You just subscribed to a real estate software for your agency, or you are about to do so, and you wonder about the effectiveness and adequacy of the software to your needs? We have listed for you the 5 points you should pay attention to while choosing your real estate CRM, in order to get the best out of it.
1 Being a step behind
In a sector as competitive as real estate, being reactive, organized and versatile are the basic qualities of a successful real estate agent. As such, the same goes for his real estate CRM which must allow him to be ever quick in the accomplishment of his tasks and to constantly keep in touch with his customers and prospects. The notions of synchronization and real time are therefore fundamental elements in the choice and use of your software. Leave to your competitors softwares boasting to publish properties "in less than 12 hours" on real estate portals; choose instead a performing software like Apimo which will allow you to have your properties online in 45mn, to get the leads from the portals in your CRM and which will be connected directly to your contacts repository and your calendar.
2 Not being mobile
As we already said, mobility is one of the essential characteristics for the good performance of an agent. Thus, as he often works away from his desk, his smartphone has become an extension of his office and a central tool in the management of his activity. Therefore, it is essential that the real estate CRM he’s using is at least fully responsive (adapted to mobile), or that it has a mobile application, or ideally both solutions as offered by Apimo. On the other hand, a 100% web software will always be up to date and accessible on all media.
3 Not being vigilant enough with your data
Don't forget that your CRM is only useful as long as you use it to store and process data, it’s therefore obvious that the security of your data is essential. It is crucial for your software to uphold current security standards, and therefore that it has a secure connection using SSL encryption and it makes daily backups. This is your guarantee that your data is protected and reversible in case of trouble.
4 Not being present where your customers are
As you may know, your customers and prospects begin their searches on Facebook and Instagram even before to check real estate web portals. It is essential that your real estate CRM allows you to share your ads on social networks in a short time. Social networks are your major ally to implement an effective digital strategy. Initially, social networks helped to build a community around a brand, to inform and communicate on its services and news. Nowadays, they are real contact points. The subscribers of a real estate business page can make an appointment or begin an action directly on social networks.
5 Limiting your networking
Inter-agency networking has been growing steadily for the last ten years. This approach consists in sharing the whole of an agency’s portfolio of properties and buyers with other partnering agents. It is a collaborative work logic, based on the sharing of controlled and supervised information, allowing to multiply the chances of finalizing transactions. It is therefore essential for your business that your real estate CRM software allows you to access inter-cabinet solutions, or even better, as is the case with Apimo, if it integrates an inter-agency solution (Apimarket) from the start.
As you can see, the choice and use of a real estate CRM requires you to make sure of these fundamental points. The good adequacy of your business software to your needs and the good exploitation of the latter depends largely on key functionalities, technologies and security rules that should be identified beforehand in order to have a tool which is fully up to the task of developing your strategy and accompanying the growth of your agency.