Putting their clients first

At this year’s annual awards, their exceptional dedication was celebrated as they earned the prestigious Clients’ Choice Award for their network, recognising their standout commitment to service. We asked a few of our 2023-24 winners what customer service and winning this award means to them.

Each winner was ranked as one of the top salespeople in their market group based on aggregated scores across NPS, response rate and surveys sent, with a minimum response rate of 35 per cent and 15 completed surveys.

I believe to achieve the best result for my vendor it definitely helps to have a good relationship with potential purchasers, and to make the process as smooth as possible. I'm not a fan of high pressure buying or selling myself so I go the more relaxed route and especially being in the country, that's important to me. To me, communication is key.

My top tip would be around being available and responding as quickly as you can, which everyone appreciates and it helps to nip any little issues in the bud before they become big issues.

Receiving this award is something I definitely strive for. Being from regional South Australia and living in a country town with a population of 1,100 people, and that town being the largest in the area, makes it virtually impossible to compete with metropolitan based agents for number of sales or commission based awards but customer service is the one award where every agent competes on a level playing field.

We have a fairly simple theory when it comes to customer service - do whatever it takes within the means that we have to make the client proud of their choice of agent, and happy with the outcome.

We pride ourselves on listening to the client at the start and developing a deep understanding of what they want to achieve. We also take time to understand what is important to them and we go about our process methodically to ensure that the client can see that everything that we are doing is progressing them toward their desired outcome.

My top tips would be to focus on the speed of your responses and any actions. Clients are always impressed by speedy responses and things happening at a fast pace. Clients can also have a fairly narrow view of the role of an agent so when we do things beyond what we're expected to do this often creates a great experience for clients as well.

I pride myself on maintaining strong, open communication with every client; knowing my client's needs is essential, so I make it a priority to listen closely to their goals and concerns. This not only helps my approach but also shows clients I genuinely care about their success and what they are wanting to achieve. Challenges are part of real estate, but my approach is to stay positive and proactive.

Rather than dwell on obstacles, I focus on finding solutions.

To me, exceptional customer service is about consistently mastering the fundamentals while always striving to go above and beyond. Building rapport is where it all begins, once that connection is established, trust naturally follows. I often say that trust is essential, clients need to feel confident they’ve chosen the right professional to achieve their goals. My goal is to earn that trust by showing clients, from the start, that I am fully committed to delivering results tailored to their needs.

As our individual businesses grow and we get caught up in more and more transactions, I feel like we can lose our authenticity and time to build rapport. Our transactions and experience to clients becomes very regimented and lacks depth of connectivity. So, I employed an operations manager to layer our customer experience. Building the team has allowed better quality time with clients, really deep diving into their problems and how we best create a solution, and being in the trenches with them to provide emotional involvement but stay unwavering in the process.

Building a team has allowed us to step up our customer experience - making sure we dot the i's and cross the t's. Our best lead generation for more customers are our current ones. Our best lead generation is referrals. Provide a wow experience, communicate regularly, ask questions and take the time to understand who your client is. We also like to follow up on where our client isn't happy so we can get on top of any issues early.

My approach to customer service includes aiming to make every client feel valued and genuinely heard. To me, great service means being responsive, transparent, and really tuned in to what clients need. I make sure to always follow through on my promises and be as proactive as possible, so clients never feel like they're left in the dark. I pride myself on being someone they can trust, who is there for them every step of the way, whether it's good news or bad.

My top tips for dealing with customers would be that listening is key, and having a positive, solutions- focused attitude really helps goals. I believe in setting realistic expectations from the start and keeping communication flowing throughout the whole process. Being genuinely invested in their success and showing empathy when things get challenging is what makes a difference. Clients want to know that I’m on their team and working toward their goals. I believe in setting realistic expectations from the start and keeping communication flowing throughout the whole process. Being genuinely invested in their success and showing empathy when things get challenging is what makes a difference.

My approach is to provide an exceptional experience for my clients by taking on all the stress, allowing them to enjoy a seamless and positive journey.

Putting their clients first Clear communication is a top priority for me. If I commit to something for a client, I ensure I follow through, building trust and demonstrating reliability.

I always strive to be authentic and adaptable. It’s essential to connect with each client by understanding and adjusting to their unique personalities. I believe in being genuine and treating clients the way I’d want to be treated. Selling a home is one of the biggest decisions a person can make, so it’s essential to show respect and provide a world-class experience at every step.

I’m incredibly proud of this award and deeply appreciative of it. It means a lot to know that my clients are receiving the level of service they deserve - it truly brings me joy.

Making sure both my vendor and my buyer have an easy, stress free experience is the most important thing to me. I try to do this by being organised, never running late to appointments, smiling before I answer their calls and ensuring I return their calls or texts as soon as possible. I tend to go above and beyond my required roles when working with buyers and sellers. I provide contact numbers for trades, earthmoving contractors, numbers for horse farriers, vets and so on. I try to have contacts for every person they could possibly need out here and I make sure the people I recommend are also some of the best at what they do. Those people also have to be genuine, nice people for me to recommend them.

I believe having a core area and knowing it back to front is important in being successful. I don't stray outside of my area, I sell my area and I make sure I do it well. This leads to referral work from friends and family of people I have worked with and repeat business.

I’ve always felt that customer service is just so important. It’s much harder to win a new client than it is to keep an existing client or do repeat business with an existing client. It’s always been my goal to try and have people remember me long after the transaction has been completed so they can refer me to their fellow sellers and buyers, and want to come back to me for repeat business in the future.

When dealing with customers, I just think it’s so important to have them really want to remember you as a special person who went that extra yard. I was always told that most people will go 70 or 80 per cent of the way by default in anything they do in life and it’s the ones who are prepared to go that extra 10 or 15 per cent beyond that that really stand out above the crowd.

I always pride myself on and try to be that person who stands out above the crowd, the one they remember. I simply will not finish a job or go to bed at night unless I’ve completed my full list of duties for the day. It’s just something I was brought up with and it’s stood me in good stead as a tried and true method to apply in life.

I think customer service is definitely remembering who we are, what we do and who we represent. It's a people role.

My advice is to just remember that the small things go such a long way. You should never be in this game for a quick win, and ensure the satisfaction of your client is what they really are looking for.

I think to win this award, you need to be personal, not fake, and ensure you treat everyone as you would expect to be treated - not just look at the situation as a transaction.

This award is one of the best to be recognised in, as it's earned, not given, by the people you do business with. It's the second time I have been lucky enough to receive this award and I definitely feel incredibly humbled by it.

My approach to customer service is grounded in building trust, delivering clear communication, and ensuring each client feels valued and supported.

I hold myself to a high standard where integrity and attention to detail come first. I pride myself on maintaining transparency throughout every interaction, making sure clients understand every step of their property journey and feel confident in their decisions.

Everyone has a unique situation, I prioritise listening to understand their unique needs and ensuring transparent, frequent communication. Treat everyone as you would want your own family treated and you will succeed.

Receiving the Client's Choice Award is incredibly meaningful because it represents the trust and satisfaction of the people I serve. This award reaffirms that my approach is making a real difference and strengthens my commitment to maintaining high standards of service. Above all, it’s a reminder that building genuine relationships and delivering on promises are the foundation of long- lasting success in real estate.

This award was extremely humbling to me. I was really honoured to be considered and acknowledged with the award. I am blessed to work with the most supportive co-workers and have a wonderful supportive family behind the scenes at home which is my main driving factor to succeed and do what I do.

I pride myself in treating all customers, both on the vendor and purchaser side of transactions, with the highest level of customer service I can deliver. I consider communication the key and always try my best to keep vendors and purchasers updated and informed throughout the journey.

I always try to put myself in the shoes of a vendor or purchaser and think how I would like to be treated in this scenario. I have been blessed to meet and make some wonderful friends throughout my real estate journey. I learn more and more each day and am always keen to enhance my knowledge and skills along the way.

My approach to customer service is pretty simple - treat them how you would expect to be treated by someone, and always make sure that you’re proud of the transaction and experience that you have provided to your clients.

The biggest tip is to listen to them, to ask questions on what they want and what they want to achieve with their real estate needs.

Once they see you are there to help them and not just to treat them as your next transaction, they’ll feel comfortable and relaxed. Listening is paramount and displays a high level of empathy and emotional intelligence.

This was an exceptional award for me as it was a reflection of how I engage with my clients, nurturing them along the way and fostering long-term relationships.

I always try to treat my buyers and sellers in such a way that when they next come to enter the real estate world, I am the first person they think of calling because they were treated in such a way that they felt they were more than just a number.

My advice is to have their number in your phone, when they call, you’ll know who is speaking. Regular and ongoing communication is essential as is regular invites to special events. You should know who they truly are, like the names of their children, pets and what they do for a job.

This award means that the people I work with genuinely appreciate what I do. I don’t do this for an award, but the acknowledgement leaves a feel good factor for me which then in turn makes NurtureCloud calls easy to make. It's like calling a friend rather than a client.