Streamlining Business Processes: How the Cloud Helps You Find More Time in the Busy World of Real Estate

Real estate agents are no strangers to tight schedules. In fact, as Urban Compass CEO Robert Reffkin told Inman, today's real estate agents are only able to spend about 11 percent of their time with clients because of their schedules. And yet, agents still need to maintain effective communication with clients to build trust and get the job done right. It's for this very reason that streamlining business processes is a handy skill to have. Here's how:

Addition by Subtraction

As it turns out, poor communication can often be the direct result of simply being overwhelmed. When it comes to real estate, both agents and clients are quickly inundated with forms to fill out, meetings to attend, and ducks to get in a row.

A quick way to ease this burden is to consolidate communications. When you stop and think about the many ways data changes hands in a real estate transaction, it's no wonder keeping up can be difficult. Here's a small list to get you started:

• Faxed documents
• Scanned documents
• Emails
• Phone calls
• Voicemails
• Meeting notes

The list goes on, but you get the picture. The biggest headache isn't necessarily the amount of communication, but the fact that each one is used differently. Agents are left to bounce from computer to fax machine, back to the computer, then to the desk phone, and likely another mobile number. The juggling of technology is par for the course in an average day and only inhibits the small amount of time agents can spend with their clients.

The question is, how do you consolidate these unique forms of communication? With the cloud, of course. New cloud-based business communication technology platforms are the driving force behind streamlining processes like this. With them, all communication can be funneled to a single perspective, giving real estate agents less technology to wade through.

The juggling of technology is par for the course in an average day and only inhibits the small amount of time agents can spend with their clients.

Agents can see faxes, review voicemails, and take calls from the same device, and even the same software — no more inefficient juggling of devices to connect the communication dots. Instead, each agent can focus on the task at hand while simultaneously having all pertinent information available at their fingertips. This ability can cut down tremendously on those administrative tasks that make up the other 89 percent of the day. In turn, agents can focus more on connecting with clients in meaningful ways.

Speaking of which, with an always-on mobile presence, you don't need to be afraid of missing important calls while at a showing. Your mobile phone is an extension of your desktop, with all the perks therein.

Automating Information and Streamlining Business Processes

Consolidating methods of communication is obviously a great way to streamline real estate workflows, but consolidating clients is also a good strategy — not in the literal sense, of course, but rather with some cloud magic. Those making use of a customer relationship management (CRM) system are already prepped for this one.

In the same way cloud-based communication platforms streamline actual conduits of communication, they can make accessing your Salesforce data just as snappy by integrating the power of CRM data with real-time communication.

When the client calls, important information about the account pops up onscreen. There's no need to search for notes from the last call. Additionally, calls can be automatically tagged, logged, and even recorded so you can review the information later.

In the end, streamlining business processes is an increasingly important part of real estate. Cloud-based communication platforms are simply a great way to accomplish this feat.

Contact Vonage Business to learn more about how cloud-based communications can help you streamline business processes in your real estate organization.