If 2020 has taught the real estate industry anything it is that being able to operate remotely and having the ability to be cloud based is essential! I don’t think any of us believed we would have experienced what we have had to deal with this year, but it goes to show that life is really unpredictable. We need to, as agencies have the ability to be able to operate anywhere anytime.

So you decide to start making your office paperless, what are the first steps you need to take?

It is a process, but planning and structuring is key to getting your office paperless and cloud based. Check out our top tips on getting your agency paperless.

Set Goals & Research

If your office is predominately paper based you cannot expect to go paperless overnight. It is going to take some time. Start by making one of your office processes totally paperless. This could be property condition reports.

You need to research the best software that allows you to do many functions if not all paperless. You do not want to be switching between lots of different software. This is not only time consuming it is also frustrating having data and files stored in various places.

Inspection Express offers fully functional software that incorporates leasing, property reports and even authorities so you can get all of these tasks paperless in one place!

Remove Paper All Together

To really become a paperless office you need to start eliminating paper from your office. Even post it notes. Note pads. Any form of paper. Checklists can even be paperless. Start using Trello which is a free digital platform where you can make all of your checklists for your office, these can even be collaborated between your team for easy functionality and use, especially if you need to make any changes.

Start scanning your paper files weekly. Set aside 30 minutes twice a week and you will soon start to see paper being eliminated from your office.

Why do you actually need a paperless office in 2021? Surely still using paper is okay.. you probably understand the remote working benefits but what about the other benefits of not using paper in your agency?

Efficiency

Efficiency in each portfolio is absolutely crucial in not only happy landlords and staff but also your bottom line. Your portfolio needs to be profitable. By becoming paperless your staff will not only be saving time in administration tasks such as printing reports, printing leases and sending off, following up on these processes but also you will save cost on printing these documents.

It is no secret ink and printing is seriously expensive. By having your documents digitally available you are making your office more efficient and saving costs on printing documents and postage.

Environmental

We all need to be thinking about our environmental impact in 2021. The amount of paper that is wasted by printing property condition reports is really quite shocking. Many reports are pages and pages long.

These reports also include ink which also causes a strain on the environment as they contain plastic. Show a point of difference to your landlord by being an environmentally friendly office.

97% Lease Renewal Rate

Yes this stat really is possible. Our client Brendan Di Rago has this lease renewal rate by becoming a paperless agency and incorporating paperless leases and authorities into his team.

This rate is enviable but it is achievable after committing to becoming paperless Brendan started to see his lease renewal rate improve and now he is practically at 100%.

No more following up and chasing leases, Brendan has had leases returned in a matter of minutes. This allows his team to focus on other aspects of businesses such as business development.

So remember these 3 things when switching to paperless

  1. Set Goals on taking your agency paperless
  2. Research the right Software
  3. Start working without paper, go digital