Change is constant and inevitable. In today’s world, brokerages must be consistently innovating in order to succeed. So, how do we do this? Often times, deciding to create a custom website or change a technology platform is necessary to keep up. With this, comes adjustments and effects on individuals within your brokerage. It’s important to create a strong change management structure to provide the most seamless transition for your team! Let’s start off with PMI’s definition of change management: change management is a systematic approach to dealing with change, both from the perspective of an organization and on the individual level. It is a systematic application of the knowledge, tools, and resources of change that provides organizations with a key process to achieve their business goals. These steps to leading a successful change management strategy will create a seamless transition for all.
Once your brokerage has selected a new technology platform, CRM, or web application, it’s time to start planning for the implementation. It’s all hands on deck! Preparing for change starts with clarifying objectives for the change in “people” terms and ensuring a “compelling case for the change.” Next, we want to assess those impacted by the change for their readiness and support. This typically consists of stakeholders. After identifying those who will be impacted, it’s important to obtain the necessary resources of what will be needed to implement the change. One of those important resources is the executive team for the brokerage and the selection of sponsors.
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Identifying Key Players for Change Management
Does your brokerage have a few individuals who love to be advocates and mentors or show-offs for their fellow co-workers? Tap into these people! The goal is to have team members be advocates for the change and being the push towards acceptance. It is crucial for executives to build a network of sponsors by identifying key types of individuals that may lead to increased adoption of the changes.
Let’s talk about a few essential individual types for your team and their mannerisms:
- Early adopters are willing to listen to new ideas and are open to feedback.
- Networkers are good at interacting across the organizations.
- Positive sponsors will communicate the positive outcome of “what’s in it for me?”
- Tech savvy sponsors pick up the technology or programs quickly.
- Top producers are key players as well because they create a sense of trust, comfort, and confidence across the brokerage.
These key players will be building awareness, increasing excitement and adoption and playing the role of supporters during the reinforcement stage of change management.
Building Awareness
It is important for your brokerage to ensure that your agents and staff are aware of the upcoming transition They need to understand what is changing and how the change is going to affect them. A brokerage should convey important dates such as training dates or go-live-dates. If your current platform has a brokerage intranet, it is possible to broadcast the news as well.
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- Start communicating changes 3-4 weeks prior to training.
- Identify what concerns and roadblocks resistant agents and staff have.
- Email, In-House Communication, Brokerage Intranet, office signs.
- Build the excitement and buy-in.
Building Excitement and Buy-In Interests
In order for change to be effective there must be buy-in from all parties. We need everybody on board! It is important that we focus on creating contributors and not detractors. People are resistant to change; it’s human nature! But, having a heads-up before the change occurs can drastically increase the success of the plan. A best practice is to communicate the benefits of the changes weeks before training starts to get employees thinking about the new benefits or software they may be using. It is important to use team meetings to discuss upcoming transitions and the benefits. And, don’t be afraid to use your key players to create excitement! You can use your various player’s skills to help the organization while they transition. If you have agents that have been in the game for many years they may be resistant to all the new online systems, features, listings and tools available for them, it may be beneficial to have them partnered with your tech savvy sponsor. If you are able to effectively display the benefits of change and reinforce them with strong advocates or key players, your brokerage will have a high acceptance rates. Below are some tips to build a sturdy structure for the upcoming changes:
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- Be prepared to communicate change weeks before training occurs.
- Use team meetings as open forums to leverage the benefits of the change.
- Identify and pair key players with brokerage employees.
- Be prepared for resistance – humans are naturally resistant to change.
Training
How is your brokerage going to train its agents to be proficient in learning the new systems? The objective of training is to ensure that all the agents are able to use the new software or application the day it goes live. Being proactive here is key to a successful change management strategy! Agents need to be coached and supported by staff such as administrators, mentors, key players, and subject material experts.
- Medium and large brokerages may find it best to start with small groups to gauge training techniques.
- When possible, try to mix the skillsets or training proficiencies of those in the training classes.
- Nominate a SME (subject matter expert)/trainer to answer questions for agents.
- Record the presentations via webcam or screen-capturing software to make online webinars.
Launch
Your brokerage has now launched its new platform and is live for all staff. Congratulations!
The staff is using the new software, and we are now able to observe to see if the training and results match our desired/expected outcome. Now that training has been completed, it’s important to provide post-training Q&A and support. After going live, ensuring a post-launch agenda is carried out is critical:
- Schedule a check-in.
- Listen to agent feedback.
- Provide additional webinars.
- Celebrate the go-live-date.
Looking Back
One of the most crucial tasks often missed by brokerages is ensuring that the change is sustainable and adopted after the go-live-date. It’s important that we collect feedback to measure results and the adoption of the desired change. Your brokerage must be willing to take corrective action to close any gaps so agents do not revert back to their old habits. One of the best methods is to embed the change into systems, policies, and deliver consequences to sustain the change.
- Setting the expectations in the beginning.
- Schedule Training Follow-Ups via phone, email, or in person.
- Listen to agent feedback and objective criticism openly.
- Provide constant training and development opportunities multiple times a year (monthly, quarterly, bi-annually).
- Continue to look at ways to address concerns and address learning opportunities.
At TRIBUS, we are beside you along the way to ensure a successful change management strategy. To schedule a call to learn more about bringing your vision to life, click here.
