Your phone rings. It's a past client - someone you helped buy their first home three years ago. They're calling because their sister is looking to buy in the area. They want to refer you.
But you're showing a property. You can't answer. The call goes to voicemail.
They don't leave a message. They call another agent they know. Research shows that over 78% of property buyers choose the first agent who responds to their inquiry. You just lost a referral - and weakened a relationship you spent years building.
This is the problem Contactually was built to solve. Here's what happened to Contactually - and what works now.
What Contactually Was (And Why Agents Loved It)
Contactually's Relationship-First Approach
Contactually wasn't just another CRM. While most real estate platforms focused on lead capture and conversion funnels, Contactually built something different: a relationship management system designed specifically for your sphere of influence.
The platform organized contacts into "buckets" based on relationship strength - new leads, active clients, past clients, sphere contacts, referral partners. Then it reminded you when to reach out, what to say, and how to maintain those relationships over years, not just through a single transaction.
Why It Mattered for Real Estate
Real estate is a relationship business. Your sphere of influence - family, friends, past clients, professional contacts - generates the majority of your deals. According to Follow Up Boss research, 80% of real estate teams say most of their business comes from their SOI. Agents making more than $100,000 per year get nearly one-third of their business from referrals and 34% from repeat business. These relationships require 24-36 touchpoints per year - and every missed call is a missed touchpoint.
Contactually understood this. The platform integrated with 60+ tools, tracked every email and interaction, and made sure no relationship fell through the cracks. It was relationship CRM done right.
What Happened to Contactually
Compass acquired Contactually in February 2019 for a reported mid-eight figures. The plan was to integrate Contactually's technology into Compass's agent platform.
Three years later, Contactually permanently closed on March 31, 2022. The standalone product shut down, leaving thousands of agents scrambling for alternatives that matched Contactually's relationship-first philosophy.
The technology moved to Compass's internal tools, but only for Compass agents. Everyone else needed a new solution.
The Real Problem: Sphere of Influence Degradation
What Is Sphere of Influence in Real Estate?
Your sphere of influence is everyone who knows you professionally: past clients, family, friends, neighbors, former colleagues, vendors, other agents, local business owners. These aren't leads - they're relationships.
These relationships generate business in two ways: repeat transactions (they buy or sell again) and referrals (they send someone your way). For top-producing agents, this accounts for 67% of their business.
But SOI relationships require consistent touchpoints. A client who doesn't hear from you for two years isn't going to think of you when their coworker asks for an agent recommendation.
The Missed Call Problem for Agents
Here's the brutal truth: You can't answer your phone when you're:
- Showing a property
- At a closing
- Hosting an open house
- Meeting with a client
- On another call
And the data shows this happens constantly. Industry research reveals that 46% of calls to real estate agents go unanswered. Nearly half of the people trying to reach you get voicemail instead.
What happens next? 69% of callers who reach voicemail won't leave a message - they call the next agent on their list. If each missed client represents $10,000 in commission, missing just five calls per month means $45,000 in lost revenue over the year.
In our analysis of customer service calls across small businesses, we found that 74.1% went completely unanswered. That's three out of every four callers reaching out to someone else.
How Missed Callbacks Damage SOI Relationships
Here's what makes this devastating for your sphere: We found that 25.4% of calls include an explicit callback request. Someone called, couldn't reach you, and specifically asked you to call them back.
When that caller is a potential buyer from Zillow, missing the callback means losing a lead. But when that caller is someone from your sphere - a past client, a referral partner, someone who knows you - missing that callback does something worse.
It weakens the relationship.
They remember that you didn't call back. Next time they need an agent or someone asks for a referral, they think of someone else. Not out of malice - just because you weren't there when they reached out.
This is exactly the problem Contactually was designed to prevent: ensuring every SOI touchpoint gets captured and logged so no relationship degrades through simple missed communication.
Why Phone + CRM Integration Matters for SOI
What Real Estate Agents Actually Need
The solution isn't just answering more calls. You still can't physically answer the phone during a showing. The solution is a two-part system:
- Capture every call - Either answer it professionally or route urgent calls to your phone immediately
- Log every interaction - Automatically record who called, when, why, and what they needed in your CRM
This preserves relationship continuity. When you follow up with that past client who called while you were showing a property, you know exactly why they called and what they needed. The relationship stays intact.
The Two-Part Solution: Capture + Log
Traditional options all fail one or both requirements:
- Hire a receptionist: $35,000/year for someone who works 9-5 and misses after-hours calls
- Use an answering service: $500-800/month, script-driven, slow to answer, no CRM integration
- Let it go to voicemail: Free, but you already know what happens - 87% never call back
Modern AI receptionists solve both parts. The AI answers every call in under 5 seconds, handles routine questions, captures callback requests, and logs everything to your CRM automatically.
In our analysis of customer service calls, we found that 74.1% went unanswered when businesses relied on trying to answer manually. With an AI receptionist, that number drops to zero - every call gets handled.
How NextPhone + Real Estate CRM Integration Works
HTTP Webhook Integration (Universal Approach)
This is the same integration approach Contactually would have used if it were still around: HTTP webhooks.
Here's what that means in practice: When NextPhone handles a call, it can send the call information to any system that accepts webhooks. That includes Follow Up Boss, LionDesk, HubSpot, Salesforce, custom CRMs, or even Zapier to connect to 1000+ other apps.
No complex API development required. You configure it once, and it runs automatically forever.
What Gets Captured and Logged
Every call generates structured data that flows directly to your CRM:
- Caller name and phone number (automatically collected by the AI)
- Reason for call (property inquiry, callback request, referral, question)
- Urgency level (routine vs. urgent)
- Any specific details they share (property address, buyer needs, timeline, budget)
- Call recording and transcript (for full context)
This happens in real-time. By the time you check your CRM after a showing, the call is already logged with complete information. You know who called, what they wanted, and exactly what to say when you call them back.
CRMs That Work with NextPhone
The HTTP webhooks approach works with any CRM that accepts incoming webhooks:
- Follow Up Boss - Well-documented API, easy webhook setup
- LionDesk - Developer platform supports webhook integration
- HubSpot - Enterprise-grade webhook support
- Salesforce - Full API and webhook capabilities
- Wise Agent - Real estate-specific CRM with API access
- Custom systems - If your CRM can receive POST requests, it works
Setup is typically under 30 minutes: Provide your CRM's webhook URL, configure which fields to send (name, phone, message, etc.), test with a call, and you're done.
From that point forward, every call gets captured by the AI and logged to your CRM automatically - exactly the workflow Contactually provided, but with the added benefit of never missing a call in the first place.
NextPhone for Real Estate SOI Management
How NextPhone Preserves SOI Relationships
Whether you're at a showing, a closing, or dinner with your family, every call from your sphere gets handled professionally and logged automatically.
The AI answers in under 5 seconds - faster than any human answering service. It handles routine questions (hours, areas you serve, how to schedule a showing), captures callback requests (25.4% of calls), and routes urgent situations directly to your phone.
Everything logs to your CRM. When that past client calls about referring their sister, the AI captures the details, sends them to your CRM, and you see the note: "Sarah Thompson called - sister looking to buy in Northside area, 3BR budget $400K, wants you to call back this week."
You call back with context. The relationship stays strong. You get the referral.
All for $199/month with unlimited calls and 24/7 coverage. No missed SOI touchpoints. No weakened relationships from missed callbacks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is NextPhone compatible with my current CRM?
NextPhone works with any CRM that accepts HTTP webhooks - which includes virtually all modern real estate CRMs. Popular options include Follow Up Boss, LionDesk, HubSpot, Salesforce, and Wise Agent. If your CRM has an API or webhook capability (most do), the integration works. You can also use Zapier to connect NextPhone to 1000+ other apps if your CRM doesn't support webhooks directly.
Will AI sound robotic to my sphere of influence contacts?
Modern AI phone systems sound natural and conversational - not robotic. NextPhone can be trained on your specific business information (areas you serve, your process, your availability) so it answers accurately. For complex situations or when someone explicitly asks to speak with you, the system transfers the call immediately. Most callers actually prefer getting a fast, helpful AI answer over sitting through 4-5 rings and then hitting voicemail.
What information gets captured and sent to my CRM?
The system captures caller name and phone number, the reason for their call (property inquiry, callback request, referral, general question), urgency level, and any specific details they share during the conversation. This includes things like property addresses they're asking about, buyer needs, timelines, budget ranges - whatever they tell the AI. All of this is fully customizable based on your workflow. You decide which fields get sent to which CRM fields.
How hard is it to set up the CRM integration?
Setup typically takes under 30 minutes. You provide your CRM's webhook URL (usually found in your CRM's integration or API settings), configure which data fields to send (name, phone, message, custom fields), and test with a call to make sure everything flows correctly. The NextPhone support team helps walk you through the process if needed. Once configured, it runs automatically - no ongoing maintenance required.
What if someone from my sphere wants to talk to me directly?
The AI can transfer calls mid-conversation whenever needed. You can set rules (for example, always immediately transfer calls from numbers in your "VIP clients" list, or transfer when someone says "I need to speak with [your name] directly"). Urgent calls get routed to your phone right away based on keywords like "emergency" or "urgent." You stay in complete control of who you talk to directly versus who gets handled by the AI first.
Start Preserving Every SOI Relationship
Contactually understood what many CRMs miss: Real estate is a relationship business. Your sphere of influence generates 80% of your deals through referrals and repeat business. Those relationships require consistent touchpoints - and every missed call breaks that consistency.
The platform shut down in 2022, but the need remains. You still can't answer your phone during showings. Past clients still call with referrals. The difference now is that AI + CRM integration can capture every one of those calls and preserve every one of those relationships.
The agents who thrive aren't the ones with the biggest marketing budgets. They're the ones who never miss a call from their sphere.
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Title: Contactually + NextPhone: Real Estate CRM Integration Guide Secondary Keywords: Real estate CRM integration, sphere of influence tracking, automated follow-up system