and to be “high touch”. We are finding that many clients actually prefer the interaction through email. Communicating through email enables them to better control their time, balance their busy lives, while searching for a home. So our internet clients would agree that we are providing “high touch” customer service on their terms. With the increase in the number of internet and email users, the definition of “high touch” may be changing. Maybe the line between “high touch” and “high tech” is beginning to blur and the two are actually becoming the same thing.