Real estate is all about collaboration. People need to work together to make trades happen, and software needs to work together to ensure people have the tools they need to trade. Once these connections are made, the dream of homeownership becomes more realistic.
At Lone Wolf Technologies, we’ve known for a long time that real estate software has reached a point of overreach. When an agent has over 100 solutions to choose from just for marketing, it’s clear that the point is here.
Solving that problem also requires collaboration. Creating real solutions means looking beyond individual software to their collective potential – the big picture across the real estate software industry.
But innovation doesn’t end when industry scope ends. There is still much we can learn from outside our industry. It’s a lesson that can help you change the way real estate works for the better.
people first
In software, it’s easy to think in terms of patches, code, and releases. What is sometimes lost is what they are for. Yes, it’s for improving software, but it’s really for people. It’s about improving people’s experiences, simplifying people’s jobs, and helping people get things done.
We see this in many industries, but one that stands out is social media. The people building these apps put the user first and are constantly creating new ways to make it easier for users to access the content they need. Otherwise, no one will use the app.
Unlike social media, the real estate software we build is not optional. This is an important part of any real estate transaction, and user experience is an even greater priority. A focus on delivering a top-notch user experience means your agents can work more effectively and efficiently, giving you an edge over your competitors.
Collaborate with users
When we first started, our founder, Lorne Wallace, drove around North America to get feedback on Lone Wolf Back Office (then brokerWOLF), and based on that feedback, we introduced new features to it. It was being built on the spot.
Over the years, this type of tactic has appeared in many industries, but one that has been particularly successful in making it mainstream is the gaming industry. Nowadays, it is common for early tests and feature feedback programs to be provided to players. expect You can get involved with new titles before they are released.
This is something real estate software can learn from for one simple reason. Imagine having that kind of power to influence the software that defines how work gets done.
At Lone Wolf, we know how impactful this type of engagement can be for both parties. That’s why we’re trying to involve users in the process of creating new software. So users get new features and we can see that we’re really delivering on our vision of simplifying real estate.
“World Class” is an earned title
Let’s talk a little about smartphones. When you ask iPhone users if they plan on switching, they often say “no.” They are famous for being loyal. That’s because for decades, Apple has proven to its users three things:
- they know what users need
- They understand what users want
- These can and will consistently provide both features
What’s more, the company has consistently gone from being the first smartphone brand to consider that a connected experience – one where you can access all your files across devices – can become part of someone’s daily phone usage. I have surpassed that. .
If Apple wasn’t able to give users both what they wanted and what they needed, or if it hadn’t found a way to go beyond consumer expectations and create entirely new experiences, that loyalty would be incredible. It would have been much different. You might want a nice camera or a cool app, but it won’t help you if you don’t have the WiFi connection he needs to upload photos or a way to access them on other devices.
The same rule applies to real estate. If you don’t have a need (for example, a form needed to allow an agent to process a transaction) and you haven’t considered all the ways someone might need to use your software, you’ll have to and functions are useless. The whistle is not very important. This is a clear lesson about real estate software.
If you want to be world class, make sure you have what your users need and want for all the features they expect. Must be earned.
Lessons like this will change the way we think about real estate software.
All the lessons here come down to one core idea. Software and the people who build it must prioritize user experience, wants, and needs to deliver real value. The way we think about real estate software is in a period of change, and lessons like this focus on people are what will get us there.
Thinking about how software works directly for people can help define the future of real estate software – how it will grow and evolve in the coming years.
At Lone Wolf, we’ve already started thinking like this with our Agent Marketing Center, which brings together all aspects of real estate marketing for agents in one place. But it doesn’t end there. We have big plans for real estate software over the next few years, starting next year with the Lone Wolf Foundation and a new generation of real estate software. We look forward to showing you how different it is.
For more information, please visit: https://www.lwolf.com/.
