Efficiency is a competitive advantage
While there are many secrets to any company’s success, an area many brands focus on in an effort to reduce cost and improve productivity is through efficiency. Bruno Foucault, Deputy General Manager in charge of Business Development at Kwaga tells AGBeat that “In order to achieve competitive advantages in today’s business world, utilizing the greatest innovations is a necessity.”
Foucault says that improving efficiency through use of technology is more than just using the newest product or service. “First, have the foresight to realize the future of your business, then find the most relevant concept(s) that merge with this plan. Fortunately, technology has come a long way in the 30 years I’ve been in the IT industry, and there are many ways to automate the many necessary processes and get the benefits from the business information you have readily at hand while at the office or on the go.”
Offering three simple tips for being in tune with the greatest innovations, Foucault points out simple ways to improve efficiency.
Tip one: keeping on top of contacts’ details at all times
Foucault said, “Working with Oracle’s Siebel, the world’s most complete CRM solution, I recognized how essential it was to keep track of your contacts’ information. I have always sought a solution for getting in touch with the right person at the right time, and this is how I found Kwaga,” adding that Kwaga’s solutions “not only afforded a new way to ensure I kept my email under control, but its WriteThat.name service gave me the confidence to know that I always captured the most up-to-date, relevant information.”
“In short,” he noted, “I didn’t have to waste time with unnecessary data management since the contacts update themselves!”
Tip two: Don’t neglect your email
“Contrary to the growing sentiment that as our life became ever more dependent on social networks, email would become irrelevant, I firmly believe email is here to stay,” said Foucault. “Granted these networks are great vessels for expansion; however true business, and the information we rely on to conduct business, remains nested in our email.”
Foucault says that at the WWW2012 conference, industry leaders noted that 75 percent of corporate knowledge is stored in employees’ emails, an indicator that social media has yet to truly impede on email as a form of communication, therefore it cannot be neglected.
Tip three: Always being ready on-the-go with mobile devices
“The surging demand for access to business information from mobile devices has resulted in a global growth of products to provide just that,” said Foucault. “Business leaders must find the most effective way to benefit from this trend. Mobile devices, and the technology designed for them, allow employees connection to corporate knowledge and resources. Whether on a sales call, at a conference across the globe, or working from home, these devices empower employees to not only make better use of the company’s wealth of resources, but also improve productivity.”
While some tout the merits of owning the latest, greatest this or that, Foucault sees the bigger picture. “Although I absolutely love the convenience and freedom that are provided by my personal devices (iPhone, iPad, iBook, etc.), as more access is provided by other various devices in various places, I find that the device itself isn’t as necessary as the connection to the Internet.”
Illustrating his point, Foucault points to time as a concept and how watches fit into modernity. “As a businessman, time is very important, and personally, I like watches. But I rarely actually wear them, only occasionally will I bring one out of its box in my closet. Instead, when I need to know the time, I can find it everywhere around me – my phone, laptop, car, home, office, street… The fact of the matter is, I don’t actually need to bring my own watch, it is all around me.”
Foucault closes by noting, “Technology is all around us, too. We just need to find the best way to access it in the various ways provided!”
Roland Estrada
May 14, 2012 at 2:59 pm
Good advice. If you don’t have a CRM, get one. If you do, use it religiously!!
Keep your email box inbox clean. Either action it, file it or delete it. You’ll thank yourself. However don’t rely on your email client as a filing system. I’ve had several people in my office who’s Outlook files have been corrupted. If you want to see a real estate agent freak out, watch the look on that agent’s face as he or she realizes their work history is lost to a corrupted Outlook file. DO NOT use your email client to store attachments. Make a file for everything and be diligent about it.
Going mobile is fantastic. I would be lost without it. However, don’t get caught in the whirlwind of new apps and services that come out at a breakneck pace. Slow down. A carefully crafted system for handling data should only need only occasional tweaking.
If something in your system isn’t working, simplify it. Hit it with the “Simple Stick”. Where did I get that term? Glad you asked. I’m listening to a new book by Ken Segall called “Insanely Simple”. I’ve listened to it 6 or 7 times and will continue to listen. If you simplify every single process you have in real estate your life WILL become easier. As Ken mentions in the book “Complexity is easy, simplicity is hard”. Ken is not the first person to say that but it bears repeating. Efficiency is byproduct of Simplicity.
MatthewC
May 16, 2012 at 3:05 pm
I agree with the importance of keeping on top of contact details at all times. A CRM is key. If you’re in real estate, I recommend IXACT Contact’s CRM for Realtors. Whichever CRM you choose, make sure it’s industry specific so you get specific features tailed to your business (for example, relevant email templates and relevant drip marketing campaigns).
Roland Estrada
May 16, 2012 at 3:22 pm
It doesn’t really matter which real estate specific CRM you use so long you use it religiously. If you buy one where you pay a onetime cost you can always get a separate email drip campaign system since you’ll be saving on the cost of a monthly paid CRM. There are good email services out there. The bottom line is that you need to do your research. Go online, talk to coworkers and make sure it works for your situation.