By Angelica Olmsted, RE/MAX project manager of booj
Re/Max stands by the premise that advances in technology haven’t changed the day-to-day fundamental operations of the real estate business. But – yes there’s a”but”- the undeniable gain in improved efficiency as a result of technology has been powerful, both for a real estate professional and consumer. A component that’s been missing from this technology revolution is motivation. Compared to other industries, real estate overall has been slow to adopt new technologies. There’s a fundamental reason behind this lag: the real estate industry is built on relationships and looming doubt about whether technology negatively impacting relationships has been cause for some resistance.
Real estate is a business centered around providing clients with an experience. Technology doesn’t change that. Tech tools that replace human interaction are not the answer either though. As a recent study showed, in 2018, 87% of buyers worked with an agent to find their home. How do we as an industry evolve to break through this resistance?
The competitive edge lies in empowering the entrepreneur’s ambition is at the core of every agent. Building technology that conforms to the need of the agent – and moving away from asking the agent to conform to technology – is the mark we aim to hit.
Less than two years after the award-winning web development and software firm booj was acquired by RE/MAX, we’re launching what we believe is the answer.
“RE/MAX knows that, to compete in this industry, we must reimagine the systems of today and address the unmet needs of brokers and agents,”said booj co-founder John Sable. By doing so, we can make the dream of homeownership more attainable for everyone.”
The booj Platform is a fully integrated suite of digital products that streamline the work of agents, from lead generation to post-close nurturing and beyond. It is designed to empower the network of 125,000 high-producing agents, teams and brokers to proactively establish, manage and grow client relationships. The booj Platform, developed in collaboration with thousands of RE/MAX affiliates, focuses on delivering an outstanding consumer experience.
“The solution emerged from the nearly three thousand interviews and surveys conducted by booj and RE/MAX, 1,600 booj Alpha participants, 6,204 booj Beta participants, and over 80,000 online interactions,” said Jerry Modes, senior vice president of information technology at RE/MAX. Our users made sure we got it right.”
The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is at the core of the booj Platform, but the platform includes a variety of additional features that are deeply integrated, including:
Digital branding
RE/MAX agents, teams and offices can build and customize their own RE/MAX- branded website in just minutes. Each site seamlessly integrates with social accounts and provides in-depth analytics. Understanding real estate is a local business and these sites are designed to position RE/MAX affiliates as local experts.
Lead capture
Based on an integrated set of tools that focus on consumer engagement and enablement, agents can be more strategic in their interactions with potential clients, reaching out with relevant, targeted communications thanks to insights provided by the booj Platform. Home Valuation Pages, Individual Property Websites, and Market Snapshots enable RE/MAX agents to drive engagement with consumers.
Client engagement
The booj Platform provides several tools to help agents stay top of mind, including The Sphere Interaction tool, which shows the latest communications with the customer and gives a visual indicator as to whether the agent needs to reconnect with them. Automation features within the platform can trigger email campaigns and other automated content based on a consumer’s actions on the site. Text, email, phone calls and marketing activity is driven back into the customer record, allowing a full view of interaction and engagement.
Deal management
The fully integrated Deal Pipeline tool provides a comprehensive view of an agent’s current transactions and potential new business. As deals move through stages of the pipeline, the Task Management tool can automatically mark tasks as completed or open a list of new tasks to help the agent stay organized.
Ultimately, this technology is about making RE/MAX’s highly productive network becoming even more productive and their business more successful by making easier connections with consumers, centralizing their interactions and enhancing the experience for all.
For more information about RE/MAX LLC please contact Jenn Armbruster at newsroom@remax.com.
