New generation agents are mobile agents. With fewer physical hours in the office, collaboration with their colleagues is still critical to success – as is their desire to nurture more relationships with prospective clients.
You might be wondering: how do these uber-agents keep all their plates spinning? How can they be fast, accurate, connected and productive whilst being outside of the office? The answer lies in productivity apps, the most important of which is your CRM’s app – enabling you to manage hot prospects, buyers, listings and OFIs on the run, whether online or offline.
Apps also enable real estate businesses to reduce time-burgling email communications, freeing up valuable time for prospecting and client care.
We see high-performing agencies embracing cloud technology working seamlessly between desktop and mobile – with some agents (including market leaders Ouwens Casserly) ditching the desktop altogether and adopting hybrid devices like the iPad Pro.
In addition to your database app, here are 10 must-have apps built to leverage your productivity.
Whilst not all are real estate-specific, they will each make a profound impact upon your daily efficiency and success!
TOTAL COMMUNICATION PLATFORMS
Facebook Workplace
Brand new from your favourite social networking platform comes Facebook Workplace, which offers a secure online environment to communicate with your team in real time.
It’s already in use by top real estate performers in Australia, including Morton Real Estate.
Office 365 and Google Business
Using privately hosted servers can cause agencies serious and costly tech problems.
Upgrade to Office 365 or Google Business for your agency’s emails, calendars, tasks and contacts; both of these cost-effective platforms will easily connect to your CRM to sync appointments and more.
WORKFLOW COLLABORATION
Trello
An attractive app ideal for team workflow management and collaboration.
Using Trello’s intuitive board interface, you can track your own activity and observe your colleagues’ results. Trello is the ultimate for checklist lovers.
Any.Do
Got a long to-do list? Break it down with Any.Do’s simple task management functionality. It even allows you to talk to your phone, and set a reminder that will sync with your calendar and tasks.
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
Slack
The best of the best! Slack is one of the most popular internal communication platforms in business.
Create bespoke team channels with specific colleagues, or communicate company-wide in a moment.
Easy to use on both mobile and desktop, Slack has changed the way teams work remotely.
WhatsApp
Used by many agencies, WhatsApp is a great way to easily share photos, videos and updates.
Some agents take photos of their OFI sheets and send them straight back to admin via WhatsApp for CRM input.
Pro tip: do you have repetitive tasks in your office that you could have completed at a lower cost offshore? Australian agencies are already amping up their productivity with professional offshore task management in hand with tools like WhatsApp.
Some agents are ditching the desktop altogether and adopting hybrid devices.
RP Data
CoreLogic’s suite of mobile apps is proving a winner for savvy agents who choose to offer prospective clients a free RP Data postcode report in exchange for their email address.
The Mobile Lister App encourages heightened levels of participation from potential vendors during the appraisal process, allowing them to view comparables and calculate a listing price on their own property within a pre-set range.
Such involvement helps manage vendor expectations, while reducing price objections. RP Data’s Mobile Lister App is loved by the team at Ouwens Casserly.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Buffer
Lighten your social media burden and post across multiple platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, using Buffer.
Buffer also helps you to track results on these platforms, so you can observe what your audience is engaging with.
Evernote
Evernote helps you to organise your thoughts into handy digital notebooks, which live within the app both on your desktop and your phone.
Once within Evernote, your notes are easy to share with your team. You can also add dictation and photos to your Evernote app!
DocuSign
DocuSign is changing the way clients sign off on contracts.
Leading the way in the category of digital signatures, DocuSign can be used for appraisals and is now integrated with REI Forms Live.
