Award-winning St. Albans estate agent Collinson Hall offers 3 tips for estate agents on how to increase efficiency and optimise productivity when working from home.

 

An estate agent is a ‘people person’ and under normal circumstances, our days are spent interacting with clients. The coronavirus crisis has brought these activities to an abrupt halt, and staff members at Collinson Hall are now working from home.

We have reflected on the best way to keep things going during this challenging period, so if you’re struggling to adjust, here are three useful tips to help you get the most from home working.

1 Plan your day

The first thing you are likely to miss when you start to work from home is the structure of the working day. For that reason, it’s important to establish a clear routine.

  • Start work at the same time of day
  • Take regular breaks
  • Create a ‘to do’ list for essential tasks.
  • Set up a specific working space
  • Make it clear to family members that your laptop and any work-related documents are not to be touched or moved.

2. Remote working

Many people fear they won’t achieve as much when they work from home. But according to one study, people who work from home, work 1.4 days per month more than office-based employees. For estate agents, this extra productivity can be further supported by a vast range of online tools, from video conferencing apps to Calendly, the free online appointment scheduling software we are using to set up virtual viewings.

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One thing that may need more attention when you work from home is security.

  • Be careful not to share passwords or leave computers unlocked and unattended.
  • Be aware that your home security firewall may not be as powerful as the office security system.
  • Stay vigilant in case you receive phishing emails trying to steal data.

3. The way forward

While social distancing rules are in place, it may be difficult to carry out viewings for sales or rental clients. At Collinson Hall, we are taking this opportunity to explore the new technologies available to estate agents and try different approaches.

While the coronavirus outbreak continues, it is generally accepted that the market will be very quiet. However, we have concluded that this time can be spent productively by keeping in touch with our clients, getting to know them better and learning about their future property needs. We believe that if we consolidate those relationships now, we will be able to hit the ground running when things eventually return to normal.