For real estate professionals across the board, staying ahead of the competition is no longer enough. As the industry continues to pick up steam—and consumers demand more of their agent with each passing day—staying relevant is the name of the game as we close out 2015 and head into 2016. In fact, this need to stay relevant was one of the driving forces behind the creation of zipTMS™, a new transaction management system from Fraser, Mich.-based technology company zipLogix.
Founded in 1991, zipLogix has earned the respect of real estate professionals by delivering products that automate and simplify the repetitive and complex steps involved in a real estate transaction. With more than 650,000 real estate professionals across the country taking advantage of the company’s products, the ability to further optimize and enhance workflow capabilities by tracking and managing all transaction information and activities from listing through closing was the next logical step.
“It’s no longer a matter of having a product that provides a means of storage and management,” says Mourad Zerroug, Ph.D., vice president, Software Engineering. “As technology and expectations change on the market side, it’s a matter of providing a complete solution to all matters from pre-contract to contract and even post-contract activities.”
And thanks to zipTMS™, real estate professionals now have access to a one-stop solution where they can conduct each and every stage of a transaction using a single product and login that grants them access to all the tools necessary to get the job done.
Not only does zipTMS™ integrate with zipForm® Plus to create an easy-to-use, comprehensive transaction management platform, the program was designed to track listing and sale information, transaction contracts, documents, client satisfaction and all communication among the various parties involved in a transaction.
As if these features weren’t robust enough, the following components have also been built into the product:
- Notifications. In-application notifications are displayed or emailed to users as due dates approach or tasks/documents become overdue.
- Transaction Notes. Users can create, save and access notes—including phone calls—under the “History” tab. Notes can be emailed, printed or saved as a PDF.
- Transaction History. zipTMS™ records tasks and their statuses within the platform, creating an extensive audit trail of the entire transaction.
- Archive. Checklists, notes and history can all be archived to provide a complete history of transactions with all associated content.
- Manage Transactions. Tasks are populated from forms or adjusted in the checklist tab. Dates can be set as “relative” for automatic adjustment based on other task completion dates.
- Checklist Templates. This allows users to set tasks in templates with relative dates and task due dates will automatically populate from form data. This can include placeholder documents as reminders to upload required documents.
- Auto-Apply Template. For new transactions, based on the type of transaction, a predetermined template will be applied, ensuring all transactions are uniformly tracked.
- View Options. Users can view tasks in calendar or list mode. In calendar mode, transactions are adjustable with drag-and-drop. An “Urgent Tasks” button is available to display items due that day or those that are overdue.
“One of our key objectives was to streamline the entire process so that REALTORS® and real estate professionals could be in one application and move efficiently through that application,” says Wendy Waldrep, vice president of sales, who goes on to explain that a key part of the company’s strategy involves collaboration among their user base.
“It’s all about staying relevant,” says Waldrep, “so we’re constantly asking our user base what they’re looking for in order to provide them with exactly what they need to find success in the ever-evolving market.”
“Everything we do at zipLogix is geared toward serving the interest of REALTORS®, ” says Zerroug, “which is something that differentiates us within the marketplace.”
So too does the fact that the company was created and still owned by REALTOR® organizations, providing a unique vantage point when it comes to creating and rolling out products, especially as technology continues to evolve.
And as more real estate professionals gravitate toward paperless transactions, we’re seeing a greater need for seamless, integrated solutions that add a level of transparency to the process while speeding up the transaction and providing better predictability and outcomes—and a faster closing cycle and post-contract activity.
“When talking about digital technology, risk management is one area you can’t afford to overlook,” says Waldrep. “With zipTMS™, everything from parties invited into the transaction to edits that are made—and the time and date of each and every change—is being tracked right within the history of the transaction, creating a valuable risk management tool.”
“Today’s client is not the same client that existed a decade ago,” says Zerroug. “Today’s clients are demanding and tech-savvy. They go to Google to conduct their own research and expect their agent to be able to communicate and work with them in this manner as well,” making it more important than ever that they have access to the tools they need to keep up with the changing dynamics of the market—and today’s consumer.
“It’s always been our mission to provide REALTORS® and real estate professionals with the best tools to not only be successful, but to better complete the transaction and satisfy the customer,” concludes Zerroug.
For more information, visit www.ziplogix.com/zipTMS.
