When introducing a new solution, process, or technology into your agency, change management can be make or break.
When adopting a new supplier, process, or way of working, change management is key. Getting it right will help make sure that your team buys into the new process, so they get up and running on it as quickly as possible. This is something that I help Goodlord agents do on a daily basis in my role in the Adoption team - so here are my top tips that you can take away and apply in your own agency the next time you choose a new supplier or solution.
1. Learn the pain points that the new process will help the team overcome
Your team needs to feel heard. They shouldn't feel like anything's being forced on them, but should be made to feel that they're part of the process for any changes.
One of the ways to do that is to fully understand their pain points in the first place. This will help them to grasp the value of the new process, technology, or service.
What do they get frustrated with on a daily basis and how will the new provider and solution help resolve this? You need to look at their day-to-day and explain how the new solution will help make their lives easier.
2. Understand your key stakeholders
The next thing that I'll always ask in the change management process is who is really key to making this change a success? Who are the top stakeholders in your business?
This may not necessarily be the people in charge, but someone in the business who's going to be the main point of knowledge about the new process.
3. Get specific on how exactly the technology or process can help
If you can share specifics to put the new process into context, your team will be able to understand how it may apply to them.
For example, Goodlord automates a lot of emails and chasing tenants for agents - that could be hundreds of emails off an administrator's plate, so they can focus on moving more people into their homes.
4. Look to the long-term to help visualise the impact it will have
It's really easy to get bogged down in how long it will take to pick up a new way of working initially. It will take a bit of time at the start to get up and running, because it's a new system to learn.
Everyone needs to keep front of mind how it will benefit the business and their lives, once they're used to using it.
5. Realise that you have nothing to fear from the new solution
Something new will normally spark nostalgia for and a sense of attachment to the current processes. People only see the good things about the current way of working, when faced with the prospect of change.
Some of our customers worry that they're going to miss out on interactions with their tenants by automating emails, which will affect their personal service, for example. However, that's not what technology is there to do.
What Goodlord automates helps remove human error - it's not there to replace any members of staff. It simply makes the lives of your existing staff much easier - so you can all do more with the time you have in the day.
6. Get your team used to the idea of change
The phrase "change management" is powerful in itself, and should be used in conversations about how any new technology will be introduced. It will help employees process that this is a change - but also an enhancement.
It's not going to be ready overnight, it's changing processes - but, ultimately, aiming to improve it all.
7. Future proof your business
This may be my final point, but it's one of the most important. The property industry is one of the final industries to move into the technology space. For most industries, using technology to support the daily lives of team members and improve customer experience is now second nature while, in lettings, the industry has only recently started to invest.
This is what tenants expect now. The majority of the tenants - and landlords - are used to doing online banking, shopping online, and so on.
How does their renting experience fit in with the world that we're moving towards? And how can you get back more time to meet their expectations in the right way?
The answers to these questions will hopefully help ensure your team understands the value of new technology, and will help them to persevere until they can reap the rewards.
