The best tech tools are the simplest ones, experts said on ICSC’s Tech for CRE Teams Working Remotely virtual session. “Choose systems that are universally adaptable” to make sure your team can communicate easily with a broad range of clients, advised Anjee Solanki, U.S. director of retail services for Colliers International.
Ask your clients which types of communication tools they prefer, whether they be email, phone, virtual conference, chatroom or some other specialized software tool. If they aren’t sure, offer them several options, as clients have different levels of tech sophistication and different security needs, she said.
Colliers uses Microsoft Teams for internal communications, enabling the company to reserve email for client relations, Solanki said. Her company sets up Teams by region, allowing the company to post alerts that can reach applicable people quickly but not distract others.
Solanki said Colliers has instituted virtual town halls for the same day and time each week. Teams, as well as , most other virtual-conferencing apps, can convert those meetings into minutes that can be shared immediately with people who weren't able to attend, she said.
Easy-to-learn systems allow IT staffs to spend more time dealing with subtle issues than with training, advised Hutton COO and CFO Matt Partridge. “I was surprised at how proactive the older generation was about seeking out training. Our IT team put together a 30-minute training video that employees could access,” he said.
Partridge’s firm operates in a Microsoft 365 ecosystem, and was transitioning from a patchwork approach to deal management, even before COVID-19, to a deal-new system called DealPath. “We were using Zoom, but we transitioned to [Microsoft] Teams because it’s more seamless,” he said.
Solanki also recommended a free app called Calendly, which allows people from different companies, such as a service provider and a client, to compare their calendars, reducing back-and-forth communications when setting up meetings. “It saves me 10 emails,” she said.
The webinar is available here (Chrome works best).
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By Brannon Boswell
Executive Editor, Commerce + Communities Today
