Feature UPGRADE, SKYWARDS
Agents who bought a client/server, first generation software solution may now be looking to upgrade or switch. They are likely to find the process both easier and cheaper than it used to be. Stewart Anderson says, “You already have what you need. The cost is peanuts.” Aspasia’s own headquarters can show them the way – it doesn’t have any servers, “We don’t spend anything on IT because everything’s in the cloud.” Mark Goddard says GMG is developing a
cloud product, due for release later this year, which will allow agents to be more flexible – both in and out of the workplace. Employees can access files using web-enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and netbooks. The ability to simultaneously share information over the internet will support both internal and external collaboration bringing users closer to their team and clients.
GOOD MIGRATIONS
“If systems aren’t covering their costs then what are you using them for?”
AUTOMATION IN AGENCY
Agents continue to automate their businesses in the search for cost reductions and to create a better experience for their clients. Stewart Anderson of Aspasia sees automation and internet applications as bringing customers and suppliers into a seamless process, “It’s an automated fabric of interactions that expands the boundaries of the system to embrace everyone involved in the transaction.” And tangible benefits will accrue, after taking up Reapit’s software, Lawrence Rand’s Peter Lawrence says, “Using RPS we won six instructions in the first couple of weeks. In a short time I’ve made huge savings with three people alone on the administration side of things. If systems aren’t covering their costs then what are you using them for?” Reapit’s Simon Whale says that the key thing is trying not to make too much work for yourself and focusing on the products that actually will deliver. “Use products that you can measure ROI with and don’t ultimately mean too much extra work for your staff. The best agents we deal with understand that you can only have a number of plates spinning and aren’t afraid to say no to something. Far better to do one task extremely well than to dabble with a number of initiatives.” GMG’s Vebra allows the agency manager to
decide what the home page that negotiators see when they open the system should look like. Mark Goddard explains that this isn’t just about look and feel; it’s about business policies and strategy. “You could say, these are the metrics I want our negotiators to focus on this week, and show them on the home page.”
28 l August 2012 l TheNegotiator
CLOUD FORMATIONS Established product techniques such as the cloud and Software as a Service (SaaS) continue to evolve, but Stewart Anderson of SPA Microsystems, creator of Aspasia software, says real cloud services, rather than just services delivered partly over the web, are now reaching the market and are making a fundamental difference. “Web delivery just means they host it on their server or over the web, that’s not really cloud at all. What cloud really means is we can access data from anywhere, at any time, on any device, not locked into any single hardware,” he says. True cloud services can integrate phones,
iPads or iPhones, desktops, laptops or netbooks, using Android or Apple or Windows operating systems and any web browser from Google Chrome to Internet Explorer. If you fill in an appointment in Aspasia’s diary system, for instance, it will automatically be delivered to your phone via Google Apps over the web. Anderson’s colleague Trevor Youens
believes that, a revolutionary change in our use of technology is happening. “Our Cloud offering takes web-based solutions to a new level – the biggest innovation is the embedding of both the email client and the calender within the application so there is no gap between the main source of information sharing within a particular sale or let and the actual record itself. “Cloud allows the user to use the product
via any web-enabled device – important as we move into a world dominated by hand- held devices.”
Simon Whale points to one client which generated an estimated £600,000 using Reapit’s canvassing tools. “All systems should be more than covering their costs, off the shelf providers charging £50-£150 per month should make this back by just sending brochures by email. These systems should be the absolute bedrock of the businesses, after all they are the tools that will be most used on a daily basis and are ultimately responsible for how productive staff will be. If people are your most valuable asset then anything that can affect their ability to do business in such a dramatic fashion should be given a far bigger priority,” says Simon. Looking forward, virtual agency has not happened to the extent many predicted and no one has torn the High Street agency up by the roots. Mark Goddard says, “Video tours, 3D floorplans, low-cost marketing activities such as HTML detail match, social media and portal feeds – ten years back, not one of these formed an integral part of agency practice yet each is now included as part of a standard software package.” “A service that assists movers to buy or sell
quickly and efficiently will be successful if it has the tools to ensure communication, marketing reach and access to additional services (EPCs, etc) delivered as a seamless package that comes highly recommended from previous users.“ Goddard says this means that agents would have to open themselves up to publicly available ratings and feedback – but would ensure those that provided an excellent service will survive. Buying into the right software will be crucial to future proofing. On the other hand, agents with the right software can use home agents to expand at minimal cost, or gain cost and speed advantages by communicating with conveyancers and EPC companies through a single workflow system. As Goddard says, the key will be for agents
to look at software as an opportunity rather than a negative cost. l
www.thenegotiator.co.uk
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