Logistics, logistics, logistics – ask anyone running a business or working for one, a lot of time is lost or mismanaged in an effort to run a mean, lean, efficient machine. From the Kaizen philosophy to the Pareto Principle, sustainable success comes down to utilizing great tools properly.
Lockboxes have long dominated the market for realtors. They are not without their advantages of course, but we believe the system could be improved. This is a quick summary of what problems we tackled with the Keycafe solution.
For the Realtor
For realtors, there are a number of further benefits.
Control: Modern lockbox access is managed through a keycard coded to a lockbox, which can be conveniently placed in your wallet. However, keycard validation is mostly managed at head office, which means that even if it wasn’t on your radar that day, in order to show your listings and do your work you have to go into the office to re-activate your card. Wireless capability is available, but additional equipment is required. Some offices collaborate on re-validation, but a trip is still necessary. Some systems offer 24 hour pass codes without the need for a card as a workaround solution, but this still amounts to a lot of administrative work, coordination with multiple people, and a high chance of communication breakdown.
Sounds complicated? It is.
With Keycafe, once the keys are in the system at a Keycafe location, your phone is the only tool you need.
Where Are the Keys: The feature realtors love most is real-time tracking. Lockbox systems provide data on when a box was accessed through the cards we mentioned earlier. However, that data needs to be downloaded, and weeks can go by without anyone reviewing it. With Keycafe the reporting is instant – you know precisely if and when your listing has been shown and can take action accordingly.
No Hardware Required: Another huge disadvantage of lockboxes is that they are not optimized for apartment buildings in a dense urban area. You can’t exactly hang it on the front door of a condo tower on Robson Street, so many agents get creative. And by creative we mean:
Then, there is the management of lockboxes. As a realtor with a stacked schedule, leaving a lockbox behind is not unheard of, and it leads to scenes like this:
Aside from being a pretty aggressive form of littering, it’s unsightly, unprofessional and wasteful.
A streamlined process cuts out all of these headaches. We’re not gonna lie, we’re very excited to offer a solution to realtors that lets them work smarter and faster. If there’s an easier way to manage home access than stopping by your neighbourhood coffee shop, we haven’t figured it out yet! Find out more about Keycafe here..
P.S. For further reading, check out this hilarious article by Toronto realtor David Fleming about his lockbox experience.
