JUNE 2012 |www.opp.org.uk WORDS | John Howell


t the mere mention of the word technology, many people’s eyes simply glaze over. Many other people immediately fear that technology means something super- complicated or super-expensive and that they will not be able to understand it, not be able to afford it or – in the worst case – both.


Working with tech A


as a consequence. Others have found the whole experience a big disappointment: the technology simply hasn’t worked for them in the way in which they had expected it to work. As a result, they may even have given technology up as being a bad job and a waste of time. Not embracing technology or giving


This, of course, is not true. A pencil is a very sophisticated piece of technology and, once we get past the age of about three, we don’t have much diffi culty using it. Most of us use, without even thinking about it, an incredibly complicated piece of technology in the form of our motor car. So let’s not worry about complexity. While the motor car can be very expensive, the pencil is not. So let’s not worry about cost either. Some agents and developers have embraced technology because they saw the need to do so. Some of them are saving or making lots of money


it up because of a bad experience is, I would suggest, a major mistake. Because we understand how diffi cult


it is to decide which technology is going to be helpful to you (and cost-effective) and because we understand that most of our readers do not have the time, the inclination or, perhaps, the experience to decide what will work for them and what might be a waste of time, we are starting a series of columns all about the use of technology in the specifi c context of your work as an international developer or estate agent. Those requirements differ from those of an ordinary offi ce, law fi rm etc. Many of the challenges


will be the same but there will usually be additional complications, to the extent that the standard package that may


“We are looking at negotiating deals for OPP Connect members on services relating to tech”


work very well for someone providing a purely local service will simply not cut the mustard for someone operating internationally. We have asked experts to write about some of the main areas where they and we think that the sensible use of technology might be of most use to you. These will include: • Online training • The selection and use of telephone systems • CRM systems and case management systems • The use of new media for marketing purposes and within the administration of your offi ce • Getting the best out of your website • Getting the best out of online banking and currency transfer systems • Apps – do they work? • Getting the best out of mobile phones without spending a fortune on international roaming charges You may feel that you are already completely on top of all of these areas. If so, well done. However, I suspect that we all have something to learn. In these articles I would like to include not just the words of the experts and any case studies to which they wish to refer but also the real life experience of our readers when using these systems.


Gateway to the globe | Right use of technology can open a world of opportunity


If you would be prepared to share your experience, please let me know.


BUSINESS


Developer profi le TECHNOLOGY | 27


Many agents and developers throw away huge amounts of money, totally unnecessarily and without even thinking about it, by avoiding the sensible use of technology. John Howell introduces a new column that will guide you through how technology could help your business.


How tech can help you:


How much should you be spending on office technology? What rate of return should you achieve on the money you spend? How do you choose the best system? How do you implement it successfully? How do you train your staff to use it to best effect? This new series of columns in OPP magazine should help you answer all these questions and more.


The fi rst article, in next month’s edition of OPP, will be about the use of online training. Have you tried this? Was it useful? What type of subjects did you use online training to deliver? Where did you get the training from? Have you, yourselves, designed and built online training systems for your staff and which products did you use in order to do so?


In addition to the issue of the selection and implementation of the best technology solutions there is the separate, but equally important, issue of making sure that you achieve best value when you buy. With this in mind we are looking at negotiating special deals for OPP Connect members on hardware, software and professional services relating to technology.


Because our readers span the globe (or at least, at the last count, 89 countries) there are obviously some practical constraints in the delivery of group purchasing systems but we still believe that there is a signifi cant potential to make savings in many cases. It would be helpful if you would let us know whether this is something that would be of interest to you. I am also in the process of setting up the programme of events for the OPP Live show and conference in October. I have already spoken to a number of people in the industry who tell me that they would fi nd it useful to have a technology demonstration area at the show. Please let me know if you think that this would be helpful. If there is suffi cient demand, I will try to arrange for this to happen. Of course, this will only be of any use if you come to the show. Put the details in your diary: London ExCel, Thursday, October 11th - Friday, October 12th. Contact me at:


john.howell@opp.org.uk


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