“We could have put in the ‘Ferrari’ of systems, but it would have sat there and
not been used,” said Collins. “That was really an adjustment both teams made.
Also, I budgeted consciously as it was a pilot program. We were going to phase
in the technology as people needed it, and gradually upgrade to more speed as
demand warranted.”
The first step was creating a WAN and LAN for each office and handling the
associated cabling. Reliability was critical, so careful testing was performed.
Next, they rolled the database out. The last step was bringing the Web site into
that database, and that’s where Shorewood’s agents saw the potential of the
new system. Mike sends a daily email to agents detailing the new listings, and
then that information is posted on the public site in a day or two after agents
have had ample time to review new listings. Now all Shorewood agents, no
matter where they’re located, would know up-to-the-minute information on
Shorewood listings. And if they need to search the database, it would be fast,
reliable and current.
Training Programs Ease Agents into New System
Collins and Praxis worked together to design a training program that would
make agents comfortable with the new system while showing them the benefits.
They arranged for evening classes at a local technical school that offered basic
computer training. Once the agents understood the technology they grew com-
fortable with it, and as they saw the benefits of the new system, they understood
how it could make a difference in beating a competitor to a listing.
Today, Shorewood agents look for Collins’ daily emails with the new listings—
“And if that daily email isn’t there, they’re asking for it!” he said. “Our agents
use the technology to show sellers the benefits of the Shorewood system.”
Collins feels that as clients become more technology savvy, realtors need to raise
the bar to that level, proving to clients that agents add real value in the buying
and selling of a home.
“I really appreciate that Cisco is playing a role here.
It was very reassuring to know this
new system was
going to be quality products from
top to bottom.” Mike
Collins
General Manager for
Shorewood
