Garbage in / Garbage out is also very true.  When you enter data into your CRM database, take the extra time to do it completely and accurately, correcting errors as you go.  Using the Google Forms I’ve written about here, you can do an easy import of the information into these databases.  However, if the site visitor has entered errors (likely), then correct them before or after the import.  I like to do it in the Google Spreadsheet before the export to .csv.

Whether MyFax or another service, if you can send faxes out as attachments to emails, then you’ll want to do your first import into the CRM and Realtor/Vendor databases differently, and change a field.  Instead of a standard phone number format field for the fax number of a contact/prospect, make it an “email” format field.  Then put in the email address you use with your fax service.  With MyFax it looks like this:  “15555051212@myfax.com.”

Then, whenever you need to fax a contact, you can just click on this live link right out of their contact record in your database.  Just attach the PDF or other document just as you have always done it.  And, don’t forget to Cc your Gmail history address as well!

As far as this post’s title, what you’ll want to do if you’re about to import all of your contacts is to go ahead and open your .csv file in a spreadsheet.  Enter a new column, and do a concatenation of fields to end up with the complete email address.  Then you’ll get them all in at once.

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Email for History

I recently posted about using Gmail as an email history resource, and it works really well with a field in each contact/prospect record with the URL to the search.  However, some would immediately recoil, thinking about having to get that URL into every record in their CRM databases.

Well, it’s really easy, especially if you’re just getting started and about to import your records for the first time.  Once you have a .csv comma delimited export from your current system:

• Open the file as a spreadsheet
• Create a column and copy down all of the URL that’s common to every search, in Google it looks like this:  https://mail.google.com/mail/#search/
• After the last / is where the name of the contact is when you do a search as in:  https://mail.google.com/mail/#search/firstname+lastname
• You should have two columns for names of contacts, one for first name and one for last name.  If not, do a “text-to-column” data split to get them from the whole name.
• So, what you do is to create a column with a “+” replicated all the way down for every row.  Then you do a Concatenate command like this:  =concatenate(URL cell, FirstName cell, +Cell, LastName cell).  In other words, you’re telling this new cell and column to merge the data from four other columns, the URL common part, then first name, then the “+”, then last name.  You’ll end up with the complete URL for every record’s name in a column which you can then import right in with all of the rest of them.

You don’t even need to worry about whether you’ve ever traded emails with them, as the Gmail search will just turn up “nothing found” if that’s the case.  I got hundreds in all at once for one client.

Anyway, I wanted to be able to have a popup calendar in Excel sheets for fast date entry.  To get it, I had to buy an addon from a third party vendor.  Well, I just found that Google Spreadsheets has the feature for free.  First, the cell or column/row must be set up with date formatting.  Second, and the only tiny gripe I have, is that it must already have a date in it.  I’m not sure why that is, but it is.  So, I’ve set up the transaction task spreadsheets to load up for you with the current date in the date cells.

So, all you do is open a new sheet, enter the transaction name once, and the agent’s name once, pick the dates from a calendar for the tasks, and you’re ready to get it into the WebOffice system with six clicks and three minutes work.

Tech Tips for WebEx WebOffice

databases extend the funtionality in many ways.  It’s natural that users compare the system to what they’ve used before, are another vendor they’re considering.  Since many of the other vendors are custom software, there are things they can do that aren’t able to be accomplished with WebOffice…or at least not quite the same way.  Here’s a great example and the way we solved the challenge:

A user really only missed one thing about the way his previous Top Producer software tied his emails to the prospect/contact/client automatically.  Though you can email right from the contact’s record in your WebOffice, it doesn’t actually tie a copy of the email to that record.  So, we found a truly elegant solution, particularly because it uses the generous free storage and great search capability of Gmail.

If you don’t have a Gmail account, you can set one up for free, and get almost 7 Gigabytes of free email storage.  The power of Google search is also part of the package, for searching within your emails.  So, we combined these two features and came up with this procedure:

1. Use the new Gmail address as your return address in WebOffice, or forward a copy of all mail from your regular email address to the Gmail address.
2. When you email out from WebEx, always elect to “send yourself a copy.”
3. This copy will then end up in your Gmail account.
4. Do a search on a contact’s name or email address in Gmail and all emails between you, incoming or outgoing, will show up in reverse time order.
5. Look up in the URL address bar in your browser, and you’ll see that this search has its own URL, as in https://mail.google.com/mail/#search/firstname+lastname.
6. Copy  out that URL and place it into a new field in your Contacts Database.  This will be a “web address” type field, and you paste the URL into that field for the specific client.
7. From then on, anytime you’re in a client’s record in the CRM database, just click on that link to see every email the two of you have ever exchanged opened up in Gmail.

**NOTE:  The beauty of this solution is that you don’t even need to send the email from WebOffice.  Even if you send it from your Gmail account, or from your regular email with a Cc to Gmail, all of the emails will end up in this one place for instant recall later.

One of the things I do best is to find ways to get things done technologically at the lowest cost or free.  I believe that the power of the WebEx WebOffice with custom databases is huge, but you sometimes would like to do something more than looks possible.  Send me an email, as there’s probably a fast and easy way to get it done.

I have developed spreadsheets at Google Docs that will allow you to quickly set up dates for a list of tasks by transaction type.  Then, you do a six click, three minute, export/import, and all of those tasks are in the system.   I have also developed four of them, one each for land and home, and by buyer or seller.

Keeping in the trend of moving my office online, I have been using Google Docs for some time for various things. In fact, my new netbook doesn’t even have MS Office, Word, or Excel installed. For those who want the spreadsheets, you can get them, with video instructions here.

Remember, the import of 50+ transaction tasks into this system can be accomplished in about six mouse clicks and three minutes. And, I’ve tried a lot of things, but find that getting my spreadsheet dates in beside each task is the fastest way to set up bulk transaction tasks.

I’ve tested the little known Google Forms function in Google Documents.  It’s great, because it allows you to build a custom form, then gives you the code to embed it into your website or blog.  This is something many services do, but this one is free, and it also does something else that helps me to get the information into my WebEx WebOffice databases with just a few clicks and no typing.

The Google Forms application saves the form input into a spreadsheet.  So, you design your form fields to correspond with certain fields in the Customer Relations Database in WebOffice.  Once new forms are submitted, they are automatically in a spreadsheet in Google Docs, and you are informed via email.

All you do is save that spreadsheet data file as a .csv (comma delimited) file onto your hard drive, then import it into your custom WebOffice database.  That’s maybe six or so total mouse clicks, and you can move in tons of data all at once.

The WebEx WebOffice does a great job of allowing us to set up virtual file cabinets.  We can set up company training and personnel files, as well as real estate listing and transaction folders.

Permission levels do an excellent job of security and making sure that only those you want to access the file folders can do so.  One thing some subscribers have asked is if there is any other way to perhaps share files outside of the Intranet, such that another paid member seat isn’t required, and using less space, so as not to bump into requirements to purchase extra space.

First, the allowance for document file space are extremely generous, and based on the number of members.  However, there are some ways to manage your document storage in other ways as well:

• First, you can set up one member and give that login to several people with one function.  Say, one member seat for all ad layout people at the newspaper so they can collaborate with you on your marketing.
• Or, here’s how you can really save storage space for those outside vendor collaboration files:
  • Set up a Google account for documents, and create protected areas there.  Share documents through the Google sharing permissions.
  • Place a link on your WebEx home page to allow you to go straight to those document areas from your WebOffice.

Once you make the decision to take your office virtual, there will be so many of these tips, tricks and work-arounds available to you.  You truly can operate a business with remote agents, office or sales staff, and do it very inexpensively.

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What I found, even almost three years after I started, was that only one allowed me to build custom databases that fit my business and let me operate a completely mobile real estate brokerage office.  Of course, with the custom database capability, mortgage people, attorneys, retail or any type of business can do the same, just creating databases that fit their business practices.

The Webex WebOffice platform

Real Estate Mobile Office Intranet

is truly amazing and flexible, and I’m now doing multiple brokerage management functions on one platform that before required subscriptions to multiple services.

• transaction management
• listing management
• transaction & listings customized task management
• bookkeeping
• customer relationship management
• vendor and transaction coordination
• property showings and feedback
• managing my agent lead accountability

The basic functions of most of the Intranets are great, allowing general sharing of information.  But, it’s the ability to customize databases that sets WebEx WebOffice apart.  Take a tour here.

• Onsite service
• Sales not requiring a physical showroom
• Real estate
• Mortgage brokerage
• Insurance

There are many more, and it’s getting easier to take an office mobile, with netbook computers and cellular broadband connections.  Using an online intranet and a netbook over cell broadband, virtually every office management function can be accomplished in the mobile environment.

And, we’re talking about an up-front equipment investment for netbook and printer of less than $500, with ongoing costs under $60/month for cell broadband.  Can you rent office space for that, and keep the utilities on?  I’ll be doing an extensive series on Intranets and the mobile office, so subscribe to my feed or newsletter to keep up.  You’ll be glad you did if a mobile office is something you’d like to do.

With the right Intranet service, and I’ll show you which one, you can create custom databases for your business.  Then you can do everything from billing to inventory right from your netbook in the field.  Ain’t technology great?!

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