Building a better customer experience: How real estate company RE/MAX sets a higher service standard with Dialpad Support

RE/MAX, LLC is a real estate franchisor that supports RE/MAX real estate brokers and agents around the world with tools they need to build their businesses. With more than 140,000 agents and a presence in over 900 offices in over 110 countries and territories, RE/MAX needed a powerful communications platform to connect to its network.

The RE/MAX headquarters used to use Cisco, but even that didn’t have everything they needed. According to Jeanna Bash, Director of Enterprise Applications: “We were on an older platform, and when we ended up working remotely due to COVID, there were some challenges with the way folks were able to use the telephony system. The ease of use wasn’t there.”

Josh Gilmore, VP of Customer Experience, also knew they needed to get more efficient. All the different systems and vendors meant there were too many places where things could break and go wrong—it was too much to manage. “Our leadership team had to look at three different systems just to get data,” he explained.

It was time to bring their businesses and facilities together with one unified telephony platform—something that could support their team and integrate with all their existing tools.

Moving to the cloud and an Ai-first, next-generation contact center

Jeanna worked with Jamie Barcia, Vice President of Information Technology, to look for a new unified telephony platform. They knew they needed a hosted real estate phone system, but there were a few specific features it had to include.

“The transition to the cloud was really about creating flexibility,” Jeanna explains. “Improving data analytics was also one of the top priorities for us, as well as integrations.”

After working with their trusted technology partner, All in IT, RE/MAX realized not only did Dialpad check all their boxes, but the reps they met with were ready to show them how Dialpad works and how they could help RE/MAX every step of the way.

Josh adds that Dialpad offers unique features for contact centers that could really help RE/MAX’s support team. “One of the main reasons I was drawn to Dialpad was the Real-Time Assist cards,” he said, referring to one of the key features of Dialpad Support.

At first glance, moving RE/MAX HQ to Dialpad was a daunting task. But Dialpad was ready to take it head-on. Dialpad’s team worked closely with RE/MAX to understand their specific needs and made the transition quick and seamless.

“The Professional Services team we worked with did an incredible job,” Jeanna remarked. “We migrated over the HQ platform—probably about a thousand numbers—within a six-week timeframe, from the time the contract was signed to the time we had our first deployment.”

In fact, it was so painless that once the headquarters were done migrating “literally the following week.” By the first week in April, they were good to go.

A single platform for all communications, on any device

If RE/MAX was going to get their entire company on a single unified communications platform, they needed to make sure everything was connected. With Dialpad, they had one platform that could cover calling and SMS messaging, and with a single company-wide contact list to make it easy to reach anyone—no more needing to search different contact lists and make calls across disparate systems.

“Our objective was to not only replace and modernize HQ’s telephony infrastructure, but also to integrate other systems into a single platform, creating a fully connected experience.” Jamie said. “With everything aligned, employees can engage with their team and communicate both B2B and B2C, all within Dialpad. It’s a far more efficient solution, eliminating the frustration of having to consult an email directory over and over.”

One major goal for RE/MAX was being able to access their unified telephony platform on any device—desktop computers, mobile devices, and even web browsers. It was important that it worked and felt the same regardless, for a consistent experience no matter what devices they’re using:

That was another area where Dialpad fit all their criteria. In fact, RE/MAX's employees can even make a call from their computer, switch to their mobile phone with the push of a button and switch back just as easily without missing a beat.

Savings of two hours per onboarding session

One of the highlights of Dialpad Support is that coaching, summaries, and alerts happen immediately — during calls and not hours afterwards. At RE/MAX, the Real-Time Assist (RTA) cards are not just tools—they're game changers in enhancing agent satisfaction and retention. After full implementation of RTA cards, RE/MAX now reports saving two hours per agent per week during the onboarding process.

RTA cards have significantly streamlined the onboarding process for new support center staff, empowering them to be more confident and effective agents from day one. “The RTA cards aren’t just a quick fix—they expedite education. As a rookie coming on board, they might say, ‘Oh, I didn't know that,’ the first time they see an RTA card, but once they've read it once or it pops up again, it's ingrained,” shares Josh.

“So, we're definitely seeing some onboarding efficiencies as a result of leveraging these cards.”

In addition to bolstering the confidence of new agents, RTA cards also ensure the team at RE/MAX is providing top-notch service to its customers. “With RTA cards, our team has minimized the need to scramble through multiple sources for information. RTA cards lay it all out for them, improving their experience and, by extension, our customers’,” explains Josh.

This improved support structure has led to higher job satisfaction among agents and, consequently, better retention rates. “Our agents feel more equipped and supported, thanks to Dialpad's RTA cards. This has led to a noticeable improvement in their job satisfaction and our retention rates,” adds Josh. It's clear that Dialpad's innovative features can do more than just streamline processes at RE/MAX—they can also cultivate a more empowered and satisfied workforce.

Empowering reps with sentiment analysis

At RE/MAX, introducing Dialpad's sentiment analysis marks a significant shift in how managers monitor and improve customer satisfaction. This Ai-powered tool offers insights into the emotional context of calls, helping managers quickly identify areas where agents may need help.

“Sentiment analysis allows us to quickly identify and address areas where agents may need additional support,” explains Josh.

For the reps at RE/MAX, this has meant better support from management and clearer guidelines for delivering exceptional service. “Our reps have concrete data on how their calls are perceived, which allows them to refine their approach continually,” Josh adds. This focus on data-driven improvement has reshaped the way RE/MAX approaches customer interactions, with a clear emphasis on empathy and effectiveness.

Leveraging Ai Insights for a better customer experience

By harnessing the power of Ai Insights and contact center analytics, RE/MAX has reshaped the way it interacts with customers, driving a more personalized and effective customer experience. Josh emphasizes the transformative role Dialpad Support has had on RE/MAX’s operations: “With Ai Insights, we’re not just addressing customer queries anymore—we’re able to anticipate their needs and preferences as well.”

Ai Insights offers a deeper understanding of customer interactions by analyzing trends and patterns in conversations. This advanced analysis has allowed RE/MAX to tailor its responses and services, ensuring that each customer feels heard and valued. “It's about being able to go beyond the transactional nature of our business and really connecting with our customers on a personal level,” Josh explains.

Moreover, contact center analytics has played a crucial role in optimizing the efficiency and effectiveness of RE/MAX's customer service operations. By analyzing call volumes, response times, and customer feedback, RE/MAX is able to constantly refine its approach. “These analytics serve as a compass, guiding us towards areas where we can improve and excel,” Josh adds.

The team at RE/MAX is also using Dialpad’s heat mapping tool to optimize scheduling to better meet higher call volumes. “With Dialpad's advanced analytics tools, including heat mapping, RE/MAX has been able to optimize staffing and adjust to peak call times more effectively,” Josh explains.

The combination of Ai Insights and contact center analytics have proven to be critical for RE/MAX’s success. They enable the team to not just meet but exceed customer expectations, and foster a culture of continuous improvement and customer-centricity. As Josh puts it, “It's about being able to leverage every piece of data to enhance our customer's journey with us, and make every interaction count.”

A perfect fit for Salesforce

Logging of Ai transcripts into Salesforce has been one of the critical features that RE/MAX now uses to streamline their workflows. “The transcription feature is great, and we can have our Dialpad instance open alongside Salesforce without any issues. It's become an essential tool for us,” explains Josh.

Dialpad’s Salesforce integration allows users to see caller information as soon as their phones ring, make calls from within Salesforce, and automatically log each call (all on a single pane of glass):

“We needed a platform that was strong and had a tight integration with Salesforce, so that we wouldn’t have a staff person going into two applications,” Jeanna explains. “Our Support team wanted to be able to view their ‘omni-stats’—telephony, email, and chat—in one pane of glass under one location within Salesforce, without having to go to multiple applications to get that data. Out of all the vendors we looked at, Dialpad had the strongest integration, allowing us to get that right out of the gate.”

Josh adds that he plans to get their sales team to use the Dialpad-Salesforce integration next: “Beyond my support organization, I want to extend the same Dialpad capabilities to our account management team, who primarily use Salesforce. That way, we can benefit from having transcriptions directly in the case.”

“There’s a tremendous amount of ROI in a partner like Dialpad.”

Now that RE/MAX is already seeing significant success with Dialpad, they are looking forward to even more success in other areas of the business. “We’re already benefiting in support, and I’m eager to see how we can leverage these features for our sales organization.” Josh elaborates. “I want sales plugged into this. I think it's incredible. The Ai Playbooks are remarkable.”

Josh reflects on the future of RE/MAX’s AI journey, noting the multiple ways in which Dialpad will be able to enhance its operations.

Josh points out that RE/MAX's adoption of Dialpad will continue to lead to more streamlined operations, and enable them to serve their customers more effectively and efficiently. “The AI features like transcription, sentiment analysis, and real-time assistance have drastically reduced time spent on calls and improved the quality of our customer interactions.”

His advice to other organizations considering integrating AI into their systems? Josh emphasizes the importance of a strategic approach and starting from the top. “The importance is finding little victories and selling the value of AI across the organization by using the power of storytelling. Start with the executives and get them on board with adopting AI,” says Josh. “Once you gain momentum, AI can really move the needle and make significant changes within the organization.”

In RE/MAX’s case, Dialpad has helped them get leaner and more intentional with their service providers. “AI can be challenging to navigate in the workplace,” Josh admits. “But with an invaluable partner like Dialpad, you can create a business case for your executive team so they can understand the value of AI as well.”

As RE/MAX looks to the future, Josh is confident that their partnership with Dialpad will continue to yield positive results. “The ROI we've seen with Dialpad Ai is just the beginning. We're excited about what lies ahead and how these tools will continue to evolve and help us achieve our goals.”

Looking ahead: Ai CSAT to enhance customer satisfaction

As RE/MAX continues to optimize its customer service strategy, Josh is looking forward to fully implementing Dialpad's Ai CSAT in the near future. Ai CSAT provides complete visibility into the voices of your customers by being able to analyze 100% of your calls—no more hoping and waiting on surveys with low response rates.

This tool provides immediate feedback on the quality of each interaction, enabling managers to address any concerns promptly and effectively.

“With Ai CSAT, we will be able to pinpoint exactly where our reps need more training,” Josh shares. “This way, we can maintain the highest standards of customer service across our organization.”

Josh expects Ai CSAT to further strengthen their ability to proactively improve service, setting a new benchmark for customer engagement by providing real-time insights into customer satisfaction.