Dear George: "How do I set up an autoresponder on my web site?" -- Time Conscious

Dear Time: My recent search of www.yahoo.com for "autoresponder software" returned 117 matching web pages. Some of them provide free software. I use email templates at http://www.emailtemplates.com/et, At the time I purchased, the cost was $55 for a single user license. I also purchased an autoresponder program that cost $195. I'm still trying to figure out how to implement that one.

Dear George: "What is a 'CRM' system?" -- Opposed To Acronyms

Dear Opposed: CRM stands for "Customer Relationship Management." Customer Relationship Management refers to systems that enable or enhance a company's ability to assure that its customer's interests come first. Communication, in most of its forms, is a key element in a CRM System. For more information, search www.RealtyTimes.com. Another excellent source for additional information is www.FrogPondGroup.com. On either site, enter "Customer Relationship Management" in the site’s search function. Both sites return a manageable number of informative articles. On the other hand, Yahoo! returned 87 web sites. I entered "Customer Relationship Management" as the search term.

I recommend you begin with the simplest application that will accomplish what you need. You can always "get your feet wet" with a free version. Learn more about how the software works. Then, when you are ready, upgrade to a paid version.

Dear George: "Our Internet access failed the other day. I'm not sure I understand what caused it. Apparently it was some type of virus. It caused service disruptions for many Internet Service Providers in our area. My agents do not understand technical details. They do not care about technical details. They just want access to the MLS when they need it. Can you suggest any solutions that will provide us alternatives should this ever occur again?" -- Frustrated Broker

Dear Frustrated: Check with your MLS provider. See if it offers a dial-up connection in addition to the Internet connection. If it does, it is a simple change you can implement to switch from IP access ("Internet Protocol") to dial-up access. If it doesn't, then ask your MLS provider if it can recommend an alternate Internet Service Provider.

The idea is to obtain a low cost ISP account from a national provider, such as www.gte.net. That type of provider typically provides redundant access routes. That way, a local problem has less potential of affecting your MLS access via the Internet. Such a provider also usually provides dial-up access alternatives. If an entire area's Internet access is affected, you can still use modem connections through the dial-up networking function.

Dear George: "Do you offer your articles through an e-mail Service? If so, how do I sign up?" -- Volunteer

Dear Volunteer: Click here to receive free daily summaries from Realty Times. Check both "Headlines" and "Agent News" to receive summaries from both the Realty Times and Agent News sites.

Dear George: "Where can I find detailed current data regarding population demographics by major Metropolitan Area? OneRealtorPlace has some information, but not all that I need?" -- Researcher

Dear Researcher: Try the U. S. Census Bureau. Once there, click on "Census 2000 Data Now Available" at the top. At the next page, click on "Demographic Profiles." I believe you'll find what you want.

For more articles by George Stephens, please press here.

George Stephens welcomes your tech questions by e-mail. Because of the volume of mail received, questions cannot be answered individually.

Published: July 27, 2001

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

George C. Stephens, CRB is the Broker of deRaat Stephens, Inc. dba ERA Stephens Properties and the Director of Compliance for eRealty, Inc. Stephens served as 1998 Chairman of the 13,000+ member Houston Association of REALTORS® and is the Vice Chairman of HAR’s wholly owned subsidiary, e-Har, Inc. He is the 2001 Secretary/Treasurer of the 50,000+ member Texas Association of REALTORS® and TAR’s 2002 Chairman-Elect. Stephens holds a Texas Real Estate Broker license as well as a Texas Mortgage Broker License.