RatedAgent.com and its sister organization QualityService.org offer real estate agents the opportunity to have their service rated by their clients and have the ratings displayed online. Sellers and buyers complete a scientifically designed survey after the transaction has closed. The survey is administered and the results are verified by an independent research company.
Agents agree to have each one of their transactions surveyed. When the survey results have been aggregated, agents may choose to display their ratings along with their personal profiles on RatedAgent.com. The site offers sellers and buyers the opportunity to find and select real estate professionals who subscribe to this validated survey process and choose to have their ratings posted online. Reviewing agent ratings is an efficient way for sellers and buyers to begin their agent search.
For over a decade, RatedAgent.com along with QualityService.org, have been the recognized leaders for customer satisfaction training and the measurement of customer satisfaction in the real estate industry. Customer service training and measuring customer satisfaction of a service is our only business. Thousands of agent subscribers and over a million surveys later, we have a very finely tuned survey process and reporting system in place serving both the consumer and the real estate professional. Check out the following facts that differentiate RatedAgent.com from many other sites:
The service is free to consumers for the intended use of locating and comparing agents, and reviewing customer feedback and comments. Selecting an agent is a formidable task given that the sale and purchase of a home involves what for many is their most significant financial asset. Reviewing agent ratings is a great starting point in your search for a real estate professional.
We are paid a small amount for each agent participating in the program. Some agents pay for their own participation and for most other agents their brokerages, associations or MLS cover part or all of the costs. In any case, this relationship does not give the participant leverage to bend the rules or remove an unfavorable review.
No, absolutely not!! The real estate industry is very protective when it comes to sharing of personal data. We would not remain in business if we inappropriately used or distributed the information we collect.
Yes, but only after you have completed a transaction with a RatedAgent real estate professional for the purchase or sale of real estate. One of the key differences between RatedAgent.com and other rating systems is that this is a “closed” system. A closed system surveys only sellers and buyers (every seller and buyer) who have completed a transaction with a RatedAgent.com professional. This is a very important difference between RatedAgent.com and many other rating sites. Participating agents are protected from false reviews being posted by competitors, a client represented by the “other” agent in a transaction or others with a less than honorable agenda. Consumers are protected from the ballot box being stuffed by those other than sellers and buyers, who submit positive reviews without having worked with the agent. Because many real estate agents complete fewer than 10 transactions per year, each review is important. Consumers need to be certain the survey and feedback process is being administered in a fair, arm’s length manner, offering objective and independently validated data and commentary.
The Customer Satisfaction Rating is a score calculated by averaging consumer responses to the Overall Satisfaction question listed on both buyer and seller surveys. Response options range from 1 (Very Dissatisfied) to 5 (Very Satisfied). The CSR continuously updates as new responses are received, and includes results for the past 3 years. Click here to see both the buyer and seller copies of the Customer Satisfaction Survey©.
That is a good question, and we also would like to know the answer as to why you did not receive a Customer Satisfaction Survey© after completing a home purchase or sale with an agent listed on the site. After the closing, Leading Research Corporation typically receives buyer and seller contact information directly from a brokerage or MLS database. This process involves very little opportunity for human intervention or selectivity. Data transfer errors can occur, and although they represent less than a 1% factor, your contact information may have been affected. Another reason you may not have received the survey is that it is possible that your agent may have joined RatedAgent.com after your transaction was closed. In any case, please contact us if you still believe you should have been given the opportunity to complete a survey.
This speaks to the nature of RatedAgent.com and the participants. First of all, being voluntary it becomes a self selective process where only those agents who want to provide or believe they already do provide great service tend to join. Second, RatedAgent.com offers participating agents specific feedback on their opportunities for service improvement, offers advanced service training for professional skill development and delivers metrics and benchmarking data to track and measure improvement. To no one's surprise improvement follows. RatedAgent.com participants who consistently receive less favorable reviews and feedback either learn and improve, or simply quit. The reality is not entirely surprising. Who would want independent validation and publication of their poor service record?
Participation is voluntary. We do not "farm" (harvest or steal) agent profiles from other sources to populate our member database as a way to entice or embarrass professionals into participating. Those who do elect to participate must agree to the terms of use, e.g., every closed transaction must be included in the survey process. Some agents do not participate because they know they do not provide good service or focus solely on making the sale rather than focusing on the details of service; others believe rating systems are all the same and that only dissatisfied consumers complete surveys; and yet another segment of non-participants believes that they already provide the best service in the business, just ask them. Their belief in their great service is often based upon how much business they do rather than an objective assessment of how well they serve each customer in each transaction. The need to learn and to improve is not part of their process. Even complaints or a deal gone bad is explained away by outside factors or a "bad" customer. While we may not be able to help or influence this segment of the agent population, we can help you avoid them.
There are many excellent real estate professionals who just don't know that there is an objective, fair and credible system out there. Some of these agents are learning about RatedAgent.com from you the consumer who sees the benefits and enjoys making better more informed decisions - data and knowledge are power!
Warning: Any site that requires you to fill in your personal information before providing you with the information being offered is likely engaged in a practice known as "upstream fishing". Once you have provided them with your information, they will sell you as a lead to one or more "selected" agents or collect a referral fee (typically 25%-40% of agent commission) after the closing. Another trick less reputable sites use is to claim to have the "Top Rated" agents, but if you read the fine print you find it is the website that rates them, not customers. How one becomes a "Top Rated" agent is secret (and probably not cheap either).
Please contact us. We would be happy to explain the options available for your specific situation.
We have developed service management standards and rating systems for several other professional service industries and are always looking to expand. The key concepts, systems, processes and technology can be modified and applied to other professional service industries. Please contact us to learn more.
Following are a few industries we are involved in or in the process of developing: Mortgage, Relocation, Short-Sale, Commercial Property, Property Auction, Home Health Care, Assisted Living, Employee Satisfaction, Insurance-auto, homeowners, health and life.