Mobile Information Gathering System

A mobile information gathering system is a way to gather information while in a moving or stationary vehicle. Information would typically be conveyed through some type of signage system. Mobile information gathering was not possible until the advent of regular cell phones and smartphones. The largest usage of signage and the mobile conveyance of information is in the real estate industry. Signage is viewed as critical in the selling of a property. This article details the importance of signs, what types there are, and where they should be placed. According to the National Association of Realtors, 64% of people found the home they purchased through real estate signage.

There is no consistency in real estate signage in the U.S. as there are a multitude of systems being used. One of the most common signage is to simply have the name of the real estate firm and the name of the listing agent or real estate broker handling the house, along with the firm’s office phone number as the cellular number for the broker. This does not allow for instant gathering of information unless a phone call is placed to the agent, and the agent answers the phone. Often there is a specific website page for the specific property listed on the sign, and this will give the consumer instant information if that person has a smartphone and if they have cellular coverage in that location. Even if there is coverage, it may take time for the Internet to load, and the consumer may be on a busy street where they cannot wait for the information to be presented. If the consumer has a regular cell phone, they cannot access information through the website. There are two primary systems that are used as instant communication methods for signage in the real estate industry: text messaging and audio recordings. Text messaging is popular for young adults and allows for the instant gathering of information, assuming that the cellular phone has coverage. There are a number of text messaging real estate services such as Whamagent, club texting, and Cellsigns. Although text messaging can provide instant information, it can sometimes be confusing as to what message should be texted and to what number, and this is one of the reasons why there are no national texting systems for information gathering. Another reason is that texting systems use call capture. With call capture the broker or seller has the consumer’s cellular number, and the broker can call that number to attempt to sell the consumer, even if the consumer has received the information on the house and is no longer interested. The main reason, though, is that texting while driving is dangerous and it has become illegal to text while driving in many states. This state highway safety site has a chart of the laws for specific states. There are a number of audio real estate systems that are used to convey information on a house. The history of text to speech goes back several decades, but it has only been in the last few years that these systems have improved enough in voice or speech recognition to be used commercially. Voicepad is a system that consists of a combination of a recorded voice and a text to voice that gives information on the home such as square footage and number of bedrooms. With Voicepad you can also get a text message sent to your phone, and the speech can be heard bilingually. The drawbacks of Voicepad and the reason that it has not caught on nationally is that it has call capture, and it does not have one call in number used in all parts of the country. FYIcode is a full text to voice system that is also bilingual and does have one national toll free call in number. Unlike the other audio systems, FYIcode does not have call capture. It also allows you to receive a text message after listening to the recording. RealtyOne800 is an audio system where the real estate agent records their own voice as opposed to text to voice. There is a toll free number, but this number is different for each agent. RealtyOne800 also uses call capture.