SCALE: How dotloop Is Helping Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices make #peoplework Easy For The Biggest Brokerage In Omaha

Greg Dipaolo

February 19, 2014 | comments

Peoplework means a lot of things to a lot of people. Whether it’s improving systems to make things easier for customers, providing real estate agents the tools to make their jobs simpler, or implementing a system that makes managing a business that much easier, it all comes down to the same thing: eliminating clutter and streamlining systems gives brokerages the chance to put people—agents and customers alike—first. That’s #peoplework and that’s what dotloop is all about.

So when we started working with Berkshire Hathaway in 2013, our goal was clear: help the largest, most productive brokerage in Nebraska (and one of the largest in the nation) make #peoplework its way of life, so they could be more successful than ever before.

Jay Brown, Berkshire Hathaway’s trainer, sat down with us to talk about the real estate powerhouse’s experiences and what they thought of dotloop’s DASHBOARD, and how #peoplework was changing the way they did business.

dotloop: Wow! Berkshire Hathaway does an impressive amount of business. Where does that place you regionally and nationally?

Jay: We are! Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate closed 2013 with more than 5000 completed transactions. That makes us the most productive brokerage—by far—in the State of Nebraska and definitely one of the biggest in the country.

dotloop: How has your transaction process changed since you started using dotloop DASHBOARD?

Jay: It’s worlds simpler now. Before, everything was done on paper. With 5000 transactions in a year, you can probably imagine how much paper that represents. We had forests and forests worth of paper files; trying to find a piece of information in the midst of all that was a real challenge and wasted copious amounts of staff time. It was so inefficient, but it was just the nature of the beast. Now, everything is created, tracked, and stored in dotloop and all the information we need is right at our fingertips. To say that it’s made things simpler is an understatement.

dotloop: Are there any unique strategies or challenges that Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate faces that dotloop makes it easier to address?

Jay: STORAGE. With the amount of business we do and the mountains of associated paperwork, we simply didn’t have the room to store it all. 50+ file cabinets just for transactional files was getting unmanageable. Trying to figure out where a file was (depending on where it was in the review process) was incredibly difficult.

dotloop: What were your top priorities in investing in dotloop dashboard?

Jay: (1) Go paperless. That was the big thing. (2) Make it easy for our agents to get on-boarded and up and running. (3) Make sure our agents had a suite of tools they could use to make their businesses truly paperless. For us, the great thing about dotloop is that it’s all people first; the dotloop system lets them focus on their customers—they can do business just like they did before—and, in a snap, upload their new forms, contracts and files right to dotloop. We can make sure all T’s are crossed and all I’s are dotted.

dotloop: Why and when did you choose dotloop DASHBOARD for brokers and/or how does it differ from other technology tools that you’ve used in the past?

Jay: The main thing that we were waiting on was our real estate commission’s approval of electronic forms vs paper. Once that happened, we were ready. We looked at a lot of different “solutions”, but frankly, for us, they weren’t solving anything. Then we took a look at dotloop and knew it was different. dotloop incorporated broker AND agent tools in an all-in-one system. We knew it was the right fit for us and its price was right, too. When our broker, Vince Leisey, saw what a good solution it was and how cost-effective, we decided to get started in mid-2013. And dotloop really went the extra mile. Our office had some unique needs, and dotloop was responsive to those and helped implement systems to accommodate those, so our experience was what we wanted it to be. They even gave us a dedicated customer service rep who makes sure all is running smoothly for us; any question we’ve had have always been answered happily and quickly. As our agents are learning the system, they’re seeing quickly how much easier it is to do business digitally with dotloop; it’s saving loads of time for them and for their clients. And dotloop keeps getting better. We’re excited that they keep enhancing the product and coming up with solutions that make business easy for our staff and agents.

dotloop: How has dotloop changed the way you work together with others? How has implementing the dotloop system changed your business?

Jay: dotloop has been great for us. It allows us to go online and review a file at anytime and give instant feedback to agents on missing paperwork. We can’t stress enough how easy it is to find a file instead of looking through mounds of paper; we can review things from anywhere instead of having to head back to the office. dotloop gives us better, more efficient business on our terms.

dotloop: What do your agents think about using dotloop? How have clients responded to using it?

Jay: In my position as Trainer, agents were asking how easy it was for people to sign their documents. It feels great to be able to tell them, from personal experience, how easy it really is. I can tell them with absolute confidence that we’ve had people in the twenties to their seventies that had no problem with signing paperwork and who have loved the dotloop experience.

dotloop: Would you recommend dotloop to another broker?

Jay: Absolutely! I would recommend it as a great all-in-one solution for brokers and for agents. We all need a competitive advantage. If you can save time and money for you and your agents, why on earth wouldn’t you make a change? dotloop has been a game-changer for us; we couldn’t imagine doing business without it now.

dotloop: How has dotloop surprised you? What’s the thing you like about it most?

Jay: What do we love? Easy. For us to be able review contracts online instead of having to wade through mounds of paperwork in our office is priceless. We can review and send notes right back to the agents in just a few minutes; it’s been great.

dotloop: What does #peoplework mean to you?

Jay: Real Estate will always be a relationship business. I believe we work in whatever way is in the best interests of our clients. That means using—so long as it benefits everyone and everyone is educated in the process—the latest technology. #peoplework means making business better and easier. dotloop does that.

dotloop: Is there anything else you wanted to tell us?

Jay: Going paperless wasn’t easy; it was a huge transition for us and we’re still working on our internal processes. Making the switch to dotloop was the right decision for the company, our agents, and their clients.