Agents receive a surge in calls

With property prices rising, supported by record-low interest rates, falling unemployment levels and historically low mortgage borrowing rates, telephone answering service Moneypenny has reported a surge in calls answered by its dedicated property team. According to its second quarterly (Q2) review of call data, calls to agents are up 8.3 per cent in comparison to the first quarter (Q1) of this year, reflecting the fact that there has been a sharp rise in the volume of calls being handled by the Moneypenny call centre, as more agents turn to virtual receptionists to help cope with busy workloads. “We are extremely busy with our sales figures currently exceeding those of the market peak in 2007,” said Richard Heppenstall, Director of West Sussex-based Michael Jones Estate Agents, which usesMoneypenny’s service. Moneypenny, which works with over 850 agents, estimates that it now answers in the region of 1.2 million ‘overflow’ calls a year for the sector. On annual basis, the combined figures for Q1 and Q2 highlighted a 20.3 per cent increase in the volume of calls answered for agents by Moneypenny, when compared to the first half of 2014. “More and more agents recognise the benefits of engaging with an outsourced partner…