Velda, what more could any of us add? You have spoken volumes!! This has been a complaint of mine every since I started this business 6 years ago. There are people (agents, brokers, attorney's etc.) out there that still use the old thermal paper fax machines!

How about the agent that gets upset because the lost a buyer/prospect due to the fact that they haven't checked their email for over a week!

I say get with 2007 (computer, cell phone, home fax, etc.) or retire you outdated old fart!

I have a problem with agents and attorneys who don't use e-mail to its full potential! Like when I have an offer or signed contract that I need to send over to the other person and ask them if I can e-mail it to them rather than fax ... first of all, I already have it in the computer because I like to keep everything as a pdf file and secondly and more importantly, it's so much more legible than when a copy is faxed back and forth 6 times! And when the answer is "no, just fax it to our office, I'll pick it up tomorrow" or something like that, ... grrrr ... it just gets me! Plus, for some reason they don't seem to understand that if I send them an e-mail, they'll have it there, right that moment ... no waiting or hoping for when a fax goes through. ... I use efax a lot but it can sometime take FOREVER to receive or send a fax, that's why e-mail and pdf attachments are my best friend!

Michaela, not to metion that when you receive an email you have the ability to save an electronic copy should something happen with that paper copy from the fax.

LOL, don't even get me started . . . I just got a reply to an e-mail that I sent in EARLY JUNE to an agent.

Why do people set up an email account? Just to say they have one? It drives me nuts too. Yes, there should be a technology course. I know agents who do not own computers. I have no idea how they function, well maybe yes I do. They don't. I hate faxed documents. But they are handy if the agent can't scan and email.

I think you already got started Candice.

Yeh, I do that . . . lol

And if everyone took the ePRO course that needed it, all of our businesses would run more smoothly:

http://candicedonofrio.certifiedeprotrainer.com/

Use Trainer Code 5232 to get a 25 dollar discount off the tuition. Makes it 334 bucks for Rs. Tell a tech challenged agent friend.

Oh no I can't get on that machine I will push the wrong button and the whole computer will blow up!  

Our board just recently stopped sending out the sheets, so all agents had to learn to use the MLS.  But then they also set us all up on a new MLS.  I did feel pretty stupid trying to learn it.  They gave us all a mandatory class and you should have heard the questions.  

But there is a good point to this also.  More work for us.  Marcia and my new listing is coming to us because the agent was not computer savvy.

Jana

We had a class on the new mls system using the new improved stupid token. Anyway, where was I, oh yes, and some guy behind me exhaled every time a woman asked a question. I am not talking about breathing in and out normally, he exhaled loudly. No I didn't ask any questions but yes some of them were plain dumb. Yes, mam, all the tokens are blue, no you can't get a red one. Now I didn't ask THAT question but it would have been nice if they had colors.

ROFL Mary . . . you should have arched your back and said "OUCH" every time he did that.

<<some guy behind me exhaled every time a woman asked a question.>>

Velda,

I am quite certain that you will never become "one of them!"

I couldn't agree more.  I have a fantastic agent, over 25 years in the business, but didn't use any technology including Winforms (zipforms).  She wanted me to buy those multi-copy forms at the Board.  I did buy her a few , but then I helped her learn the Winforms program.

One of my biggest goals is to get all our agents tech savvy. Our office is attempting to go wireless, paperless, and mobile. Every week I send them an email update.  It took a few of these, and a little work to get them to read them.  Now everyone knows that they are to check their emails at least 3 times a day, minimum.  We made this one of the "rules".

Our hiring policy states every new agent has to have basic computer skills in order to hang their license.  We have had several trainings on online transaction management, use of online fax programs, online calling, and personal websites. Everyone is trained on this, and I will walk them through everything.......what I don't know I hire someone to come train everyone. In addition to my sometimes daily training,  once a month we devote one solid day to hands on training .........

My newest effort in helping all the agents make the most of technology is I will pay for one agent a month to take the e-Pro course.  This is probably the single best technology course out there, and I want a 100% e-Pro Office.....then I know we are truely meeting the needs of agents, buyers and sellers in todays tech world.

YES!

Kathy, that is committment.  It is frustrating to me, as I become the "go to" person in the office for technology, and that is scary!!  Even the secretary comes to me to open attachments, fix jpgs, etc.  If more brokers were as committed as you and Candice and Velda, we could overcome this technology gap.  It starts at the top and becomes a culture for your office.

I think if an agent is technology challenged, they should partner up.  My mother is technology challenged, although I have trained her to check her email every day, at least twice a day!! and she can run the MLS system well enough (we have worked on that), but she isn't very good on the computer, that is why she has me.  I have her because her experience is invaluable.  She has been through worse markets than this one and we weather the storms.  she has seen more than I can ever imagine.  Gives us an edge over the competition.  Very experienced with the new media, technology!!

The owner of one of the offices I managed couldn't do much more than read her jokes on the computer and as many times as I showed her how to cut and paste rather than forward everyones email address from the previous FWD's she just couldn't grasp it. She also did the agent billing and if I didn't have time to look at it before she put it in the agents mailboxes, the line outside her office formed almost immediately. She wouldn't take the time to learn anything about Quickbooks and was constantly calling out "Gene.................."

I did a visual tour last Friday for an agent in Ohio and sent the link back to the office secretary who had sent me the photos as well as cc'd the agent for approval before uploading to Realtor.com. It wasn't until Monday afternoon that I received an email from the secretary that it was 'good to go' but I never heard back from the agent. That tour could have been up and online all weekend had the agent checked his email. Some just don't get the importance of it.

You think that's bad?  Here's a little story for you.

I found an out of state client who had to sell their existing home and move to my area.  I would find them a home, but they asked me to find them an agent to sell their house.  I went on to P2 referral system and found 5 agents who service that area.  I sent all 5 a referral notification.  Only 3 got back to me.  Out of those 3 agents, the sellers picked one and then the house was sold in 2 days.

If the other 2 agents would check their email, they could have picked up a beautiful $600K listing that was sold in 2 days.

They deserved losing out on it.

Velda:

Great post.  I have clients in their 40's that don't have email or a fax machine.  This creates extra work as you well know.  You have to call them set up an appointment to sign the Counter offer and this could go on numerous times.  I wonder why they have a cell phone.  Crazy.

So, as this post started asking if all agents should show Proficiency, maybe that could be included in the Brokers Licensing.  

Believe me, it takes a lot of extra time, but I have seen some of the fruits of our labor already, and in the long run, the more people that are trained the better it is for everyone.......