Leveraging its position as the world leader in software technology development, Microsoft is introducing a Web-based customer management tool for brokers called Realty Desktop. The application is designed to help brokers manage their customer relationships from the point of first contact throughout a lifetime.

Launching the product with two top 50 national real estate brokers, Howard Perry and Walston Realtors of North Carolina and Wardley GMAC Real Estate of Salt Lake City, Microsoft is offering brokers glimpses of Realty Desktop screen shots exclusively at Realty Times.

• View the Realty Desktop

The main selling feature of the application is in its ability to integrate all the fragments of the real estate transaction and put their management back in the hands of the broker, including prospect management, revenue opportunities, and agent management.

"There are numerous, fragmented processes throughout the real estate transaction that need to be more tightly integrated," said Bryan Mistele, product unit manager of MSN HomeAdvisor. "With Realty Desktop, the entire transaction is connected - from the second a lead comes in, all the way through the sale of post-transaction services like painting, landscaping, security systems and more. Realty Desktop will produce a higher degree of customer loyalty, decrease customer acquisition costs and increase profitability for both the agent and broker."

In keeping with the company's goal to license its popular stable of software products on the Web, Microsoft's Realty Desktop is designed to provide service without adding to infrastructure costs or making existing software at the brokerage obsolete. Brokers only need an Internet connection.

The elimination of duplications in paperwork is enough to attract many. "Realty Desktop will allow my agents to spend less time in the office struggling with paperwork and more time with their customers," said Don Walston, president of Howard Perry and Walston Realtors in North Carolina. "There's only one thing that can result from that - more transactions, more customers and more homes sold."

The service will intentionally capitalize on the conversion potential of the consumer traffic that Microsoft HomeAdvisor generates for its broker partners. Recently, Microsoft announced record-breaking traffic numbers for the month of January, according to Media Metrix Inc, up 160% since the previous year. In addition, a study of 85 independently owned and operated RE/MAX offices showed that HomeAdvisor delivered more than 13 times as many qualified leads to real estate professionals as its nearest competitor, Realtor.com, according to the company. Realty Desktop is built upon Microsoft's ClearLead lead management platform which will enable brokers to follow up on inquiries from the Web.

Among Realty Desktop's features are:

Published: February 24, 2000

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