Her door was open.

When I stepped into Beth’s office this morning, there were three items of importance that caught my eye.

I didn’t have to knock, and she put down what she was doing immediately, letting me know right away
that I had her attention and her time. She had been having a conversation through text, and I told her
to continue what she was doing.

“I’m responding to an agent’s text,” she explained.

“Do you exchange text messages with agents often?” I asked, curious.

“Of course, at all hours of the day. I pride myself on being very responsive in answering questions,
giving feedback, and generally making agents understand that we are on the same team, and that
they have my support.”

“Do you celebrate birthdays here?” I questioned.

“Yes, of course,” she replied, “But these are just appreciation cards. I give these out to agents who have met
and surpassed the expected.”

Support. Important, right?

So there they were, the three items of significance that had mattered to me since my entrance: an open door,
a friendly Beth, and a pile of greeting cards set to go out to some lucky agents.

Just from these few moments of involvement, I already had a sense of the value Beth placed on her relationship
with agents. But I still hadn’t heard about the importance of technology, of which I had real interest in, because in
interviews with other agents, it was something that had been raved about.

Dotloop

It’s an online server for preparing documents and filing paperwork, which allows you which allows you to prepare,
edit, send, electronically sign, and manage documents.

“I call it a seamless one-stop-shop for all paperwork.” Beth explained

So if it’s so great, wouldn’t this technology be available at every agency? Well, it turns out some comparable
technology is, but here’s the catch. Here, at CM Fox, the agents have access to it for free. Which seems like
the way it should be, to me, as an outsider to the business.

But other agencies don’t agree.

Most require agents to register and pay for the technology at their own expense, totaling $200 a month or more.
In combination with the free technological services, Beth and her team also print, fax and email urgent paperwork
for agents, and make themselves available for rapid legwork that needs to be completed in conjunction with
every transaction. This gives the agents time to do what they are experts in, rather than wasting their talents
with nuances.

In closing – I asked:

“Which holds more value at the company to current and future agents, technological support or face-to-face?”

“Here’s the thing, the Broker is ultimately responsible for proper compliance and promoting
ethical behavior. We do everything we can to make it understood by the agent that we are on their team, in that,
we are their confidants, an ear to bounce ideas off of, and a support for them through suggestions and feedback.
A buy or sell is the success of an agent, but their success reflects back on us, which makes our support crucial.”

Support. Important, right?