Press Releases
A week in the of a C.A.R.L trainer - March 2010
Clients often perceive C.A.R.L. trainers as software trainers only, assuming that for five days a week, they are on the road training five different clients in the use of software. However, the reality is very different.
All trainers have a multitude of skills, essential to do the job to a very high standard. Areas of mandatory expertise in order to perform the role include the ability to engage with and transfer information to clients, ensuring that the information is understood and retained by each individual (and is appropriate for their role), significant legal and accounts knowledge and in-depth lettings experience (consistently updating the knowledge and experience via many sources), exceptional sales skills (being a C.A.R.L. trainer also includes being a sales person) and underlying all is a deep understanding of the software.
In fact, to reach the heights required by the company to do the job, despite their individual experiences, trainers are put through an intensive and rigorous training program, culminating in a 200-question exam, plus six months on the road experience. "A minority of candidates survive!
Trainers come from a variety of backgrounds, with all having either owned or operated a letting agency at some stage in the recent past, most with previous IT experience, all with various college or university backgrounds and most with great training abilities. Trainers are located at different corners of the UK and often cover large areas.
The trainers also perform additional duties, including legal and lettings support, marketing, accounts support, compliance, regular client visits, Customer Relationship Management and telephone-based training.
In order to illustrate the rich variety that makes up a trainer's week, we thought it would be interesting to write a diary and present it here.
Monday 18th
7.00 Wake up and get ready for a 3 hour drive to Head Office in Manchester for the regular once-a-month development meeting. Meetings are with everybody involved in development decisions, (including directors, the client manager, developers and members of the support team) with change requests based around client requirements and staff suggestions.
Having a few ideas picked up from clients over the last couple of weeks, I need to print off my report to present at the meeting. I also need to review my diary for the week, planning any stop-overs required, discussing any appropriate issues with the family before I leave. Finally, an essential double-check is to ensure I'm up-to-date with any client emails (with all non-urgent enquiries left until Sunday to answer), responding to anything outstanding as appropriate, ignoring any adolescent emails that may have come in from friends overnight!
9.30 Leave for Manchester after programming the GPS: as much as the journey is very familiar, heavy reliance is placed upon traffic updates due to some long, static days, pre-GPS.
12.15 After some bottlenecks and local traffic, I pull up in the familiarly-full car park at Head Office.
A quick bite to eat, then full-on into the meeting. Today's discussion includes the recently-released landlord-licensing module. Based on C.A.R.L.'s continual quest for pre-emptive development, this was originally designed for mandatory landlord-licensing in Scotland and as soon as it became apparent that English boroughs were beginning to anticipate the same legislative change South of the border by imposing selective licensing on local landlords, a C.A.R.L. development meeting resulted in providing the option for all UK clients. It was agreed that the new module has been received with open arms by clients currently affected and for those not presently affected, much interest has been shown.
Next on the agenda was the new association with LettingRef.com, enabling clients an automatic upload and subsequent online reference from within C.A.R.L. Again, this new option has been greatly received and so we know we're on the right track.
After discussing future releases, including document archiving and scanning (enabling any documents to be able to be scanned into the system), the new emailing module and diary development, the progress of the soon-to-be-released C.A.R.L.5 was confirmed to be on target for June, an exciting prospect!
14.00 After quick goodbyes to the staff in various offices, I jump in the car and head off towards Leicester, in order to drop into a client having difficulties reconciling their somewhat messy client account. Although not part of the Support contact, trainers often visit clients to help out where possible, or just pop in to say hello and catch up.
16.15 Arriving in Leicester and spending 10 minutes looking for a 'legal' parking spot, I finally get to the client's office. Having previously dialled into the C.A.R.L. system from home and getting a rough idea of the issues, we log onto the client's bank and stare and compare with the data on C.A.R.L. It quickly becomes apparent that the client has been unable to accurately reconcile from 6 months ago due to a legacy from a past bookkeeper. Drawing a line in the sand and establishing a starting point, I provide a plan of action for the client, offering on-going support via my mobile number and scheduling a further dial-in in a week's time. I make a mental note to email a crib-sheet to the client to assist in the task, as soon as I get home.
18.30 I finally leave Leicester and make the journey home, thankful that I've probably missed the worst of the rush-hour.
19.35 Home at last - a long day and interesting start to the week. Walking into an empty house, I realise it is parent's evening at school, but I've already made a contingency plan with the wife to go if I'm not home in time. A quick microwave dinner and I then remember to email the client in Leicester, re-iterating my offer of continued assistance.
20.30 Switch off and relax.
Tuesday 19th
7.00 Up and raring to go for a day of two software demos. First is a trip to Surrey to see an Estate Agent who has seen the light and decided to move into lettings! Usually a 90 minute journey, consideration has to be made to the average speed cameras that adorn 10 miles of the M25, therefore I leave two hours before the demo, at 8am.
With the traffic flowing unusually well, I reach my destination with a half hour to spare, so decide to fulfil my only vice and head for the nearest coffee emporium. Whilst imbibing a small Mocha, I quickly log onto my email account to check for any urgent emails. Thankfully, there's nothing in the Inbox as yet.
10.00 I walk into the prospective client's office dead on time and after exchanging pleasantries and business cards, set up my laptop. I decide not to set up the projector as it's a one-to-one meeting and the wide screen will be more than adequate. During the demo, as always, I ask questions about the chap's business and discover that although he's been practising as an agent for many years, he has never considered lettings until recently and even says that 'it's a woman's game'! Without agreeing as such, I suggest it's probably because one needs to be a master of multi-tasking to be effective in lettings. He says he feels that he can 'pick it up as he goes along' and although I provide some supportive comments to his statement, I describe in detail my personal experience in lettings as well as that of other members of staff within the company. This seems to plant a seed of reassurance that help is at hand, should he ever require it.
Going through the demo, I highlight potentially difficult areas of the business where the system can take over and come into its own, including client accounting, compliance and legal documentation, the reminder system as well as marketing, etc. He's impressed and having seen two other systems, feels C.A.R.L. has an advantage due to its user friendliness. We then discuss cost and he states that the system, as well as being the most intuitive to use that he's seen, is also the most cost effective. A subtle smile of satisfaction comes across my face as I hope he makes the right decision
As I leave him to make a decision, I mention that one of the girls in the sales office will contact him to discuss how his demo went and to see if we can provide any further information. After a shake of hands, I head back to the car park for my onward journey, having a serious mental debate over whether or not to eat here or at my next destination, an hour's drive.
12.15 Having decided to leave the food, I head for Hertfordshire for my next call. Back on the good old M25, thankfully the traffic is fairly easy again. With a rumble of my stomach, I regret not eating and hope I reach my destination with enough time to be able to satisfy my 'gastronomical craving'.
13.15 Great, plenty of time to eat and refresh. I head for yet another coffee emporium, order my 'trough' and again, crank up the laptop to check for emails. Whilst tucking into my veggie wrap and decaf Mocha, I notice two legal support emails have arrived. Ensuring I have enough time to respond, I log into the C.A.R.L. support server and register the calls. I then respond to the first: "Do we need to register as an agent for CNR as we've just taken on our first overseas landlord?" I respond appropriately, sending a link to the HMRC website and agents' form. The second is a little more common: "We've been issuing Section 21 notices with the AST and related paperwork at the start of the tenancy, but have been told this may be affected by the deposit scheme rules. Please advise." I respond by explaining in detail the implications of issuing a S21 before registering the deposit and that they should consider adjusting their process.
14.00 I walk into the second demo, a combined estate and letting agency. This time there are five people involved in the decision-making, so I bring out both the laptop and projector. After the usual introductions and set-up, I begin the demo. This time, the demo is more sophisticated and the users more experienced. They are currently using a leading software product that for them is not delivering a expected. They feel the accounts process is far too complicated and they seem to get a fair amount of errors. This provides good intelligence for the areas I focus on, thankfully! After spending time demonstrating the simplicity of the sophistication of the accounts in C.A.R.L. and discussing the merits of using a product based on a SQL platform for stability, I went through the rest of the system, this time in depth. After fielding many questions, going through various processes on the system and discussing future releases, they seem very happy. This was the longest demo for a long time, when I finally leave the office at 16.45.
17.00 I drive away from town, having accomplished another satisfying day.
18.55 The M25 got back to its old self and I hit much traffic. However, now I'm home, I eat my dinner in front of my PC, looking at my agenda for tomorrow and checking emails. There are three internal emails to deal with and I finally finish for the day and get to spend time with the family.
Wednesday 20th
7.00 Up looking forward to another day, eventually heading out for my first job, a demo in London. I decide to get on the train rather than face delays on the road and extortionate parking fees. Arriving in town at 8.30, I head for the tube and make my way to Borough, where I'm meeting with a long-established letting agent.
9.00 With half an hour to kill, I find a 'Greasy Joe's' and order coffee and toast. This time, having checked email before leaving home, I leave the laptop in the bag and decide to relax.
9.30 Walking into the client's office, I notice an air of history and wonder how long this guy has been in business. The furniture looks way past its sell-by date and some of the staff seem to be looking forward to their free bus-passes! With only the principal and his son sitting in on the demo, it's laptop-only again. As I set up, I notice the PCs are running Windows 2000... oh dear, this could be a challenge. It becomes apparent very quickly that the agent is not very interested in IT and I sense that the presence of his son is for support and interpretation purposes. Going through a 'standard' demo, I take more time to explain the technicalities and software upgrades they will need to consider than I usually would. Buying any system would likely entail the purchase of new hardware and a new network. The principal flinched a lot, but I sensed his son would convince him to modernise. Fingers crossed!
10.45 I head back to the tube for an afternoon's work at home. Coming out of the tube station, my mobile buzzes with a voicemail, and I'm pleased to hear from one of the sales staff at Head Office that the first demo I did on Tuesday has resulted in a sale.
12.45 At home after lunch, I sit in my office to begin the first of a series of support calls to clients, mainly involving accounts challenges. The first call is to a client who has an RICS audit within a week and who requires my assistance to ensure the system is fully reconciled with his bank. After calling, I dial into his PC and begin what becomes a thorough audit of the system. One question is raised and that is of a cash receipt that was not paid into the bank a few weeks ago. He explains that this is an item that has been withheld and is able to fully account for it. After closing the call, I log into the C.A.R.L. Support system and make notes, completing the call within 90 minutes.
14.30 My next call is to a client who is unsure about reconciling historic data in her deposit account. Again, I dial in and due to messy records she has inherited from the previous business owner, the call becomes somewhat of an epic. I quickly realise that this will impact my next appointment and, putting her on hold, I call a colleague at Head Office to hand over my next two calls. After spending almost two hours on the call, and getting close to a resolution, the client decides to end the call due to an overlooked appointment in her diary and we agree to reschedule to next week.
16.30 My final call, just in time! I contact a client who has difficulties with processing payments via the automatic BACS system. Getting through to a member of staff, it seems she has forgotten our appointment and is now out of the office for the day. This is one of the few frustrating situations trainers occasionally face, thankfully. I ask the member of staff to get the client to call me to re-arrange the appointment. I then check emails and find a couple of legal queries, which are fairly straight-forward, the first asking the reason for a specific clause in the AST and the second asking advice about a permitted occupier's rights.
Thankfully, I have a rare early night, so make the most of it and get some good time with the wife and kids.
Thursday 22nd
7.00 An easy start to the day today, training a local client who has recently bought the system. With a 20 minute drive ahead, I ease into the day and relax a little before I set off. Checking emails, I discover that the second demo I did on Tuesday has resulted in a significant sale, which is great news.
9.50 I walk into my new client's office to be met with almost chaos! It's a very busy little agency (in some ways, unnecessarily so) and with one member of staff arguing with a tenant on the phone and another trying to explain a clause in the AST to a foreign visitor (speaking loudly), I make an internal sigh and assume this is going to be one of those days.
10.20 The office is finally quiet and I go through my usual routine of setting expectations, etc. I suggest the staff take notes, ignore phone calls (delegating one to take the calls) and focus as much as possible, as today is all about loading their current data onto the system. One of the girls asks me how long it will take to load 200 properties and I explain how, if they were focused, they could accomplish it in a few days. At this stage, the phone rings, is answered and dealt with and then the girls get into a conversation about who was on the call, and how he kept calling, etc. It took as much of my training experience as I could muster to break the spell and get them back on track.
11.00 The owner announces she needs a fag and asks if anyone wants a coffee. I take it that this is a break and pause. 15 minutes later, the girls come back from the kitchenette with coffees in hand and we continue. At 11.30, somebody enters the shop to enquire about property management and the owner goes to speak to him. I continue with training, although the girls seems a little distracted yet again.
13.00 I decide to break for lunch. I look at the notes that have been taken and it looks as though only a few sentences have been cobbled together. I'm a little dismayed but am experienced enough to know that a training day such as this occasionally comes along. During lunch, I decide to get a little more assertive with the delegates when I return.
13.30 When I get back to the office, I take the owner out to the kitchenette and explain the implications of continuing as we are: she will likely be confused when I leave, may be forced to call Support several times a day until the system is loaded and may need to pay for further training. This seems to do the trick and we begin to make progress. By the end of the afternoon, the girls know how to load all data and begin to use the system.
17.35 I leave them with a plan of action and my contact details should they need refreshing or further support (something I anticipate will happen soon).
Friday 23rd
6.30 An early start today. I have a training day for one of our larger clients, where I'll be training 7 delegates on various aspects of the system. I have a two and a half hour drive ahead and want to get there in good time.
10.00 I arrive at the office and meet the delegates. One of the company directors requests I train those who deal with property management in the morning and the accountant and another member of the accounts staff in the afternoon. We decide to train on two PCs for the morning session, and after my usual announcement about housekeeping, break-times, the importance of note-taking and setting training expectations, I ask who wants to 'drive' first, stating that everyone will 'get a go' and explaining why using their own systems and data is much more effective as a learning exercise than being lectured to. With two willing volunteers, we begin to go through areas of the system that are pertinent to their roles, ticking my training sheet as we go. It's training like today where structure is the order of the day as opposed to being creative and we stick to the schedule quite well.
14.00 After lunch, I go to the back office and again, mention house-keeping, breaks, etc, to the accounts staff. We begin with reviewing the current status of the accounts on C.A.R.L. and I notice that they've never reconciled the bank. As a result, I change tack and divert slightly from my training sheet, to show them a specific process for 'tidying up' and creating an opening balance at the bank. Once they have understood the process required (and the time they need to spend on the exercise), we then discuss all other areas of the accounts, showing them how the invisible double-entry system posts funds into relevant ledgers, how the system tracks rents and arrears, what happens when landlord statements are printed and how to use BACS with Nat West Online Bankline.
17.30 After a full-on day, the delegates and I are a little weary, but feel satisfied that the day has gone pretty much to plan. I advise them to contact me should they have any questions or to call the Support team if I'm unavailable. I sit down with the company director and brief him on today's achievements, requesting that he signs my training sheet and providing him with a copy.
After shaking hands, I head for my car and the ensuing two and a half hour drive home, going over the details of the week in my mind, satisfied with another fulfilling week.
Designed to make a difference for all types of letting agents, C.A.R.L. Communications provides lettings and management software. C.A.R.L. (Computer Aided Residential Lettings) offers agents the benefits of a streamlined working process through one simple to use application, designed not only to save businesses time and money, but to remove unnecessary stress caused by disorganisation.
The software was designed in conjunction with I.T. specialists and lettings professionals with vast working knowledge of the market. The result is a superior residential lettings and property management system that saves agents time and money, crucial in such a demanding and competitive market.
The C.A.R.L system provides everything an agency requires in addition to four key areas; management, accounting, administration and marketing and the wealth of functions, allowing agents to manage the entire lettings process from the initial instruction to the end of a tenancy, and everything in between.
For further information on C.A.R.L software, please contact the administration department on 0845 004 2070 or alternatively email admin@carlcomms.co.uk.