Key Takeaways:
- As the holidays and 2017 approach, it’s time to assess the effectiveness of your technologies.
- The beautiful thing about technology is there are a wealth of inexpensive solutions that allow you to create your own efficient workflow.
- Give yourself control. Empower yourself. Use these 8 must-download apps to do so.
We’re approaching the holidays, which means the New Year is just around the corner! It’s time to take stock of the whirlwind that was 2016 and plan for progress in the coming year. No doubt somewhere among your triumphs and bloopers has come the realization that productivity depends on time management and data integration.
Technology developers have finally turned their eyes to CRE in a big way, and there is a tremendous crop of applications that zero in on the industry’s needs. So before the ball drops, get some of these great tools in place to make 2017 one for the books.
#1. DocuSign
If you’re not making use of digital signatures, you’re spending too much time and money doing it the old way. Docusign is a leading app for facilitating electronic signatures as well as document sharing and transfer. Using this type of system can save tremendous time as well as the cost of postage, so transactions are faster and more secure, while also being easily accessible to anyone involved, no matter their location.
#2. Watch Over Me
CRE doesn’t strike most people as a risky profession, but like most industries that involve fieldwork, it has its hazards. Watch Over Me enhances personal safety when you find yourself in a sketchy situation. When the app is activated, your position is monitored, and if you need to call for help there’s no need to punch in 911; just shake your phone and the call goes out automatically.
#3. Cam Scanner
This document management app turns your phone into a scanner, creating documents from images that you can then share, enhance, crop, tag, and search. The app includes 500Mb of cloud storage with its free version, and lets you keep vital information literally at your fingertips in an easy to use format.
#4. DotLoop
Dotloop is a collaboration platform especially for real estate. It allows agencies to provide a smooth and consistent customer experience from every agent. The app manages transactions and provides related data that helps with tracking and identification of trends or weaknesses.
#5. My Agent Call Journal
This “must-have app for superstar agents” is available on IOS or Android, and it helps you organize, schedule and prioritize sales calls. Another feature lets you create voice notes that are associated with specific contacts and calls. At the same time it keeps statistics that can help you boost performance.
#6. MINE by RelSci
MINE is a free app from the team at Relationship Science. It delivers the most relevant news and articles on people and businesses that matter the most to you. Want to read every article that mentions one of your clients —it can do that. Need to stay up to speed on professional changes and company announcements like layoffs, hirings and acquisitions? It can do that, too. Imagine the possibilities.
#7. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a leading SaaS platform that helps companies and individuals automate collaborative work. It also integrates with big names like Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, and other. Imagine having notes, comments, files and information in one centralized location that can be accessible by your entire team.
#8. ScanBizCards
Probably one of the best business card scanning apps, ScanBizCards allows you to add a new contact in seconds by scanning the card on your smartphone. The app then prompts you to add to the contact to your address book, export it to Salesforce, send a quick intro email, connect on LinkedIn, and more. It also allows you to export your scanned contacts into a variety of CRMs.
Technology is a Beautiful Thing
The beautiful thing about what’s going on in the technology space is there are inexpensive tools available for you to create your own organizational structure and workflow. You can get rid of minutiae and do it for yourself —even if your company hasn’t done it yet. Don’t let “my company will never buy it” stop you from organizing your own workflow for a healthier and happier life.
Give yourself control. Empower yourself. And you never know, bringing some of these ideas to the leaders of your company may have an impact.
If you enjoyed this blog and want more great productivity tools, check out my recent post: 5 No-Bull Tools to Eat Efficiency for Breakfast.
