Callbutton Brings Life to Realty Web Sites

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Consumers have gotten used to the self-serve style of the Internet, relying on "frequently asked questions" and "contact us" sections, which often require users to fill out a form and submit it, just to get more information.

A Richardson-based company is combating these accepted practices with a familiar, but seemingly forgotten, form of communication - telephone calls.

Callbutton's latest product, Callbutton Realty, gives residential real estate professionals the ability to insert a button on their Web sites, or even a third-party's Web site, that will provide prospective home buyers with an immediate connection with a real estate agent.

When users click on a Callbutton icon, they are asked their name and contact number. The agent's office phone, or cell phone, will ring and he or she will be prompted by a Callbutton recording to respond to the caller.

If the real estate agent is able to talk to the customer, the call is immediately routed and a connection is made. If the agent is unavailable, he or she can capture and retain the contact and listing information, and the caller is directed to leave a message.

Callbutton redesigned the application for its realty product, expanding the speech-to-text aspect so real estate agents can gather information about the caller before deciding whether to accept the call.

Callbutton's partner Salesbutton (www.salesbutton.com) is the exclusive reseller of Callbutton Realty. Salesbutton, its parent company, IMSure Network Inc., Callbutton, and Callbutton's parent company, Intelemedia Communications Inc., are all owned by Tempe, Ariz.-based Bancpro Inc.

"In marketing, whoever responds first gets to play," said Mike Jurecka, owner of DFW Fine Properties in Southlake, who was one of the first to use Callbutton Realty. "The old way, if a buyer wanted more information, they had to e-mail me. What I've found with the consumer is they want to know information right away."

Often, prospective buyers just want to find out whether the property they're looking at on the Web site is still available. But the number of calls Jurecka receives on a daily basis hasn't skyrocketed to the point of being counterproductive. The calls are generally from people who are seeking to buy.

"I've made a concentrated effort to go live. The whole point of marketing is to get the phone to ring. If you're not in a position to answer it, what's the point?" he asked.

Users who are concerned about privacy can provide just their first name and cell number, Jurecka said.

Users of the Callbutton Realty service pay a one-time set-up charge of $49.95, a flat monthly rate of $14.95, and per-call and per-minute connected charges at rates of 39 cents and 19 cents, respectively.

The realty product was released about a month ago and there are about 100 real estate agents using it, said the former director of marketing for Salesbutton. "We're now contacting Century 21, Re/Max - all of the biggies. Everybody seems to be pretty excited about it," Euse said.

"Of all the products we've come out with, (Callbutton Realty) has received the best reception out of the gate," said Michael Markette, Callbutton's chief executive who joined the company shortly after its inception in January.

When Markette evaluated the company's business practices, he found four that were the most valuable to the company.

"First and foremost, what we do best is advanced, or intelligent call routing. It's not just connecting calls, but (our technology) helps determine where every phone call goes," he said.

In addition, the company offers management reporting, feedback and survey services, and information integration services.

"Callbuttons can be dynamic - they can pop up when someone takes something out of their shopping cart or when a user has been on a page for more than a minute," Markette said.

The company has continued to serve online retail and commerce sites with its call routing technology. But its primary focus these days is to sell its technology to organizations that have a complex sales cycle that requires interaction between the seller and the buyer, and those that have disparate sales channels.

Markette said Callbutton has recently partnered with FreeMerchant, a division of Network Commerce Inc. (Nasdaq: NWKC) that has more than 100,000 small retailers in its online marketplace.

"FreeMerchant is actively signing up their users to use Callbutton. Within minutes (of signing up), a Callbutton icon shows up on their Web sites," Markette said. "Most of these small merchants have a retail location, so this is another way for them to engage their customers. It gives them an option to sell something to a browser who would have normally walked away."

Callbutton has been financed to date by Intelemedia Communications. Markette said the company is in the process of courting investors for a $1.8 million Series A round that he hopes to close by this fall.

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Closser, Stacey - (2001, July 9-15) Callbutton brings life to realty Web sites - Dallas-Fort Worth TechBiz