Shelly, this is a very good topic especially for new agents.  We are a boutique office with a lot of repeat and referral business and a phone system that follows  us around, so floor time is not part of the plan.

I have two agents; the deal is, whenever they want they are welcome to come in, hang out and grab calls as long as they are not the others' clients. IF THEY ARE BOTH IN THERE TOGETHER, they MUST alternate. I don't care how good a lead it is, if one got the last one, if they answer the phone and it's an 'up' call, they MUST say, "One moment while I connect you to an agent" AND ROUTE TO THE OTHER.

I have worked in offices where floor time and up calls were the subject of such contention, it was like a war zone. People arguing over ONE MINUTE -- "It was 2:59 and THAT WAS MY CALL"

Forget that. If you have to fight for office up calls, you aren't doing your part to grow your own business.

I gave up floor for several reasons.

1. Not worth my time.

2. Not worth my gas bill 25 mins to get there. For a half day floor duty.Which was an hour drive time.  When it's only a half day you set up and take down..wasted time.

3. Fighting of calls,,,number of rings. Office assistance on power trip with control of phones.. Broker not really caring what goes on as long as they are making money.

4. Agents taking your office calls when they ask for you!

5. Just not worth the aggravation.

Now work from home and my car...Trying to get calls to go directly to me all the time..

My husband / accountant says my expenses are way down!

I'm happier without the office competition crap.

And if I want to do a load a wash inbetween calls or on the phone I can!  Best move I made.

Good lessons learned for when I have my on business!

LOL - I took floor for Susan about a week ago so she could enjoy her birthday with 'the girls'.  I don't have the patience for it normally.  Anyway, our broker had put out a notice that agents had not been entering calls into the floor register like they should lately and, of course, this is important to monitor ads, etc (I agree with her 100%).  At the end of my shift, as I walked out the door I announced loud enough for my broker to hear me that "I entered every call into the book today.... but the page is still empty."  

I heard her laughing as I left the building. LOL  

LOL Tim . . .

. . . I was told by a former company president that you can tell the top producers whether they have 'arrived' yet or not, because they

a) won't want or like floor time

b) won't like paperwork

Ain't that the truth!

Floor duty around here is becoming a thing of the past. As most agents have ad/sign calls going directly to their Direct phone or cell numbers then refer clients/customers for a fee to newer agents if they can't handle them. I don't do floor time it's a waste of time, doing secreatarial work for the company and top producers. Our agents get their own calls and make their own appointments...it works for them and the agents get paid very, very well.

We had it up until last year.  Technology being what it is, it just doesn't make sense.  If a call comes in from a sign or an ad it goes to the LA.  If she's not in the office it's forwarded to her cell.

I don't see offices seeing the walk-ins they used to because Buyers have access to the internet.  Your website is your "office" and visitors are the "walk-ins".  We do make sure that phones are covered on weekends.  If no one is in the office, calls are forwarded to Agents on an alternating basis.  No one gets two days in a row.  

Some people enjoy being in an office environment.  I don't.  Did it for 17 years.  Don't like being tied to an office (unless it's the one) in my home.

I was in for a meeting this morning that got cancelled.  I stuck around for a while because the OM was going crazy.  Covered the phones to help her out, did some busy work.  I don't even like working on the computers there because they're set up so differently from mine.  I know where everything is on my home comp but have to go searching just to find the MLS link or try to remember what the web address is and then try to remember my passwords!  Not fun.

Floor time.....blechhhh

Is this the window treatment thread?

My feeling about floor time depended on my mood at the time.  It did force me to remain connected to the office but I found it bothersome at other times.

Technically, we have floor time but with only three of us and since I don't force floor time on my agents, I'm the one who does all the floor time.  LOL!   One agent works exclusively in her town about 40 miles from here so I give her all the calls that come in for her town.  The other agent can come in whenever he wants to catch calls and I do forward all web leads to him.  I also give him many of the phone leads too.  We have a VOIP system that can be forwarded to anyone so if an agent wants the calls, it is a simple instruction online to forward the phone to their cell.  I use the VOIP number in all advertising but my cell  # for everything else so agents don't have to deal with "office business."

I don't agree with a procudure that gives calls to the LA.  This really hurts the agent who specializes in buyers not listings.  If agents don't want to be physically in the office, why not structure "floor time" when leads are given to the floor agent even if they aren't physically present in the office.  I have done this in the past and I never have trouble getting a number and name from anyone.  The true issue is getting the agent to call back immediately.

If anyone is interested in floor time software, there is an inexpensive one  at....http://www.generalentropy.com .

We don't have floor time. All signs and ads list the agents number and we don't advertise our office number anywhere but the phone book. Calls for agents are automatically forwarded to their cell phone. Our walk in traffic is not large enough to create an issue and has never been a source for business.

I agree about walk-ins. In my entire 9 years, I've only had 3 listings  who originated as a walk-in.  Had more buyers as walk-ins though.

Our floor time is not mandatory, but most agents ask to be assigned. Two agents are scheduled for a 2 1/2 hour shift once a week except for the morning shift which one agent covers. The covered hours are from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM and then all calls are directed to the agents requested extension or a general voice mail between 8:00 PM and 8:00 AM.

Any upcalls are either shared with the two agents on duty or each takes every other call, whatever they agree to. All of the listings that our broker advertises in the local newspapers and magazines have the office phone number, so all calls will go to the agents on the floor. This arrangement really helps the new agents.

When I was a new agent, one call that I received from a buyer prospect started a chain of transactions for me that added up to over $4 million in sales.  We have had a few problems with contention. One that comes to mind was when an agent alone on the floor asked if another could cover the phones while she went to the restroom. When she got back, the agent covering for her had received a very good upcall. There was an ensuing fight over who it belonged to and neither was willing to share the prospect. It reminds me of a quote I once read, "Circumstances do not make the man, it reveals him." Same goes for the woman!

The best...or the worst! LOL

I hate it when people argue over things like this.  I've not had it happen but if it did, I think I'd be a b**ch (especially if my mood = today's mood) and tell them that the lead is now mine and I'll pay a 10% referral fee to each if it closed.  After that happened a couple of times, the arguing would stop or they would leave and that wouldn't bother me a bit.

Sing it Velda, that's a good way to curb the pups!

My first broker who I still cry to on occasion says, "It's the Golden Rule, she with the gold makes the rules--you're the broker, do what is best in your opinion." LOL

Once upon a time, floor time was the way to get business. The bait was on the hook and you just needed to know how to reel them in without giving up the bait. Now - there are so many checks to perform before you work the customer in to the office that any business is suspect. "How did you get that customer?" I hate floor time yet I still do it. I let the telephone ring and when I must answer, I give the third degree to the person calling in. I don't want any of my peers to think I stole the lead. I show up because the other agents must turn over the lead to me if I am there and it is my listing. When I have floor time I give it away even if I am in the office working at my desk. I don't want to spend my time setting up appointments for other agents. The system doesn't work - but, don't tell the new agents. Someone must set up all the appointments.

At our office floor time isn't mandatory, but even the top producers in the office sign up for it.  On weekdays we do 3 hour shifts on Saturdays there are 2 7 hour shifts.  Office policy is that sign calls should go to the listing agent, not to the floor agent.  Realistically, that means that if our receptionist could transfer office calls correctly to our cell phones; we could do away with floor time altogether.

Tony

Shelly,

Our office has really had an increase in 'rental' calls over the past year but the calls on 'for sales' are way down.  I will work the rentals IF it is convenient for me but in our market the co-op is typically only 10% of one month's rent.  

Unless I feel pretty certain that the 'renter' is a potential buyer in the very near future (12 months or less) I'm just not motivated.  In fact, I took all the rentals off of our website because of the high number of calls I was getting that were sucking the life out of me. LOL

What is the co-op on rentals in your market?  (Anyone... not just Shelly).  In my opinion, I need to make at least $300-$400 to make it worthwhile.

Tim

An agent told me one time that floor duty was working pretty good until the office secretary got licensed. Then she would answer the phone and take the leads. She would even leave to show other agents in their office properties. The agent comlained to the broker and the broker did nothing, it was all money in her pocket. I don't know if she left but I certainly wouldn't have stuck around that situation.

I absolutely refuse to do floor duty in my office.  I would rather take $15,000 and go to Vegas and place it on black or red because that is how floor duty works.  In my office if you list you truly do last!  We have a program that is absolutely wonderful and you can either opt in or opt out at no cost.  If you opt in all of your listings get placed on a yellow sheet of paper and you are called a yellow button agent and anyone who calls in about any of your properties will get forwarded to you automatically for FREE (since we are required as yellow button agents to have our office calls forwarded to our cell phones - this is also provided FREE at my office).

I also use this a sales pitch on my listing appointments and tell my sellers that anyone who calls my office about their home will be put directly in touch with me, the listing agent, the one who has seen their home and knows their position!  They will NOT be speaking with some agent who just got their real estate license who has no business.  It's not easy for new agents in my office, but I did it!  If they don't like it, there are always the discount brokers who will take em!

Michael, you seem a little wishy-washy on the floor duty thing.  Tell us how you really feel. LOL

I like the way your office handles it!!!  

[Tim sez: What is the co-op on rentals in your market?. . . Shelly sez: 10% of one months rent ]

No way Tim will it be worthwhile to deal with residential rentals unless they are perhaps seasonal or big bucks OR IF you're managing them, poke your eye out first and make it less painful, LOL

Commercial leasing is different . . . I require payment from owner at time of possession once the deposit check clears the bank. It's x percent of the ENTIRE lease term. So that can be a decent commission.

Other offices use a sliding scale, which protects them if the lessee turns out to be a flake.

We just got paid on one, LOL, the tenant was total flake BUT he redeemed himself by trading two SeaDoos for two month's rent to get back on track. Yes, welcome to the river. I wish I had arranged to get one of them, LOL

Shelly said "Tony, is your office getting calls?  Must be some reason they all sign up for it...  And why can't your secretary forward to your cell?  Is it office policy?

Being that Tony hasn't check back in yet today, I will give you an answer.  The office does get some calls and walk-ins.  The phones are supposed to be transferred to cells/contact number.  The receptionist has a bit of a difficult time with this.

Darcy

We used to have floor time at the company I worked for when I started ... I never got any business from it. The only walk-in that ever turned into a client for me was when I was in the office doing some paperwork and when this person walked in, the office assistant brought him to me ... I was on very good terms with our admin ... helping her out from time to time with computer related issues ... it paid off :-).

The office I have now is on quite a busy street and one would imagine a lot of foot traffic ... I've been trying lately to spend a lot more time there than I used to but haven't had a single person walk in who would be interested in buying or selling real estate ... it's all people trying to sell me something ... whether products or services ... I actually started locking myslef in to keep away the distraction ... people can see me when I'm in and they can ring the bell ... but, honestly, I see it as a safety issue being in the office all alone with the door unlocked. So I really don't like floor time.

Michael Klijanowicz, nothing is FREE. If your broker is doing something or nothing it costs you something. Check out your commission split. The floor time issue and the direct line customers call in on is just a different outlook. My view is that you can't get every call and every customer. Lawn signs were designed to make the office telephone ring and an available agent reel them in. Self promotion and direct line telephone is costing you big time. It is all nonsense. Look at your real bottom line income number after these advertising expenses have been deducted. BTW, real estate was invented five years ago along with the invention of the internet. Just ask anyone who started selling recently.

My theory is that the offices that do well with walk-ins are those offices with property management.  They convert the renters who come in to pay their rent or prospective renters who come in looking to rent a place.  But again, this is something that is successful if SOMEONE works it.  A few years back when I was at a different agents, had a renter come in to pay her rent and since I was only person in office besides the secretary (we didn't do floor at that branch office), I got her. She bought a $115,000 house about 15 showings and 6 months later.

Has anyone tried a kiosk in their local mall to see if pedestrian traffic in the mall is worthwhile?

Velda,

In Ga there were brokers who had offices at malls. Buyers come in pick out the house and amenities, get mortgage with them and out the door. I know someone who worked there for a week or two and she said it was awful. Those are probably some of the people now facing foreclosure. They didn't want people with good credit. The worse your credit was the more you could buy.(not really but almost.) I don't know if they are still there now.

We have kiosks for a couple of the big builders in one of our malls. They need all the help they can get these days, LOL

In my office, the listing agent gets the calls. All of  our office advertising contains the office phone number and our broker's web page only. Our broker keeps all of his leads and we never get walkins.

I just don't see the point in office duty, except to have some connection with my colleagues in our small office.

Real estate is changing.  It's all about the internet.

Sounds like what goes on in the office with floor calls is just a game no matter where you are.  Do you really get all your calls?

Power trips, greed, manipulation, lies.....Is this sales in general?

Yes there are exceptions to every rule. Good and Bad.

I believe in competition and it's a good thing...it doesn't have to be bad.

maybe the internet is a good thing.

Is you broker charging a referral fee for floor calls or internet leads?

25 -38 % here!  Swallow that!

If you don't have it.....it's coming to your town.