Agents on the go - why your smartphone is one of your most valuable tools

Gone are the days of having to rush back to your office every time you win an instruction to market the newest property within your portfolio to portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla, as well as meeting the next deadline for your local newspaper’s property section.

With thanks to the development of technology, agents now have the capabilities to utilise one of the most important tools in their box of tricks, allowing you to run many aspects of your business with the help of your smartphone.

Gaining a first-to-market advantage is essential in a modern and competitive market, but many agents struggle to gain the technological means and budget to stay ahead. 

However, with a growing number of mobile-first products available to agents at ever competitive costs (sometimes no cost at all), it really has become possible to run your important parts of your day-to-day business with ease from your smartphone. 

For example, tools like BestAgent allow you to take all-important photographs, upload and market your newest instruction, all with a few taps of your phone, before even leaving an appraisal.

Developing technology has also made it possible for agents to launch their own fully-branded, responsive and SEO-ready website built within seconds, all from your mobile phone.

But that’s not all…

Once upon a time agents would have to race back to the office to draw up their floor plans, in order to market their newest instruction. In a crowded portals market place, floor plans are a crucial advertising tool which need to be drawn up quickly and accurately. Thanks to PropTech advancements, agents now also have the capability to create and upload floor plans from their handheld device.

With accounting platforms, property management tools and fully compliant documentation all available to agents through a mobile function, as well as email marketing tools, valuation and lead capturing platforms, agents have the ability to run their business at any time, from any place (even on holiday, although for the sake of peace, I don’t recommend it).

It’s impossible when writing about the meteoric rise of mobile technology in helping agents run their business, to ignore the power of social media, namely Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Putting your business exactly where past, present and future customers are, is now an essential branding and customer service exercise. And with the plethora of apps available via our mobile devices, we all have one of the greatest marketing tools at our fingertips.

I don’t know about you, but taking away my phone is in many ways just like taking away my window to the industry. Every morning I kick-off my day looking at national and industry news, yes, you guessed it, on my phone.

Unfortunately, gone are the days of me heading to the newsagent to pick-up my preferred newspaper, as before I have even stepped foot out of bed and had my morning cuppa, I am fully up-to-date with the latest news.

Our dependency on our trustee mobile phones has grown throughout the years, to become an absolute necessity. As a result, PropTech is increasingly answering the needs of agents, delivering mobile-first technology to help many more do business.

In 2018, being on the go isn’t just a wish for estate and letting agents, it is essential.

Being chained to the desk, or even utilising limited functionality could hinder independent agents in a world of 24-7 demand.

As finances are being squeezed, it is also becoming increasingly important for agents to save costs wherever possible.

So, make the most of one of the greatest assets your agency holds: use your smartphone to help run your business.

*Annemarie Proudfoot is head of customer relations at BestAgent. Find out more about the no-cost, mobile-first property marketing and GDPR-compliant platform here.