New call for letting agents to use the cloud and digi...

A cloud-based software firm that’s been snapped up by a major PropTech company is urging agents to embrace the cloud.

Openview - Powered by VTUK is now part of the iamproperty Group, and claims there are misconceptions preventing agents from fully embracing cloud-based technology.

Adam Rackham, Openview’s operations director, says: “Misconceptions surrounding the cloud … include the fear of their data being taken away from them, potential GDPR headaches and losing control over their data in the cloud. There’s also the idea that the data is used for marketing purposes.”

But he says customers and rival agents are becoming more tech-savvy - a warning to those now resistant to the technology.

”You could use cloud services to win more instructions. One popular cloud service is email marketing which is not only cost effective and simple to use, but also customisable, insightful, and reliable. Or perhaps one of the most beneficial features is real-time insights. It’s easier than ever to gain statistics about who’s opening emails, when they’re opening them, and what links people are clicking. This insight can help to deliver leads to agents, making it simpler for them to go out and win new instructions. Lots of forward-thinking agents are already taking advantage of this, but not nearly enough.”

He has also listed six other key advantages of cloud-based technology:

Remote Access - The cloud enables files to be accessible from anywhere and on any device as long as you have a functional internet connection. This will certainly help when you are carrying out a client visit and can also showcase your recent work or upcoming projects as reference;

Increased security - IT security is major concern for most businesses and implementing robust security can be both expensive and challenging if you have limited budgets;

Timely upgrades - With cloud computing, the latest updates are generally taken care of by cloud service provider. This leads to saving on investments towards maintaining servers;

Data recovery, insights, and control - Data is an integral part of decision-making, providing insights that can aid improved productivity, cost effectiveness, marketing, web design and more. In case of emergencies, there is no real threat to data loss if you are operating on the cloud. Prior to the advent of cloud, agents had to send files back and forth before zeroing in on the final document, and often, data was lost during this process. Now, with cloud computing, multiple users can access the same file from different locations and suggest changes in real time, thus leading to reduced error rate and less data lost;

Joined-up integrated working - API connections to other data sources, such as your own website, to make data available directly from your CRM to your Vendors, Landlords, Tenants, Applicants and even Contractors, all via your own website and in real-time. These connections can also a lot of the time be between industry suppliers, making your processes a lot slicker;

Disaster management and mitigation - Disaster management can be done effectively using cloud-based technologies which will greatly minimise the risk of unexpected losses that might occur due to a natural disaster.