KW's updated CRM commands an audience
Command, the brokerage's newly updated agent app, was promoted through two well-attended events and promises to offer a simplified agent experience.
Key points:
- Updates to the Command app improve the agent’s contact database and lead generation activities, among other features.
- KW staged “Command Con” in October, followed by “Tech the Halls” in December, attracting thousands of agent participants.
- “What we are focused on with Command is agent success. That is our mantra,” said CTO Chris Cox.
Keller Williams may have discovered the secret sauce for increasing the adoption rate for Command, its newly updated agent app.
In October, the company held a virtual "Command Con," an awareness and training event to create excitement around KW's newly updated proprietary app, which was attended by more than 10,000 agents across the nation.
The online event provided a high-level view of the company's remodeled CRM, and included interviews with KW teams and individual agents about how they've used the app to grow their businesses.
Building on the turnout and success, KW held another event in December, this time with the moniker "Tech the Halls," which was also well attended. "Tech the Halls had a similar format to Command Con — and drew a large audience," said Chief Technology Officer Chris Cox.
Yet Command's ultimate success will depend on more than events with catchy names. The true test of the CRM is how effectively it works for KW agents. Some of the updates to Command were intended to address concerns about ease of use and efficiencies via the application. "It's all about simplifying and giving time back to the agent," a KW spokesman said.
"What we are focused on with Command is agent success. That is our mantra," Cox told Real Estate News. Of the 177,000 agents at Keller Williams, 120,000 to 130,000 agents use Command in any given month, Cox said.
"It's super simple," said Randi Brandt about the newly updated app. The Michigan KW agent said "Command is always up on my computer screen… I see all my clients, I know who I need to talk to and what about."
Added Jamie Matzdorff, a KW agent in Eagle, Idaho: "Command is a well-oiled machine. The Command app has my tasks and to-dos on the main login screen."
Prior to launching the updates, Cox said KW held focus groups with agents to see how they use Command and how the company could improve upon it, especially in critical areas like lead generation and utilizing an agent's contact database.
The company has now made education on Command part of the onboarding process when an agent joins Keller Williams. Existing agents are getting multiple opportunities to learn about Command's features and updates, whether it's via YouTube videos or through live events that participants can access online.
While KW emphasizes that the agent is at the center of every real estate transaction, the company also is enhancing its online interactions with consumers. In 2023, KW will relaunch kw.com, its consumer-facing website.
Cox said the website and its functions are being "reimagined" to make them more engaging for consumers. The website reintroduction — which is expected to take place in the spring — is just the beginning. KW will begin to roll out new online features regularly instead of making a single splash with the new version of the website.
Improving the online real estate experience for consumers and agents is dynamic and continual, Cox said. "We want to get value to agents as quickly as we can. We are focused on the quality of new features and the velocity at which they are added. They need to work and be seamless and be a great experience."