We've talked about how to assuage the anxiety of technology-challenged clients, and that's an important conversation to know how to have. But a call we had today with Cartavi brought up another, equally important point: at the end of the day, you don't want to force it. Push too hard, too far, and your client relationship will break – not bend.

It's All About Repeat Business

As we've said time and again, repeat business is the key to being successful as a real estate agent. There are many ways to earn that repeat business. Certainly being tech savvy may be one of them, for SOME CLIENTS. But for any consumer, buyer or seller, young or old, the most important thing they'll remember is your customer service.

While it's reasonable to explain the benefits of digital document delivery methods and electronic signatures, it won't help your customer relationship to be inflexible or to push too hard. Show respect and consideration to your clients at every step of the process. And if your client wants a document faxed or printed, go ahead and do so.

Cartavi

This all came about because we were talking to Paul Koziarz of Cartavi. A key component of their elevator pitch is that they offer a high-tech mobile solution with low-tech document delivery options to meet any colleague or client's preferences. "A core concept we keep in mind about our product is that we know not every consumer is going to embrace the concept of our 'transaction room,' no matter how well we design the interface. We want our users to be able to serve all customers equally, without alienating anyone, including those who prefer more traditional methods of communication (like a phone call) or document delivery (like a fax)."

Koziarz continues, "The day-to-day life of a real estate agent is unpredictable. You never know who is going to call, what they're going to want, and how they'll want it delivered." Thus, he explains, it's important for an agent to:

• Be mobile. Find a solution that allows you to access documents at anytime, anywhere from your tablet or smartphone.
• Be flexible. As we mentioned above, don't just offer one option for sharing documents. Email, fax, print, and a virtual space should all be an option. Of course, if the document needs to be signed, offering the option of traditional signing or electronic signature is best.

Next Steps

• Review our tips for handling tech-challenged clients
• Discover additional options for document management