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REinventing MLS
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MRED’s Help Desk Keeps Winning Streak Going
LISLE, Ill., June 4, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS), is pleased to announce that for the fifth consecutive year its Technical Help Desk has been recognized as one of the Top 25 Call Centers in the United States and Canada by BenchmarkPortal. MRED’s Help Desk has been identified as one of the best small business centers in the category of organizations having 5 to100 full-time call center personnel.
Since 1995, BenchmarkPortal has conducted annual statistical analyses of call center operations throughout the world. BenchmarkPortal hosts the world’s largest call center metrics database in conjunction with the Center for Customer Driven Quality located at Purdue Research Park, Purdue University. The BenchmarkPortal team of professionals has gained international recognition for its call center expertise and innovative approaches to Best Practices for the call center industry.
BenchmarkPortal compares the performance of contact centers throughout North America by evaluating their key metrics against industry peers, to objectively identify centers who are achieving superior results both in financial and qualitative terms.
MRED outperformed others in the Small Center Category in the following areas:
- Top Caller Satisfaction
- Average answering speed
- Average Hold Time
- Average Talk Time
- Calls Transferred
- Average Calls Abandoned
- Average After-Call Work Time
- Turnover of Full-time Agents
“MRED’s ranking in the Top 25 shows that it has achieved outstanding results when compared with centers from a wide variety of industries, which is a great accomplishment,” said Bruce Belfiore, CEO of BenchmarkPortal. “We congratulate them and wish them continued success in the future.”
“Our Help Desk takes great pride in providing Exceptional customer service to MRED customers, and we work very hard at it each and every day,” said Stephanie Abrams, MRED Help Desk Manager. “I’m extremely proud and grateful for the recognition our team has received from Benchmark Portal. It is our absolute pleasure serving the needs of our customers and we are very excited to see them at MREDpalooza 2015!”
“I am gratified and very appreciative of MRED’s Help Desk and the great customer service it provides,” said Rebecca Jensen, MRED President/Chief Executive Officer. “I could not be prouder of our Help Desk Manager and Technicians, who are on the front lines successfully serving all of our real estate professionals. Top 25 again? Awesome!”
About MRED
Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to nearly 40,000 brokers and appraisers and 8,000 offices. MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding “collar” counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana. MRED delivers over twenty products and services to its customers, complementing connectMLS™, the top-rated MLS system in the country for two years running according to the WAV Group MLS Technology Survey. MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association, and for four consecutive years the MRED Help Desk has been identified as one of the best small business centers in the United States and Canada by BenchmarkPortal. For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.
About BenchmarkPortal
BenchmarkPortal‘s activities began in 1995, and it is now a global leader in the contact center industry, providing benchmarking, certification, training, consulting and research. The BenchmarkPortal team of professionals has gained international recognition for its innovative approach to best practices for contact centers. BenchmarkPortal hosts the world’s largest database of contact center metrics, which is constantly being refreshed with new data. BenchmarkPortal’s mission is to provide contact center managers with the tools and information that will help them optimize their efficiency and effectiveness in their customer communications. For more information, please call 1-800-214-8929 or visit BenchmarkPortal.com.
MRED CEO Rebecca Jensen Named One of HousingWire’s Rising Stars
Congratulations to MRED CEO Rebecca Jensen for being named one of HousingWire’s Rising Stars of 2015
The mortgage industry faces tremendous challenges in the years ahead. The regulation that has squeezed so many in our space, combined with a still sluggish economy, means we need leaders who are innovative and proactive like never before. That’s why HousingWire is proud to recognize some of the brightest and most accomplished leaders under 40 with our Rising Stars program.
These 40 winners have developed groundbreaking new software, re-engineered entire systems and launched their own startups. They have seen dramatic growth in sales, in market share and in influence. Whether they started with a company right out of high school or were brought in for a specialty solution, their contributions have been outsized.
Do You Know The Cost of Renting vs. Buying? [Infographic]
![Do You Know The Cost of Renting vs. Buying? [INFOGRAPHIC] | Keeping Current Matters](https://i0.wp.com/www.keepingcurrentmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Rent-vs.-Buy-KCM.jpg)
Some Highlights:
- Historically the Percentage of your income needed to afford a home vs. renting was a much closer margin. Making renting make sense.
- Now… Renting will cost you 30.1% of your income compared to buying a median home at 15.3% of your income.
- Either way you’re paying a mortgage… why not have it be yours?
Blog post via KCM Blog
![NAR's EHS Report [INFOGRAPHIC] | Keeping Current Matters](https://i0.wp.com/www.keepingcurrentmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/EHS-REPORT-MARCH.jpg)
The Deal of the Century??
Recently, Freddie Mac published a blog post titled Mortgage Rates: Still the Deal of the Century. They explained that, if you are planning to purchase a home, now may be the time:
“If you are in the market to buy a home, today’s average mortgage rates are something to celebrate compared to almost any year since 1971.”
And they let their readers know that there is no guarantee that rates will remain this low:
“Over the past few years, we’ve enjoyed a long run of historically low mortgage rates. While no one expects them to change dramatically overnight, they are expected to head up. Most experts agree that mortgage rates will drift up in the coming months to end the year approaching 4.50%… Buying a home is a big investment – perhaps the biggest one you’ll make in your life. So, it’s important to be sure you are ready to make that purchase. If you are ready, today’s rates are not to be missed.”
The article went on to calculate what the principal and interest payment would be based on a $200,000 fully amortizing mortgage at different times in history.
Here is a look at rates over the decades:
Here is a look at rates over the last four years and what Freddie Mac projects for next year:
Bottom Line
If you are thinking of buying your first home or looking to move up to your dream home, now may be the time to do it.
Article from KCM Blog
Broker Public Portal Elects First Board of Managers
Arroyo Grande, CA – April 28th, 2015 – A nationwide group of leading Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) and real estate brokerage firms supporting the creation of a national property search portal have elected their first board of managers.
The initiative, known as the Broker Public Portal, was launched in January and includes a cross section of participants from 37 MLSs and 39 real estate brokerages representing the interests of 826,000 agents.
WAV Group project consultant, Victor Lund explains that MLSs have long provided regional consumer facing property search websites. In December of 2014, a group of likeminded MLSs and real estate brokerages met to discuss the opportunity to build a National MLS consumer facing website to fill an unmet need in the online marketplace. At the first meeting of the organizers on April 22ed, 2015 in Dallas they elected the board of managers that will be included in their corporate filings as a Delaware LLC.
“There is a tremendous amount of support and momentum throughout the MLS and brokerage communities to create a new choice for how and where to display their listings,” commented Robert Moline of Home Services of America. “And the formation of our Board of Managers is a significant step forward in our ability to deliver on that goal through the creation of a national broker public portal.”
Large Firms – 5
Robert Moline – Home Services of America
Merle Whitehead – Realty USA
Hoby Hanna – Howard Hanna Real Estate
Chris Heller – Keller Williams
Joan Docktor – Fox and Roach
Multiple Listing Service – 4
John Mosey – Northstar MLS
Cameron Paine – Connecticut MLS
Rebecca Jensen – Midwest Real Estate Data
Kirby Slunaker – RE Colorado
Midsized Firms – 3
Craig McCelland BHGRE Metro Brokers
Richard Haase Latter and Blum
Drayton Saunders – Michael Saunders
Small Firms – 3
Mitch Ribeck – Tropical Realty
Paul Wells – RE/MAX Barrington
Christina Ishabishi Bonner – Pacific Union
Source: Broker Public Portal
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