Need some feedback here please....
BACKGROUND: RealSource (our firm), in addition to many other services, has a new real estate closing center and is in the process of planning additional locations.
Our goal is to help make the closing process less sterile and a warmer experience than other places. Fresh snacks, cold soft drinks, cold bottled water, fresh good coffee, bowl of chocolates, friendly staff and warm, friendly comfortable conference rooms.
We want the closing to be organized and as quick as the parties would like while not being impersonal. Good communication with all parties leading up to closing, particularly if there are delays in receiving closing packages from the lenders.
I am interested in things you would like to see in the way of customer service at closing.
* What would make the closing a better experience for your clients?
* What would make it better for you?
* What should we be sure NOT to do that makes the closing harder than it should be (besides the obvious of being rude, unorganized, late, etc.)?
* What would make you want to come back and perhaps even tell some one else about the experience?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks! Glenn
Just do a good job! Closing it self is not as important as the time leading to it in my experience. You need to have good communication with the client and all the parties involved. I would be strongly against food, it is a business meeting and it should be conducted as such if you want to treat someone you can do that after closing. Hope this helps good luck!
Keeping us in the loop...
Hi Sonja, thank you so much for the feedback!!
We've actually been pleasantly surprised by the snack deal. Our experience has been that most buyers and sellers don't see this as a business meeting like we see it. They also may have skipped lunch so they could leave work for the closing or, as it is warm here in the South, it can be very warm outside.
We had Realtors and lenders complain that at other closings they would have to roam the halls to find water for their clients, so that encouraged us (for right or wrong). On the occasion children are brought (sometimes there is no choice), we have toys to help occupy them and they love the snacks (which makes mom and dad happy, which makes their Realtor and lender happy).
I agree that the effort leading up to the closing is so, so important and we focus on that as well with a process that includes frequent updates for all involved. Your comment has got me thinking and I may pose a feedback request for that pre-closing process in the future. Many thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts!! Glenn
Glenn, good post! The closing experience is the most important link in the entire porcess and because it is at the end, it is even more so. It is where everything that has gone into the transaction comes together and every single entity involved has a vested interest in it success. My experience has always been, make it relaxing and comfortable. Having an exepreienced closer to conduct the closing is critical. I have watched closings literally fall apart because the closer was unprofessional or simply inexpereinced to answer questions and explain something in the package. All the other obvious stuff you brought up. Bottom line, keep it simple.
Coffee, a soft drink or water is always a plus.
Good luck!
Bo
Please - do NOT arrange to hold closings in restaurants! I will NEVER understand why so many professionals (who should know better, I think) do this. If you need a convenient location more local to your client, and if they prefer not to have the closing done in their own home - coffee houses are an excellent choice. They're equipped with tables, generally quiet, and are often used for such things.
I recently had to perform a closing (as a contract closer) in a TGIF's, on a Friday, at 6:00 p.m. The location was chosen by the L.O. Do you know how busy a place like that is at that time? The tables are small, the place is noisy, it's unfair to the waitstaff and the clients. It's all 'fun & games 'till someone loses an eye' and I hate being put in a position where I have to babysit drinks precariously near Promissory Notes, and try to communicate someone's interest rate & payments to the entertainment of those sitting around us. The L.O. didn't even buy her clients a dinner or leave a tip for her 'time' at the table, but left as I did, immediately after the signing. Guess who got to pay for her drink?!
Bo Hussung/ Title services in all 50 states (Cogent Closing Associates) Bo, great points and I like the part about keep it simple. Most folks are so overwhelmed that more complexity does nothing but confuse them and make them more nervous. Good stuff!
Renee Kovacs (Renee A. Kovacs NSA Services) Hi Renee... WOW, that is a great story and a lesson all should keep in mind. The TGIF closing clearly was not about the customers. Thanks for sharing this!!