ETA offers mobile updates on real estate

 
Real estate investors can now receive updates on the status of their property interests by text message.

The mobile phone service has been launched by developer ETA Star Property.

“The intention is to reach out to our investors and potential customers and provide information on our products, services and the status of our developments,” said General Manager Marketing Shyam Sunder.

“We have an elaborate website that communicates with our clients about our various projects and their status. But the SMS text system reaches out to them rather than waiting for them to reach out to us.”

Existing clients receive bulletins automatically.

Prospective customers can obtain information by sending a SMS text message giving their name or the name of a project to ETA’s customer relationship management (CRM) department, which will get back to them.

Sales promotions manager Sharada Karki, who is responsible for the project, said: “The use of SMS text messages is not exactly a novel idea but it is being done for the first time by a real estate developer.”

Clients are invited to register for the scheme and the rest of the market is being informed of it through a country-wide advertising campaign that started on April 7.

ETA promises a response within 48 hours of receiving an SMS text message query.

Sunder said: “Within the first few days of the service’s launch, the company received more than 250 text messages and since then it has been increasing rapidly.”

Karki added: “SMS text message traffic is at its peak during the weekend. Usually conventional communication methods are not operational during the weekend but our SMS broadcasts are proving a boon for clients who meet over the weekend to discuss investments.”

A dedicated team of 15 professionals runs the operation and is backed up by a 30-member sales team that handles the text queries.

ETA is developing more than 30 million square feet of property across the Middle East and South Asia, including projects in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Turkey.

With the backing of the ETA Ascon and the Star group, ETA Star Property can source all areas of expertise in-house, from conceptualising and design to construction and property management. Each division boasts professionals and there is an experienced team of in-house architects.