To Zoom or not to Zoom?—that is the question. At least it is in today’s covid-recovering, hybrid world. When you’re running a team filled with several active real estate agents, the question becomes even more convoluted. So, what’s the best course of action? It’s not one-size-fits-all, but here’s how you can decide how to best communicate with your real estate team, whether virtual or in person.
Considering Individual Preferences
When running a team, you must consider the personalities, opinions and comfort levels of all your team members. These days, that’s not so easy—especially if some agents are more comfortable being around people while others are still uncomfortable with the state of things and prefer to maintain their space.
When they all don’t come together seamlessly, your day turns into a little bit of an intricate puzzle. The key to solving it is participating in active listening. By hearing out your staff, you can determine whether it’s best to meet in person or if a video conference will be just as effective and keep everyone happy.
Working With Busy Schedules
Say you have one set of buyer agents running around to appointments, while another is hosting open houses. Then your listing agents are doing some staging while your transaction coordinator is running back and forth between completing administrative tasks at the office and putting on lockboxes at your properties. It’s a miracle if you see all your team members at the office all at once.
If this is what your day-to-day looks like, getting together via Zoom, or any other video conference platform, may be ideal. Of course, time-blocking for a future date is important if you want to get together at least once per month to touch base in person.
Keeping Tech in Check
Zoom isn’t always an option. We’ve all been there when, suddenly, your home internet just crashes, or you have a slow connection and all you hear is every other word. If you have members on your team who prefer Zoom but who have a history of unstable internet connection, this may be time for a chat about either improving their Wi-Fi or being more willing to meet at the office where technology can’t get in the way of clear communication.
Of course, it shouldn’t be all or nothing when it comes to communicating with your team. Always supplement weekly or monthly check-ins, whether in-person or via Zoom, with consistent phone calls, text, emails, etc. The more you communicate with your team, the better they understand your expectations and meet goals. Virtual or not, communication is what keeps your team going, so always prioritize it over anything else.
Liz Dominguez is RISMedia’s senior online editor. Email her your real estate news ideas to lizd@rismedia.com.
