Real Alerts™ Improves Realtor®
Responsiveness to Online Leads, Enhances Consumer Experience and
Maximizes Web Traffic Conversion to Sales
Saskatoon,
SK and Vancouver, BC – May 31, 2006 – Point2 Technologies Inc.
(“Point2”) today announced the launch of Real Alerts™, an intelligent
prospect incubation and wireless alert system that enables real estate
professionals to convert more website traffic into sales, even when on
the road. Integrated into the Point2 Agent website and online marketing
platform, Real Alerts also eliminates the need for costly third party
lead incubation services and systems.
By
incubating and delivering highly qualified leads from a Realtor’s
Point2 Agent website directly to their cell phone, the new system
dramatically improves the user’s ability to respond promptly to
customer opportunities, giving them a significant edge in their market.
“Having
virtually instant access to web site leads, no matter where I am or
what I’m doing is an incredibly powerful tool,” said Jay Thompson of
Century 21 Aware Realty in Mesa, Arizona. “I’ve had several prospects
comment on the speed of my response to their web site inquiry. I can
demonstrate this technology to clients considering listing with us and
they quickly realize the positive impact this could have on the sale of
their property. It’s a great way to separate ourselves from all the
other Realtors® out there.”
“A
prospect recently said to me ‘Wow, I just sent that email three minutes
ago. Do you just sit by a PC waiting on email? Not only were you the
first to respond to my email, you were the only response we got.’ When
I told him I was actually on a bike ride, he was pretty impressed,”
added Thompson.
Deploying
unique, proprietary technology, Real Alerts also enhances lead
certainty, by allowing Realtors® for the first time ever to set and
control their own ‘Hot Lead’ criteria, directly on their Point2 Agent
website.
Leads that match
the Realtor’s parameters instantly trigger the system to flag the
opportunity on their website and to dispatch a text message alert to
their cell phone.
Point2
Agent Professional package subscribers also receive the prospect’s
contact information, including first and last name, telephone number
and e-mail address, along with the reason why the sales lead is ‘Hot’.
The alert can also include a text message from the prospect. While hot
leads are directly sent to the Realtor’s mobile phone, passive leads
are incubated by an advanced drip email system, automatically
maintaining the relationship with prospects, over time, until they are
ready to engage the Realtor® in person.
The new system is now available to all Point2 Agent subscribers in North America, as part of their membership package benefits.
“We’ve
just unlocked a significant, untapped revenue opportunity every agent
and broker across North America can take advantage of,” said Brendan
King, chief operating officer at Point2 Technologies. “While the
computer is a great tool at the office, agents spend a lot of their
time out with clients. We’re now delivering critical sales information
right into our customers’ hands, giving them the ability to better
serve consumers and to turn what would be lost opportunity, into
revenue.”
“By enabling tens of thousands of Point2 Agent users to be more efficient and more responsive,
we’re also setting new customer service expectations and industry
benchmarks, improving the overall real estate transaction and helping
to further enhance the value and value perception of a good Realtor®,”
added King.
National
Association of Realtors (NAR) research conducted in 2005 indicates that
73 percent of U.S. consumers typically do business with the first
Realtor® they connect with. Independent consumer research also suggests
the majority of online leads today grow cold. While consumers generally
expect agents to respond to their inquiries within four hours, the
majority are not answered within this time limit. 45 percent of all
online consumer inquiries are in fact never dealt with.
“Consumers
today, including a growing group of tech savvy home buyers and sellers
in their 20s and 30s have very high expectations. They anticipate a
response to their online or voice mail inquiries within minutes, not
hours,” said Jeff Tomlin, manager of market research at Point2
Technologies. “Considering that consumers also rate responsiveness as
the most important factor in choosing an agent, we’re effectively
positioning our customers to gain, at the expense of their competitors.”
Real
Alerts represents a major upgrade to the lead management and incubation
system the company introduced into Point2 Agent in early 2004.
About Point2 Agent
With a rapidly growing membership of over 82,000 brokers, agents and
developers, Point2 Agent is the industry’s most widely used online
marketing software platform for real estate professionals. More
information can be obtained at www.Point2Agent.com.
About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2
Technologies provides online marketing and eBusiness software solutions
for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. Leveraging Point2
proprietary and patented technology, Point2 develops and markets
software solutions that enable organizations to conduct business over
the Internet more easily and more profitably.
Founded
in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of
90 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices.
More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.
Point2®
is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and
product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which
they are associated.
Media Relations contact:
Roger Noujeim
Public Relations Director
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 ext. 224 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel: 1-604-675-9393
rnoujeim@point2.com
Investor Relations:
Robert Gutek
Vice President, Finance
Toll Free: 1-866-955-7900 ext. 213 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel: 1-306-955-9736 ext. 213
rgutek@point2.com