9 Tips for Reducing Agent Onboarding Time in your Brokerage

Real estate brokers interested in driving efficiency, increasing productivity, and delivering client satisfaction are investing in state-of-the-art software. Yet, they may encounter significant challenges with technology adoption. While new tech aims to make tasks easier and processes more straightforward, learning and mastering programs can be difficult and time-consuming. Poor onboarding procedures can lead to extended training, inadequate engagement, low productivity, and delayed revenues. If this sounds like a struggle you want to avoid, consider implementing these top tips to reduce agent onboarding time.

Why Is Onboarding Challenging?

The real estate onboarding process for the latest technologies can be tricky for many real estate professionals. A few of the most common challenges include the following.

Independent Learning

Many firms believe their team members can learn to use new devices or software independently. Some programs include handy tutorials or guides so that users can grasp actions and processes quickly. However, this method can not only prolong learning, but it can also leave the door open for misunderstandings, mistakes, and even enhance inefficiency.

Prolonged Issues

When learning something new, it is natural that users will use tools or carry out tasks incorrectly, have questions about specific actions, or need clarification. With authority to monitor their progress, their issues will likely persist. In fact, 68% of all American workers face at least one continuous challenge with software. It can have devastating effects for efficiency and productivity in the long run.

Inexperienced Hires

Often, real estate teams will bring inexperienced workers on board. They may have recently completed real estate training, perform administrative and assistant roles, or lack experience with the type of software. In these cases, they may need help understanding the technology, the kinds of tasks they would use it for, or the ultimate goals of the processes. Realistically, this scenario leads to poor performance, low role confidence, and dependence on other team members.

Unrealistic Expectations

If real estate team leaders are familiar with the new software, they may have unrealistic expectations of their members. Accordingly, they may anticipate that their employees will learn information more quickly or require less training. While the goal may be reducing agent onboarding time, the knowledge gaps will contribute to longer training or job dissatisfaction.

Tips for Reducing Agent Onboarding Time

Real estate brokers can look forward to avoiding the challenges mentioned above and reducing agent onboarding time. Consider the top tips below to cut onboarding time for your real estate team.

Choose Easy-to-Use Software

Brokers should choose software that works for their real estate firm and their team members. It should simplify complicated processes, automate tedious tasks, improve communication, and help improve transaction outcomes. It should also be easy to use and a step up from performing processes manually.

Once employees have mastered the basics of the program, they should be able to perform actions quickly and easily. Naturally, it can be difficult for brokers to anticipate how their team will adopt and learn the software. In some cases, companies will provide firms with a sample product or a trial period. A small group can try, learn, and use the software for a small time period and report back to management with feedback. Accordingly, they can decide if it is the right fit for the team.

Develop Dedicated Training

It is helpful to develop an exclusive real estate onboarding process for the new technology. You can guide your team on how to use the software, which team members should take advantage of each process, and what the software will add to the firm in the long run. By implementing dedicated training, you can handle most concerns, issues, and questions within the sessions. In this way, challenges are unlikely to persist outside of a particular time frame. Likewise, developing a standardized process allows you to provide the same training to new hires continuously. While you can tweak the process over time, this dramatically reduces extra onboarding time and expenses.

Set Goals and Provide a Checklist

Organization is the key to efficiency. When a real estate professional has a checklist of the necessary tasks to learn, they can make sure they do not miss a single item. Likewise, creating goals is critical. 60% of businesses do not engage in goal setting, leading to lack of engagement and purpose. However, clear goals help learners understand processes, why new techniques are effective, and provide a sense of satisfaction once completed.

Assign Mentors or Technology Advocates

Real estate professionals should have someone who can monitor their progress, notice when they need help, and answer questions. It is important to ensure employees understand all the systems, software, and tools so that the entire firm runs efficiently and all team members accomplish their tasks. The process will be smooth and seamless when they have a dedicated mentor guiding them. It also reduces distractions for other employees, burdens for the entire team, and the necessity of using extra resources.

Consider Shadowing

If you have new hires with little to no industry experience, consider allowing them to shadow a specialist on the team. They will understand how sales agents, inside sales agents, listing agents, transaction coordinators, showing agents, and marketing agents use digital tools. It will also show them how each member contributes to the team and how they play a part in achieving the real estate firm's goals.

Explain the Benefits

Experienced team members may be more reluctant to change within the firm or encounter more challenges with embracing new technology. In these cases, communicate how automating tasks and speeding up processes can benefit their jobs. Once they understand how it will directly assist them, they may be more open to learning how it works. For instance, certain professionals may need help meeting deadlines or losing track of documents. Real estate transaction management software can file critical information, automate repetitive tasks taking away from other necessary procedures, and remind agents of important dates.

Add Check-Ins

Employers tend to believe that employees can master a new technology or software within hours or days. However, it can take up to six months to learn a new skill. Scheduling regular check-ins during this time with your team members can be an excellent way to ensure they are using programs and tools correctly. Since it can catch problems when employees are less likely to bring them up themselves, it is one of the most effective ways for reducing agent onboarding time. Additionally, reviews can provide feedback about the implementation for future technology choices.

Introduce Rewards

Grasping new technology can be difficult for anyone, and incentives are an excellent way to encourage employees to persevere through challenges. Celebrating productivity improvements due to the technology, introducing milestone achievements during training, or offering appreciation to everyone involved are simple ways to boost a real estate onboarding process.

Provide Your Real Estate Team with Advanced Professional Tools

Looking for the right advanced real estate transaction management software to reduce the onboarding team for new real estate team members? Shaker is the program for you, giving your team the simplicity, efficiency, and flexibility to drive productivity. The best part? It is easy to learn and use, so request a demo of Shaker to get started today!