No matter what industry you are in, one of the secrets to running a profitable small business (i.e. real estate agency) is to have efficient systems and processes.
By standardising the way you do things, you can allow your business to run without you and free up the time of your staff.
Along with the importance of systems is the need for time-saving tools. Combine the right management software with the correct systems and you will reduce dozens of the pain points which can slow down your business.
If you and your staff are still sticking with the same old excel spreadsheets, you may be surprised at what’s out there. New tools are intuitive, flexible and cloud based, meaning you can access them from any device with an internet connection.
For real estate agents and property managers, ezidox™ can drastically cut the paper trail required for transactions. Using the app, you can request, share and store documents. This includes financial information, property checklists, contracts and more.
You can use ezidox™ to remind your clients to send you information and for ongoing secure storage. This makes it easy to access specific customer files with the tap of a few buttons.
ezidox™ is widely used by the mortgage broker industry as a fast way of collecting the necessary information for loan applications, however it can easily be repurposed to collect tenant applications and share relevant information with tenants and landlords. The system can be integrated with your CRM and skinned to match your brand. You can also use it to file documents with your accountant or other service providers.
Check out ezidox™ by taking advantage of the free trial. If you can see how it can benefit your agency, you can sign up for a basic subscription starting from $20 per month.
Whereas once a contract was only worth the paper it was written on, it is now possible to collect signatures electronically.
This is ideal for clients who drag the chain on returning signed contracts to your office. Using e-signature technology is not only legally binding, it is also secure.
For a small subscription fee, your admin team can cut hours from the time they spend chasing and waiting for contracts to arrive via fax or in the mail. You can even use this system to collect payments.
DocuSign starts at just $14 per month for a single user. Paying $33 per month allows for multiple users and gives you access to reminders, collaborative fields and personalised branding. You can also contact the company to discuss integrating the software with your other systems.
This process automation software is incredibly helpful, particularly if you have more than one office. The system centralises all paper, email and PDF based processes, creating a single reference point for each customer / property.
Using Flowingly, your entire team has visibility across listings and rental properties. By having everything in one place, it means all staff are able to quickly and efficiently help with enquiries. You also have a much clearer electronic trail should you need to refer back to information and reports.
Flowingly can also operate as a control hub for your entire organisation. Create processes for onboarding, approving leave requests, managing expense claims, handling incident responses and for the financial side of your business.
Flowingly is based on an annual licence at $10 per person per month billing, with a minimum billing starting at $995 for 8 users. There is a one-off set up/onboarding fee of $995 to help your business understand how to use the system.
The benefit of these types of software is they do not have to be individually ‘installed’ onto each of your team’s computers. Because they are cloud based, they are accessed via a website (or mobile app) and do not take up room on your servers.
When weighing up the cost, take a look at how much time these tools can save you and your staff. Consider how these tools can improve the service you offer your customers and how they can save you money in the long term.
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