Mark McLean of Bosley Real Estate says expanding the realtor's tech toolkit – such as camera drones and Bluetooth beacons – is key to making a sale these days.Thomas Bollmann
Bosley Real Estate is ahead of the curve, offering YouTube videos, social media engagement – and a mobile app
When a realtor from Bosley Real Estate sent a U.S. client a YouTube clip promoting a Toronto neighbourhood, the deal was sealed within the hour.
"There are so many ways to interact with clients now," says Mark McLean, Bosley's creative director and president of the Toronto Real Estate Board. "The role of the realtor has changed. One time, people would call and say they are thinking about moving. Now they [would have done] the research online already. They know what they want and have done the upfront work.
"The power of the realtor is really in selling, and maximizing all of the technology available now."
Indeed, if you enlist the help of Bosley, a boutique residential and commercial realtor established in 1928, be prepared for a thoroughly 21st-century experience. Unlike many competitors, Bosley agents have an impressive tech toolkit, including high-quality virtual tours on iPads, social media engagement options, Skype meetings and iCloud-based filing systems.
"Agents are using mobile more and more," says Mr. McLean. "They are out with clients on their iPads, showing them maps, neighbourhood trends and data, so [clients] can get a real snapshot of what it's like."
For small- and mid-sized companies – which make up 99.6 per cent of the businesses in Canada and employ around 90 per cent of the workforce – capitalizing on the digital revolution is a must.
That's where communication technologies that save time and money come in, says Nitin Kawale, president of the enterprise business unit at Rogers Communications. He then points out that Canadian businesses are generally lagging when it comes to adopting technology.
"If you think about all that you can do on your mobile device outside of the office walls, you realize you are extremely productive as a consumer," Mr. Kawale says. "However, for many of us, when we enter the workplace, our productivity levels drop, as we don't have access to the same technology and collaborative environments."
But because small- and mid-sized businesses operate differently from big business, they should be able, in theory, to take advantage of cost-effective technologies more easily.
"The technology and tools in the market today – such as cloud storage, mobile apps and automation – are not only affordable, but also easier than ever to implement quickly," Mr. Kawale notes.
Rogers is starting to see some significant success stories, according to Mr. Kawale. "Businesses investing in the right mix of mobile technology – including tablets and smartphones with mobile apps, e-commerce and mobile payment solutions – can scale to thousands of customers overnight."
Bosley Real Estate has certainly reaped the benefits of its new approach. "The past five years have been a game changer for us," says Brian Torry, Bosley's general manager. "Mark and I have been the agents of change and have pretty much integrated all of the tech into the company over the past five years. The whole world is online and has embraced tech, but real estate just didn't in the same way."
Keeping in pace with the mobile digital scene, Bosley developed its own mobile app more than a year ago. "We've had 2,000 downloads of our app in a year," Mr. Torry reports, "and it is converting into business for us, more so than ever before."
Through the Bosley Real Estate app, clients can search by neighbourhood to find properties, accessing all listings for the GTA area, and work directly with their Bosley agent in real time, tagging and tracking properties of interest.
And the evolution is ongoing.
"We have to stay ahead of the curve," says Mr. McLean. "We are looking at bringing in camera drones to take even better images of properties and neighbourhoods and using Bluetooth beacons that will connect to clients' phones when they enter a property and alert them to features about it. It's an ongoing process."
This content was produced by The Globe and Mail's advertising department in consultation with Rogers. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.