WAV Group supports organizations (Brokers/MLS/Associations/Franchises) to develop support services for the technology applications used by agents. To kick off these programs we audit the systems that an agent has access to. This is an administrative process whereby we inventory all of the tools that they access from any source.
7 Sources of Real Estate Agent Technology (with one common example)
- National Association of Realtors – RPR
- State Association of Realtors – Forms
- Local Association of Realtors – Lockbox
- Multiple Listing Service – MLS system
- Franchise – lead management
- Brokerage – eMail
- Self – website
The Big Problem: 7 different channels of training and support
Forget about training and support for a second. Let’s start with a basic observation: For an agent to even know what each of these tools do, they would need to spend at least 1 hour on a demo to get an overview. In reality, something as sophisticated as the MLS system would take at least two hours just to show an agent around. A fundamental problem with real estate today is that this basic process of introducing an agent to the tools they use is optional.
Set up and basic training must be a key component of onboarding a REALTOR®. If you look across the horizon of these seven entities, there is only one logical source that can consolidate training – the brokerage.
Where is your customer support directory? I constantly ask this question during our kickoff audit and the reaction to this basic question is the cornerstone of the tragic comedy that we face in our industry. Some people know part of the answer, but nobody knows the entire answer. And, to be fair – I did not list all of the applications that an agent would need to use. In most cases they have 5 or 6 services from their MLS, six to seven more from their brokerage and franchise, and another 2 or 3 on their own just considering the third party publishers.
Fix this and sell more real estate. The old adage is true. If the agents would only use the tools we provide, they would sell more houses.
Simple Steps To Solving This Problem
- Create a list of every product, making sure to contact every company to understand what the product does. Write a brief description of the product.
- Find out if each product vendor has a schedule for training
- Create a directory of support telephone numbers for each product
Mandate that agents get trained on each solution during their onboarding process and require that the office manager watch the agent log into each product and perform a basic task. Tragic part is that most brokers would fail if they were tasked for logging into each product.
WAV Group has done this hundreds of times for all different types of firms. We are happy to put it together for you if you do not have the time or energy.
Want a head start? Do you research on RE Technology.com. We have a directory of every technology service provider in America. It has been curated since 2010. Over 100 MLSs provide access to this service as a member benefit. Over 750,000 agents have access to RE Technology through their Association or MLS. If you need access, contact me. If you want to offer RE Technology across your brokerage, franchise, Association or MLS, contact me at victor@wavgroup.com