Quality service focuses on the needs of the consumers first, but who teaches that kind of service?

Larry Romito, president of Quality Service Certification, Inc., has created an organization to do exactly that - help agents become more consumer-focused. Heralded by trade organizations such as the Real Estate Brokerage Managers Council and prominent brokers such as Dallas-based Virginia Cook of Virginia Cook Realtors, Romito's concept is to take the reward/award emphasis off production and put it onto service, and then use the results to attract more customers.

"Service is not marketing and communication," says Romito. "It is delivering agents the promise of service. Customer satisfaction gives brokers a more powerful tool for recruiting, building revenues and controlling expenses."Being held accountable will help agents produce better results."

One of the biggest frustrations for the industry is serving buyers. Often fickle and difficult to get under contract, half of buyers go to closing unrepresented according to the National Association of REALTORS® and others, and that is many times after working with multiple real estate agents. According to Romito, it isn't unusual to close less than one out of three buyers. "They don't feel loyalty," explains Romito. "They don't know what to expect, and they are fearful that service won't be delivered." Romito's quality service program deals with this problem by showing the agent how to put the process in writing. Customers are asked to complete a service evaluation survey, which they will tend to do because the results are tabulated by Quality Service Certification, Inc., an independent third party. "We ask tough questions," insists Romito. "An organization that does its own survey work will find that the consumer will be less candid because they find it confrontative."

Agents who complete the Quality Service Certification program find their certificates are unlike other designations or certifications, most of which are given one time and renewed with a credit card. The Quality Service Certification is renewable only by continuing to meet customer service standards.

"That's why it will be so attractive to consumers," explains Romito. "If you were in the position of selecting a service provider, how do you go about it? You might ask a friend for a recommendation, but what if you were able to access past customer feedback?"

A Better Business Bureau for agents? No, says Romito. The Better Business Bureau is complaint-oriented. It's good to know who is doing a bad job, but consumers want to know who is doing a good job. "This separates the pretenders from the contenders," Romito poses. "With Quality Service, agents will be able to identify a commitment to the process, put in writing, and be willing to put themselves to the test. That hasn't been done before. Consumers like that idea, and practitioners do, too, because they are out there competing with people who aren't providing satisfying service.

Virginia Cook agrees, and plans to post the results of her agents' customer surveys on her corporate Web site, www.virginiacook.com, and plans to initiate a bonus/reward program for those with the highest customer satisfaction ratings. She realizes that some consumers may choose an agent based on comparing the surveys. "We all have the same services to sell," says Cook, "and some will choose to give more than others, but it will be how we deliver service that will distinguish us from the rest of the marketplace. This program will help identify our company as being consumer-focused and unique and apart from our competitors."

The course

The Quality Service Certification course promotes a professional status as a standard of service and professional accountability. This new training program requires agents to follow specific procedures and introduces standards of practice which can be recognized and appreciated by the consumer. Consisting of serious principles, systems, practices, resources, standards and solutions for the delivery of better service, the certification course also offers consumers a better means of choosing service professionals to do business.

The course is presented as a one-day presentation, and will be backed up with CD and online support. Open to brokers as well as agents, the program is available to anyone in the office who wishes to take it, including office assistants and other personnel.

"All training today is geared toward customer acquisition and none is geared for after the customer is acquired," muses Romito. ""Improv" (improvisational) service is not what the customer is looking for. They want consistent, reliable results through a process."

Will agents sit still for being certified? "There are people who squirm because it means change," answers Romito. "We have practiced real estate forever one way, so change is a big step. In the past, every time brokers have attempted to increase the accountability of the independent contractor, the agent threatens to leave. The broker acquiesces. But this isn't a spitting contest between them of who is calling the shots - they need to work in a partnership."

"The reason employees or independent contractors don't perform is because they don't understand what is required of them," continues Romito. "Both leadership and independents have accepted that the independent can do whatever they want and because of that both abdicated responsibility for training training and execution. What's missing is feedback. "How did I do?"

"At the end of the assembly line, we check the parts and measure the quality of the product. We need to do the same with a feedback mechanism for service. A good service outcome shouldn't have to be more of a miracle than a managed process. Consumers aren't willing to pay for miracles."