For the professionals from Constellation1 who connected on RISMedia's most recent webinar, the key to implementing new technology at the brokerage level is filling in the gaps that are present in your technology and being realistic about the implementation timeframe.
During RISMedia's webinar—"The Path of Least Resistance: Effectively Implementing New Technology"—panelists Mehul Patel, vice president of Product Management at Constellation1 and Rachel Bottineau, vice president of Operations, Back Office at Constellation1, discussed the myriad options broker/owners have when implementing new technology—and the energy it takes to launch, learn and effectively put new tech into play.
The webinar was moderated by Cleve Gaddis, master coach, speaker and trainer with Workman Success Systems. Additionally, Constellation1 served as sponsor of the event.
"What I think, as the broker/owner, are the right opportunities from a technology standpoint are very rarely the right ones," said Gaddis. "If I'm not being sensitive to the needs of my consumer, I'll probably make some bad decisions when it comes to technology."
Here are some things the panelists had to say about effectively implementing new technology at your own brokerage:
Fill in Gaps in Your Current Technology
There are multiple levels of gaps when it comes to considering which tech makes the most sense to invest in. Are you looking for more robust reporting? As the broker, consider coming up with a list of the things that your current technology provider cannot give you.
"The list you create should drive your decisions when looking into different technology providers, but there should also be a second list," said Bottineau. "Just as important as the first list, this should be your staff's list."
You're naturally looking through the broker's lens, which includes recruiting and agent retention; however, your admin staff are typically the ones running the back office, so they're the ones that are interacting with the software everyday.
"When implementing your back office technology, one thing you need to be aware of is that it's going to be different," added Bottineau. "Don't compare it to the tech you're used to using."
Set Realistic Expectations
Once you have a good idea of which new technology you actually want to use at your brokerage, it's important to understand the implementation timeframe. Before a new service or product can be used across your company, you're going to have to dedicate man hours to vet it.
If you have a tech team in your office, you're going to need some of them to spend time testing the new technology to make sure it's a worthy investment.
"When someone goes out to source new technology, they think it's going to solve all of their problems, but to get from there to implementation is a process in itself," said Patel.
For more tips on how to effectively implement new technology at your brokerage, watch the full webinar below:
To view more webinars from RISMedia, subscribe to our YouTube playlist.
