We have discussed how real estate agencies may be the perfect candidate for a managed services contract. But given the hot market, we thought we would revisit the subject. While real estate brokers may not have traditionally considered IT at the top of their priority list, times have changed – as have technologies and the real estate industry. The short story is that real estate sites must be up and running 24/7 to stay competitive. Anyone who needs that kind of uptime should consider the many benefits of managed services.
It wasn’t much more than a decade ago that real estate agents printed listings and struggled with combination lock boxes. But technology has radically changed the real estate industry, from initial search to closing day. Real estate is much like any other consumer purchase in the initial stages. Most buyers do their research online before contacting a professional for their help. But consumers do so much more than that – they can research available homes, look up comparable sales, compare neighborhood statistics, and map the walking distance between home and the local park.
All of this searching can be done on thousands of sites, but you’ve worked hard to get them to your site. The last thing you want to have happen is that when they log on to look at the newly listed homes, the site is down. They can easily find that information from your competitor’s site – and they may never come back. A real estate agent doesn’t work 9 to 5, but their site works 24/7. Downtime is not an option. But agents and brokers generally don’t have the time – or the expertise – to worry about network issues. Managed services may be the answer.
Monitored Uptime: If a high-dollar prospect is up at 2 am searching for their perfect vacation home, but the site is down, chances are slim to none that they will wait until you fix your site to continue the search. A managed services company provides 24 x7 monitoring of their client’s site and a guarantee of uptime as defined by the SLA. You can sleep at night knowing your site won’t go down and cost you a client.
Expert Tech Recommendations: Managed services companies are integral to their client’s communications and IT system networks. They can identify issues with your site’s traffic, speed and performance and recommend a solution – even before a problem rears its ugly head. IT pros can recommend additional or upgraded hardware or services that can optimize the website’s performance metrics and provide a competitive edge in this intense and crowded market.
Economies of Scale: Like any business, budgets are not unlimited. Realtors and agencies typically need to focus on the promotion, marketing, and online presence – not software licenses. Still, things like upgraded servers and software licenses are required to run an IT-savvy business. Technology advances rapidly, and managed services can help you keep up with your competition. The managed services firm purchases the latest hardware and software utilizing discounts and economies of scale. We then distribute those costs across our clients, allowing for the latest model technology at a more affordable price. When you require new equipment dedicated to your agency, you can avail yourself of the expertise of the managed services team.
Online Security: One of the most significant advantages of managed services is the deep bench of professionals monitoring and tracking online cyber security dangers. Because real estate firms handle major financial transactions and a lot of personal information, they are an attractive target for cybercriminals. The managed services capabilities can monitor and stop cyber threats before they harm your business or clients.
MSPs provide a high-tech, experienced IT department for every business, and real estate companies may benefit greatly from their services. If you’d like to know more about taking your real estate offering to the next level, call Alliance IT today.
