Confessions of a Calgarian Broker
Interview with Corinne Lyall
Broker/Owner of Calgary’s Royal LePage Benchmark
Why did you decide to switch transaction management providers?
We had been dissatisfied for quite some time with our original document management provider. The system had difficulties integrating with our transaction management/accounting software and we had to almost check every deal to ensure it was imported correctly. When we were told that our transaction management provider was selling the business and that we were going to have to switch systems anyway, we really thought we should research what other options were available.
What were you looking for in a transaction and document management provider?
Our office administration staff and I had some lengthy discussions about what we were looking for from our accounting system, and really it came down to efficiency, a good document management program, and a simple conveyancing system. We wanted something that we didn’t have to hire someone else to manage, a system easy for the agents and office staff to use… and we really didn’t want to have to import from other systems or perform duplicate entry.
What differences have you experienced since you’ve “Made the Switch” to Enviromint?
We certainly have received many less complaints with the new system – if any – and we were impressed at how Marc and the team tried to make the actual conversion process as smooth as possible. They did a great job converting us and they really took the time to make sure everything was running smoothly with our administration team before we officially launched it to the agents.
Since the transition, it has been much easier to manage our transactions and we feel secure knowing that at the end of the day we weren’t going to lose sight of missing documents or commissions.
The level of customer service we experienced from the team over at Enviromint from the first day we did a walk through demo of their solution was very detailed and thorough. I think the first demo was over 2 hours long mainly because they patiently answered all of our questions! Comparatively from our previous experience with our transaction management software, we are able to get a hold of someone almost immediately when there is a problem. That is appreciated since our transactions have to be dealt with in a timely manner.
Did your agents have a good experience making the switch?
Everyone knows how hard it can be to change. It’s not something anyone likes because naturally we get comfortable with doing things a certain way. It was a big concern of mine that not only would we have a lot to learn on the administration side, but we would also have a lot of training to do with the agents. Again, we were pleasantly surprised. The amount of positive feedback we had coming in was reassuring. We heard everything from it’s easy to use, to the document storage – and conveyancing notes – have saved my butt.
What advice do you have for other broker/owners who are thinking about switching providers?
If you’re thinking about switching providers for any reason…customer service, product limitations, whatever, it’s not in your head. You probably can do it more efficiently and there are better service providers out there. Specifically, I have enjoyed how responsive the Enviromint team has been in responding and molding the system to our needs – each brokerage and industry community manages their transactions differently and it is important to us that it fits our individual requirements. It seems like such a time consuming and arduous process, but I am very happy we made the transition.
