How to Hire a Real Estate Assistant or Client Care Coordinator
If you’re ready to start building a team, you might be wondering how to hire a real estate assistant or client care coordinator. Every team needs a client care coordinator. A client care coordinator can also be called admin, transaction coordinator, or assistant, but they do far more than the title “assistant” implies.
This role is one of the most important on a real estate team. They are your first line of defense. They make it possible for you to really make progress in your business, so you want to be sure you’re finding the candidate who is most suitable to fill an administrative role.
Real estate teams that serve a high number of clients need a team member whose main role is to manage the details that make your systems and processes work properly while ensuring your clients receive top-quality service. The client care coordinator is the key to improving the quality of service and making a bigger impact for your clients. This is why this position is essential to fill with the ideal candidate. You can use the DISC behavioral analysis tool to determine what the perfect client care coordinator will be like.
While the DISC assessment shouldn’t be used to make final decisions about candidates, it can give you a good idea of what you’re looking for. Once you know what the ideal personality type is, be sure to advertise it as part of your job description and communicate the need for specific personality traits during the interview process.
Often, you’ll find the strongest candidates by fully explaining the role and allowing candidates to self-identify (or not) as the best fit. Inform potential hires about the personality types you’re looking for, and they’ll often let you know whether or not they feel like they are a good fit for the role.
In order to set your real estate team up for success, here’s what you should look for in your next client care coordinator:
Ideal DISC Traits
Low “D”
This category is all about decisiveness. The client care coordinator is rarely making strategic decisions at the company, so decisiveness is less important than agreeableness. A good client care coordinator is typically deliberate, agreeable, and mild. People who score high in “D” are typically demanding and forceful, which can be off-putting to clients who are being assisted. Agreeableness, on the other hand, is the perfect personality trait for someone who frequently works with clients.
Why not a High “D?”
Some people might think a high “D” would be great as a client care coordinator because high “Ds” are extroverted and outgoing, and after all, this is a role that involves working with lots of people. The reason this type of personality usually doesn’t work well in this role is because people who are high in the “D” category can be blunt or impatient. When working with clients, it’s very important to hire someone who is able to be patient and diplomatic, even in a stressful situation.
High “I”
This category is about interactiveness. Your client care coordinator should be highly skilled at interactiveness because the majority of their day will be spent interacting with a variety of people. They’ll also see greater success in their role when they’re persuasive, sociable, and inspiring types of people.
People who are low in the “I” category are often quiet or reserved. This type of person might be great in a different position on your team but could be uncomfortable in the role of client care coordinator.
You want to hire people who will be happy in their roles. Because of this, you want people in the client care coordinator position who look forward to the chance to talk with lots of clients.
High “S”
Not only should your client care coordinator be a High “I,” but they should also be a High “S,” which stands for stabilizing. This person should be patient, predictable, and reliable. An ideal client care coordinator should be a good listener, which is an essential skill when it comes to providing clients with the best experience and service possible because clients want to be listened to.
This personality type is often conflict-avoidant. This is a strength in the role of a client care coordinator because a high “S” will be practiced in keeping the peace, which is helpful when a client is stressed or upset. It’s important to remember, however, that because of this conflict-avoidant trait, it’s best to be sensitive in managing these employees. They strive for positive relationships, so if you need to give criticism to your client care coordinator, it’s essential to frame it kindly and constructively and be supportive in your explanation.
Mid to High “C”
A person who scores low in the “C” category should avoid the role of the client care coordinator on the team, but someone who scores in the mid to high range will be perfect. This means the person will be orderly, neat, and analytical — but not to a fault. Managing a large number of clients requires this type of personality.
The Client Care Coordinator’s Ideal Environment
Understanding your client care coordinator’s personality types will help you build the right environment for these employees as well. Because this role requires being a high “I,” your client care coordinators will likely be happiest in a place with some level of flexibility and with few conflicts and arguments. These people will typically avoid being alone, so working near coworkers is ideal. It’s important not to eliminate social time for these employees. If you create this type of environment, you’ll allow your client care coordinators to thrive, and as a result, your entire real estate team can become successful, top producers.
Team building activities are just one part of building the best possible team. To learn how to hire a real estate assistant or client care coordinator, click to learn more or schedule a free consultation with a Workman Success business analyst.