How Home Bay Helps Buyers Sellers Fast-Forward Real Estate Transactions

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Months of stress, pounds of paper, and waves of regret over whether you could’ve gotten a better deal. Historically, these have been the inevitable side effects of buying or selling a home.

Now, one San Diego startup is poised to disrupt that equation with a smart take on a familiar formula.

Not only does its proprietary technology eliminate hours of back-and-forth busywork, it also gives clients the kind of transparency that translates into thousands of dollars in savings.

“We put consumers in complete control of the transaction by providing on-demand support from expert agents who aren’t paid on commission and have only our clients’ best interests in mind,” said Ken Potashner, Chairman and CEO of Home Bay. “We believe this realignment of the real estate industry is long overdue.”

Laying a Foundation

It didn’t take long for Home Bay to gain traction in California and set its sights on new markets. But as operations expanded into additional states, internal processes weren’t exactly reflecting the brand’s passion for efficiency.

That’s where Ross comes in.

“As a fast-growth startup rapidly expanding sales teams in multiple states, hiring a seasoned Operations and Automation expert like Ross Bixler gave us confidence that we could build strong systems and processes that scaled quickly,” explained John Todd, COO of Home Bay.

Ross was immediately tasked with implementing Salesforce across all teams and selecting complementary tools to unlock the full value of the platform. That meant the sales team’s phone system would have to be replaced by a solution with a stronger CRM integration.

Luckily, Ross’s new colleagues accelerated that search with a timely recommendation.

“One of our support teams was already using Aircall when I joined and they loved the overall simplicity of the system,” noted Ross, now VP of Operations at Home Bay. “And most importantly for me, the Salesforce integration allowed us to give agents access to key communication channels from one central hub without compromising on enterprise call center functionality.”

Building a Better Experience

Although Home Bay’s goal is to automate as much of the homebuying process as possible, executives are still betting most clients will want to hear the voice of a trusted advisor at some point along the way. Timing is a critical part of every transaction, though, so these conversations have to happen fast.

Aircall has helped Home Bay pick up its pace in a few key ways. First, our detailed analytics provided Ross with an eye-opening perspective on exactly how many inbound calls the team had been missing. And to quickly drive that number down, he built a series of backup teams who can spring into action before opportunities slip through the cracks.

“The Teams feature single-handedly helped us decrease missed call rates by 24% in just a few short weeks. It led to a total restructuring of how we handle the phone channel with our customers.”

This emphasis on speed also shines through when handling inquiries submitted through Home Bay’s website. Ross has set Salesforce rules to alert the team whenever a new lead has waited three minutes without a follow-up response.

Once employees connect with clients, Aircall is also there to help maintain the momentum of the relationship. The strong Salesforce integration ensures a complete conversation history is always within view while on a call. And considering all the moving parts that come into play on the path from listing and closing, that intel is critical for keeping deals on track.

“Ultimately our revamped setup gives me stronger oversight, gives my team better context, and gives our clients greater confidence in Home Bay’s ability to help them navigate an otherwise intimidating process.”

Published on August 3, 2018.