I’m hoping that when Googling this topic, you were, in fact, looking for the ‘perfect operating system’ and not trying to stalk down your Ex-boyfriend. When we refer to the POS, we are talking about brokerage management software, and there are several things you need your system to cover. Whether you are a sales agent in the field or a broker recruiting for top agents, there are a ton of real estate software tools and real estate broker management systems available. Much like your Ex we mentioned earlier, they are not always a “one size fits all” match when it comes to real estate back office management software. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by so many choices.
When shopping for a real estate broker software, there are features that are nice to have and others that are crucial to your success. You need to decide what tools and systems will work best for your business. The best brokerage management software will have all of your must-haves to make you more productive and not drop the ball.
The basics of real estate broker software
Real estate software tools and real estate broker management software should be an integrated solution that is simple to use and will save you time. When you think of ease of use, think of a one-stop-shop for everything you need to do for your business each day. Tracking websites, passwords, and trying to navigate a super complex real estate CRM is a big-time sucker for your business. If you have seven different real estate brokerage software management systems to log into each day, you’ll be exhausted by ten o’clock on Monday morning. You need a complete office solution for your real estate brokerage management software that promotes productivity and is somewhat exciting to use. This goes for your realtor recruiting software as well—you want a solution that is all encompassing.
Taking inventory for your real estate broker software
Where are you winning and where are you lacking in your recruiting efforts for the real estate industry? It’s time to sit down and analyze where, why, and how your leads are coming in. What outreach channels are leads most responsive to? An effective real estate brokerage software solution and realtor recruiting software specifically can help you get your arms around this process. Get a pulse on your newest recruits and ask what made their decision to come aboard your ship.
Follow-up
It is the key to building a solid real estate business, both for the broker and the agent. As a broker, consistent and effective follow-up will keep you in front of the agents that will end up making the move in your favor. Start by keeping track of every agent you have made a connection with and keep a record of notes to circle back to. Don’t make me call the post-it police, toss out the sticky notes! Your real estate broker software should be your go-to spot for keeping track of every phone call, text message, and face to face conversation you have had with an agent if you want your team to have world-class productivity. The most effective real estate broker software and real estate broker management software will provide a way to keep a close eye on what progress you have made and help you move forward with who to call, text, meet with next.
CRM
When it comes to finding the best broker CRM out there, you need to dig deep into your current processes and systems in place. Figure out what is and what is not working for you. Look at your real estate broker management systems with a fresh set of eyes. When you find what is working, search for a CRM and real estate brokerage management software that takes it and runs away with it.
Automation
The best brokerage management software out there today, provide powerful tools for you that will be the “bee’s knees” of real estate broker software technology. In this modern tech world we live in, we have everything we need at our fingertips when it comes to lead generation, follow-up, social media management, and marketing your business.
You want to find a real estate broker software that takes some of the manual labor out of relationship management. How?
- Workflows with auto triggers and goals
- Sequences
- Automated emails
- Automated text messages
- Email activity tracking
- Re-engagement capabilities
The perfect real estate broker management systems don’t stop at the broker, either. This also applies to the tools and services a brokerage provides to their agents for their leads and clients as their marketing automation solution. The right real estate back office management software should be all encompassing.
Agent customer relationship manager
An agent CRM that offers services like texting, smart tracking of a client’s home search, and automated follow-up are a few top “must-haves” when seeking your real estate CRM and real estate broker management software tools for your agents. Pro Agent Solutions‘ CRM is a top pick for many agents. Agents can easily access it on their mobile device while “on-the-go”. Being in the field and quickly needing to access information can be a complete deal saver. Realtors are always chasing after clients, and brokers chasing agents, so while you’re running after agents with your butterfly net, it does a broker and agent good to have their broker recruiting software available on the go.
Set your entire business up for success
Just as your real estate broker software needs to be all-encompassing for you, the tech you provide your agents is just as important. Sure I can bring on 100 new agents, but if they can’t maintain their contacts, they have no deals. It’s time to invest in every aspect of the brokerage you are running including getting complete visibility into your team to improve agent management through a real estate brokerage software solution. An agent with decades of experience, but no deals, is about as useful to your brokerage as a juggling panda bear. Sure it’s fun to look at, but it is not going to move the needle of your business. Don’t get stuck in carrying costs for agents who are not producing. Give your team the tools and the best apps they need to succeed. This means providing the best brokerage management software.
What do your agents want in their CRM?
- Contact Management
- Calendar appointment and task management
- Document management
- Transaction management
- Lead capture
- Lead Nurturing
- Email marketing capabilities
- Integration ability
Your agents don’t want to have a hundred and thirteen tabs open on their computer at all times. They already feel like their brain is running that many tabs at once and just want to do what it takes to increase sales in an integrated CRM and real estate brokerage software management system.
Contact Management
A seasoned agent is going to come with their own little black book of contacts. If they are actually keeping these contacts in a paperbound notebook, HELP THEM! Pen and paper, really Carol? Agents and brokers should be keeping every contact they’ve ever made in their real estate broker back office software or CRM. Every lead you have had someone give you on a cocktail napkin belongs in your customer relationship manager. Why? Because it is impossible if you’re marketing right, to keep all these people straight in your head. Can you remember the names of everyone you met at an open house? Of course not! A great contact management system allows you to see what happened last. Keep all of your personal notes that you have on each contact from when you ran into Steve at Starbucks and met his dog, Hank. It all matters and helps you build that relationship with the potential client or agent.
Transaction Management
While some agents will hire a Transaction Coordinator to manage their documents during a deal for their real estate office, we all know it is the agent’s responsibility to ensure the transaction is running as planned. Real Estate is a people business and will always need that personal touch. A perfect way to streamline your business and stay on track with your busy schedule is a real estate transaction management software system for your back office. Real estate broker document management can be very time consuming. However, real estate software for brokers allows you, as a broker and an agent, to have a timeline of the deal in place within the real estate back office platform. Store all of the required legal documents, provide the ease of accessing important details about a transaction when needed in the field, and hold your agents accountable with compliance all as part of your real estate brokerage management software.
Even though these systems are made to keep the professional on track with their transaction data, they really impress the clients too. An excellent real estate broker software will have all of this in one spot, and accessible on the run for any transaction type. I mean, whoever doesn’t appreciate one-stop shopping and drive-thru’s, must have a ton of idle time on their hands, unlike a real estate professional who typically does not want to invest their time in a real estate back office management software unless it really boosts sales.
Document Management
For a broker, document management will apply mostly during on-boarding and during agent retention to capture important documents. You need a real estate broker document management system to organize:
- Drivers licenses
- Realtor licenses
- Additional Insured information
- Agent contracts
- Disciplinary files
- Resumes
- Protected ACH information
- Brokerage transfer forms
Once you convert a lead, your CRM should help you during agent onboarding as well, not simply procurement.
Agent document management will primarily come in handy when their lead turns into a client. That moment when Ruth from “My Fluffy Kitty Real Estate” calls and asks for my fax number… my skin just crawls. It’s 2019, get it together Ruth. Try asking a millennial to fax you their pre-approval letter. When they look at you like you have three heads, you can re-think your need for document management.
Clients are so impressed by how easy it is to quickly review and sign documents online and mainly on their mobile devices. Real estate happens nearly all hours of the day. A client that is on a flight to London or in a time zone 12 hours different than us, will gladly appreciate the ease of use and organization of an excellent document management system and pos real estate software. Effective real estate broker document management can be a game-changer for your business.
Lead Capture
How do you capture a lead and follow up with them in real-time? A box and string, a cheese trap, or a candy trail aren’t going to cut it for your lead management. There are many tools that can support ranging from social media to real estate broker back office software.
Social Media Gold
A major “gold mine” for real estate agents is their own online presence including their social media platform. This is typically underused or in an agent’s mind “I don’t know where to start”. Agents that are not generating business from their own social media accounts have not realized that this is your biggest sphere of influence….and it’s so simple to connect with your people. Engage your own followers to share your posts, by providing educational and exciting new listings that appease the eye. Not saying you need to turn your social platforms into the only way to advertise your business, but….. It really works.
Agent Websites
Provide your agents with personalized websites with IDX that connect directly to their CRM system and your real estate software for brokers. With the right social media marketing tools, your agents will be able to easily add listings and a property search to their Facebook page and other social sites. Engagement is everything. Once they have those contacts, they can input them into your agent CRM and keep them engaged and coming back again in their web browser.
Agent Leads
Was it your personalized texting, eye-catching email drip, or the voicemail drops? It could have been a mixture of all the above. Dive in by talking to your existing agents about why they decided to join. If you have built a great brokerage, your agents will be happy to share and help you grow too. Agents understand, better than most, that word of mouth is everything and the sun rises and sets with referral business. Don’t leave your current agents an untapped reference and keep all this valuable information organized with an effective realtor recruiting software.
Client Leads
There is no lead seeking delayed gratification, we live in a ‘right now’ society, so give the people what they want! What do they want? Potential clients want information and communication immediately and you need to provide them with the best experience to keep them around and get referrals. They don’t care if it’s three A.M. on a Sunday. Your agent CRM needs to incorporate text capable sign riders and SMS marketing software.
Train for Success
There will always be those agents that are constantly asking the same questions over, and over…and over again. Educating your agents on the process of your online systems and real estate brokerage software is key to avoiding confusion and frustration. Technology confusion is overall a big reason agents may change brokerages for the “next best thing”. Set-up monthly or even bi-monthly group sessions to give a personalized touch to those agents that need hands-on experience when it comes to new technology and your real estate broker back office software. Show a few of your tools when meeting an agent for a recruiting meeting too. If it grabs their interest, they will be enticed to learn more and that means your time on team management will be an easier lift.
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Some brokerages try to offer everything they possibly can to bring on new agents—this includes the ins and outs of their real estate brokerage software management system. It becomes very overwhelming for any level of experience in this business. Focus on a few good systems and pos real estate software that is easy to train your agents on. You will find that a happy agent understands how to use the tools they have, including real estate software for brokers, and will spread the word to others in the business.
Who Loves POS
Piece of…Sushi? Well, everyone loves a good piece of sushi, of course. Just as everyone should love their perfect operating system. You’ve got this, don’t let the number of options or flashy lights sway you. This is your business and your business partners (agents) business at stake. Every piece of the puzzle is important when you are shopping for real estate broker software. Make yourself and your business a priority and don’t settle for mediocre on the things that count.