At Inman Connect New York on Tuesday, Joe Skousen and Grier Allen discussed how technology leaders should be looking for ways to make life easier for agents, improve their productivity, and eliminate mundane tasks.
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Joe Skousen, CEO of Inside real estatehas a daunting challenge for their ideal customer relationship manager (CRM).
“If an agent never had to log into the CRM again,” Skousen said Tuesday with a chuckle, “this would be the perfect CRM.”
Skousen made the comments while on stage for an Inman Connect New York afternoon session dubbed “How to Leverage Tech Tools to Convert Sales and Build Bigger Pipelines.” He was ultimately joking about a CRM that an agent never logs into, but his point was that the perfect real estate tech tools demand less from users, not more.
“If they only had to log on to do these [return on investment]high-productivity assets that would be ideal,” Skousen explained.
Skousen appeared on stage with Grier Allen – CEO of BoomTown, who Inside Real Estate acquired this month – who finally accepted. He argued that real estate technology products must reduce complexity for the user. The goal, he told the crowd, should be to “allow the agent to focus on the next most important thing,” while eliminating mundane tasks that agents don’t enjoy and that don’t make them any money.
“Automation is something absolutely critical,” he added.
Both panelists also discussed the need for technology to be adaptable. A massive team might need a product that scales well and has powerful features, Grier pointed out. But an individual agent using the same product might be overwhelmed. They need individualized solutions, not endless complexity, and the longest list of tools possible.
Pictured left are moderator Jeff Lobb, Joe Skousen and Grier Allen at Inman Connect New York on Tuesday. | Photos by AJ Canaria & Mercedes Santiago of MoxiWorks
Skousen, meanwhile, said tech companies wanting to work with agents should focus on experiences and how their users engage with and within the tools.
“Being able to adapt these experiences within the technology allows people to get results,” he said. “It’s about getting results.”
He also said that much of the new technology in real estate has focused on generating leads online, even though most agents still derive half or more of their business from their personal sphere. Technology must recognize this reality and help agents adapt to it.
Finally, the panelists talked about data and how technology companies can benefit by offering deep insights to their users. To that end, Skousen said many industry executives and agents have taken a hard look at some part of their dealings, such as commissions or the day-to-day business they do. Data from technology providers can therefore benefit these users by giving them a more comprehensive view of their entire business.
“It’s really being able to see end-to-end, top-down,” Skousen added, “that’s what gives you your deepest insights.”