Wim, Copandi
Why agencies switch CRM
Agencies switch CRM because the agency changes. What fitted five years ago sometimes doesn't fit today.
The reasons vary a lot. An agency grows and needs different features. A group takes over an agency and wants the same CRM everywhere. A new manager prefers the system they already know. In Flanders, we regularly guide agencies through switches between different real estate CRMs.
Choosing a CRM is a choice about your daily work. Your website shouldn't get in the way of that choice.
A website that belongs to your CRM
Some agencies have a website that belongs to their CRM. It comes from the same supplier and is built on that CRM. That works well as long as you stay with that CRM.
If you switch CRM, a website like that often has to change with it. It was made to talk to that one system. Your new CRM may supply a website too, or you have a new one built.
That's not a fault of the website or the CRM. It's how that model works. Just know it in advance, so you factor the website question into your decision on a new CRM.
A website that works with any real estate CRM
A website that works with any real estate CRM stays put when you switch. Your design, your texts, your pages and your search visibility remain. Only the source of your properties changes.
Habbi, the Salamander website platform, works this way. Habbi integrates with all real estate CRMs: Mason, Whise, RealSuite, Zabun, Zabun 360, Omnicasa, SweepBright, Apimo, Kyero, Listt and Resales Online. Your next one too.
When you switch, we connect the new CRM to your website. Your properties and estate agents then come from the new CRM, and your leads go there. Your visitors won't notice a thing.
Step-by-step plan for the switch
A CRM switch runs smoothly when you include your website in the planning. Four steps:
- Map your property pages. Every property has its own address on your website. With a new CRM, a property often gets a new number, and sometimes that changes the page address too. Note which pages exist, and set up a permanent redirect (a 301 redirect) from each old address to the new one. That way you lose no visitors and no place in Google. On Habbi, we take care of those redirects.
- Sort out your leads. Decide from which moment leads go to the new CRM. Also check where leads from third-party widgets end up, such as a valuation tool or a chat. These are easy to forget.
- Run both CRMs side by side for a while. Your website pulls properties from both, until everything is in the new CRM. That way no property disappears from your site while your team is still transferring.
- Test and switch over. Check that all properties are there, with the right photos, statuses and estate agents. Fill in every form yourself and see whether the lead arrives in the new CRM. Only then disconnect the old CRM.
Don't plan the switch for your busiest period. A quiet week gives your team room to spot mistakes.
What to ask your new CRM
Ask your new CRM supplier a few practical questions up front. That tells you what your website needs.
- How do you transfer my properties? Ask whether photos, documents and statuses come across, and how long it takes.
- How does the CRM receive leads from my website? Ask which details come with them, such as the property the lead is about.
- Can my current website partner integrate? Ask about the access your website partner needs.
Then pass those answers to your website partner. Together, you build the plan.
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