Getting Started
Welcome to Broker Brain! This powerful web-based system will help you manage all of your properties and give you instant access to all of your property related information. The Getting Started Tips below will guide you through the process of setting up and customizing your Broker Brain system in order to meet your company's needs. Also included below are links to detailed instructions that will help you set up your system and use it in your daily activities.
As you are getting familiar with Broker Brain, be sure to review the Broker Brain University section of this document for a guided tour in learning the system. You may also want to familiarize yourself with the A-Z Index, our resource for helping you quickly navigate through this Help Guide. And be sure to review our Best Practices for some tips and tricks on how to get the most out of Broker Brain.
Getting Started
Before entering properties, it is important to customize your Admin tab by adding information to the following pages in this order:
1. Markets
Select a generic name that incorporates all the cities you service.
NOTE: We suggest you use only one market UNLESS you have branch offices that utilize separate staff to serve each office. If your market area includes several cities in close proximity we still recommend using ONE market in your system to streamline efficiency.
2. Clients
Add all of your Clients (bank names of ALL banks you work with) first. Once all client names have been added into the system, go back to each one and add the contact information for the reps.
Important:
ResNet and REOTRANS are not client names but web tracking systems used by many banks. It is important to note that once you enter clients into the system they CANNOT be deleted. You can, however, change the client's name.
3. Vendors
Contact information for each vendor must be entered prior to entering property information into the Preservation Tab. You will want to include as much information as possible for each Vendor, as this data will be used to populate bid information on the Preservation Tab.
4. Utilities
Contact information for each Utility Company must be entered prior to entering property information into the Utility Tab. This data is used in a Utility Tab pop-up screen that appears when you mouse over the company's name, so you will want to enter as much information as possible.
5. Statuses
Carefully review the directions for the following statuses (be sure to pay close attention to the Archiving & Reactivating a Property section so that you are not charged for inactive properties): Archiving & Reactivating a Property, Property Status, Preservation Status, Offer Status, and Contract Status.
6. Groups
Prior to customizing your groups, you will need to determine the flow of information and your assignment of responsibilities in handling that information. Once you have done this, please read the directions regarding group set up.
7. Users
Once your groups are finalized, you may now enter your users. Please read the directions regarding adding users. Pay close attention to privileges and the section marked IMPORTANT.
8. Auto Tasks
The system comes with a group of preset Auto Tasks. Prior to creating your Groups, you should have determined the flow of information and your assignment of responsibilities in handling that information. If this has not been done, you will need to do that here. Once you have done this, please carefully read the directions regarding Auto Task set up.
Prior to rollout, you will need to make some selections in your Site Settings. First, be sure to Globally Disable Auto Tasks so that you do not generate unnecessary tasks. Next, if you are using one Market as recommended, select the check box next to No Market Selector On Public Search Page. The Market Selector box will be removed from your public web page, eliminating confusion for agents and buyers when they are using your public web site.
10. Maintenance
PLEASE NOTE: You can change your pricing plan as many times as necessary. Your bill is prorated according to the number of days you use each selected plan.
Organizing Your Property Files For Broker Brain Rollout
We strongly recommend entering all active files at one time during a “rollout weekend” rather than entering them individually as new properties are assigned. This method will help your staff become Broker Brain proficient much faster and more efficiently and will eliminate the reliance on using your company’s old tracking systems.
The absolute first step is to assign staff members to enter all properties including the following information only: address (including validation), with the property status set to INITIAL. This must be done the day before your rollout to ensure properties do not get missed.
NOTE: Depending on the format you currently use to store your data, the Broker Brain staff may be able to import your addresses. The cost of import will depend on the programming required to import your data from your current tracking system. Please go to www.brokerbrain.net/support to submit any questions regarding your system.
Prior to starting the rollout process, you must decide between two different input methods. You can either assign employees to enter files in stages (moving each file between assigned teams) or assign employees to enter each file cradle to grave with only one employee touching a given file:
Method One - Entering Files in Stages:
This method is most effective if your company is structured into teams with specific job assignments. We suggest each team enter the relevant information for their job duties. This will require the client and office manager to evaluate the different tabs in Broker Brain prior to rollout. During this evaluation, the goal is to develop a data entry system for your company based on your company’s structure. You will assign each team’s duties, during rollout, based on the responsibilities they will have for entering information into Broker Brain on a daily basis.
Method Two - Entering Files Cradle to Grave:
This method is most effective for small companies where each employee has a wide range of assigned duties. This method still requires the client to evaluate the different tabs in Broker Brain prior to rollout so the employees can be given a checklist of all items that must be entered for each file. This checklist will be unique to every company, depending on how the company utilizes Broker Brain and what decisions are made regarding information to be entered during rollout. For example, you may choose to upload only the photos you will display on your public web page rather than uploading all photos.
Rollout Day Final Audit
At the end of your Rollout Day, you MUST check the following to ensure that all files have been handled correctly:
Verify all files have been removed from initial status (NOTE: the only properties left in this status should be new properties with unknown occupancy).
Verify your property file count matches the number of property records in Broker Brain.
Verify the number of property records in each Broker Brain status match the number of physical files you have in each status.
Public Website URL
Your Broker Brain system comes with a public website that allows agents and buyers to search your listed inventory. The URL is http://yourcompanyname.brokerbrain.net/public. This site is available for use as soon as you enter properties into Broker Brain. Be sure to follow the directions for uploading photos in the Property Photos section of this Help site under the Properties Tab, so that the properties show on your public website with viewable photos. We suggest you display a link to your Broker Brain site on your current marketing website and publicize this link in your MLS listings.