Would you buy new office chairs and leave them in the storeroom? Or print fresh business cards and hide them away in a filing box, to gather dust? Probably not – that would be a waste of your hard-earned money.
So, why leave critical parts of your agency’s software in their metaphorical wrapping?
Unfortunately, many of us aren’t pushing the tech tools we use every day to their limits. In fact, like gym memberships, one third of all software goes unused.
The main reasons so many agents aren’t using their software? It’s pretty simple. They don’t know how.
Continuous learning is the new Uni degree
Today, the rapid development of technology has significantly decreased the shelf life of formal education. Even tech giants like IBM, Google and Apple no longer require a University degree. (Great news for anyone considering a career change!)
Instead, employees now need to continuously upskill and learn. Technology is becoming more and more advanced, opening up new opportunities for automation and changing customer expectations across every industry – including real estate.
That means you need to be able to use the tech tools at your disposal like a pro, and take advantage of new technology when it comes out. You can bet your competitors will.
Let’s peek inside your tech toolbox
As an agent, you might have tech tools to:
- automatically respond to enquiries
- post to social media
- create digital marketing campaigns
- gather e-signatures
- send open home attendees a brochure upon arrival
- and the rest. But are you using those tools to their full potential?
Training on how to properly use your tech tools can save you hours and hours a week, show you new ways to use tools and get more value from your spend.
However, the benefits of training don’t stop there...
Training: the gift that keeps on giving
By investing time in training for your tech tools, you will:
- Build a stronger, more confident team
Shared learning helps strengthen relationships. It also stops knowledge from being siloed and increases the likelihood of your agents being able to help each other out down the track. - Maintain a competitive edge
Companies that send their employees for training have a 37% higher productivity rate than those that don’t. When you push your tools to their limits, you’ll have more time to focus on the dollar productive activities. You can focus your energy on innovation and staying ahead of the curve, instead of wasting time on menial tasks. - Be more consistent
Training helps ensure all staff use agency tools in the same way. It’ll make it easy to navigate records and help to give buyers and sellers a consistent experience. - Future-proof your career
In the not-too-distant future, every industry and role will become heavily reliant on advanced technology (if they’re not already). Develop your tech skills now so you’ll be more adaptable and ready for changes in the future. - Discover new features
You can get by just scraping the surface, but why not dig deeper and use all of the features available to you? You’re paying for these features, after all.
However, just as you don’t become fit by simply buying a gym membership, you can’t expect to buy software and instantly become more productive.
It takes a commitment to set aside time every week to learn more about your tools, investigate new functionality and work those improvements into your agency processes. Are you ready to make the change?
