Unlike many other professionals, real estate brokers are constantly moving and constantly juggling multiple deals and contracts at various stages. With whom a broker conducts regular business will vary drastically from day to day. And no single day is ever like another.
As a result, the role of technology for real estate professionals is crucial. For decades, real estate firms have been on the cutting edge of new organizational tech platforms, all of which surely attempt to make the life and business of brokers easier and more effective.
Nevertheless, it’s one tried and true program that’s risen above the rest: Microsoft Office 365.
How Exactly Does Microsoft Office 365 Improve the Work of Real Estate Brokers?
Microsoft Office 365 came on the global scene in 2011. The goal was to provide cloud-based Microsoft Office software via a subscription service, namely to businesses and professionals. Because Office 365 works through a subscription license, all updates are automatic and free.
For real estate agencies and their brokers, Office 365 has been a blessing from the start. Here’s why:
Office 365 juggles multiple databases on one seamless platform.
The nature of a real estate broker’s job necessitates juggling a multitude of deals and interpersonal connections at once. Moreover, each of these transactions is generally at a different stage and features varying degrees of attention and focus.
Microsoft Office 365 was built for situations like this.
Because brokers can access these databases and programs all on the same platform, each of their daily actions becomes faster, easier, and less stressful. Office 365 stores information remotely in the cloud, so even a glitch in an individual device won’t cost the broker a sale or loss of a contact. Prior to this, such a glitch may have lost an agent a full day of troubleshooting or caused a critical error, such as losing a contact’s phone number forever or completely missing an important showing.
The integrated platform of Microsoft Office 365 means brokers can traverse seamlessly from calendar, to contacts, to email, and more. In fact, all three of these features are the cornerstones of why Microsoft Office 365 works for brokers.
Calendaring is one of the platform’s key useful features, allowing easy access to a broker’s own personal calendar as well as access to co-workers’ calendars. Furthermore, a complete catalog of contacts is always at a broker’s fingertips with Office 365, and email integrates seamlessly with all other features.
Access is available and easy to use on all devices.
It’s not uncommon for a real estate broker to be on-the-go virtually all day. Whether they’re in the office, at home, hosting an open house, or showing homes to individual buyers, they need constant access to their email, calendar, and contacts.
With Office 365, all of these features and more are available on desktops, laptops, smart phones, and tablets — yet another reason it works especially well for real estate professionals.
If you own or operate a real estate firm and are interested in acquiring a Microsoft Office 365 subscription, the upgrade can improve your entire business from the start.
Such a massive transition, however, will take time and adaptation on everyone’s part. An IT management professional can help your business make this enormous shift efficiently and effectively. Speak to a managed service provider in your area today to learn more.