5 Things to Remember When Adding Tech Into Your CRE Office

Whether you’re bringing in technology that’s totally new to your business or replacing something you’ve used for years, it’s easy to get misdirected. Large companies and small, CRE or any other industry, there are several things you’ll need to remember if you want the project to move relatively smoothly.

First, remember what you’re trying to do. The goal is never technology for its own sake. It’s always about the business and something you want to do better. Chances are, whether well or badly, you’ve already been doing what the combination of software and hardware are promising. Keep that in mind and you’re less likely to have the technology take precedence over the business.

At the same time, any new technology also represents a chance to do something better. Assume that you’ve not been operating in the most efficient and useful manner. An application, big or small, has built-in assumptions. Consider whether they might offer an improvement over your current processes. This is best done before you choose a package. Take the time necessary to understand how big the changes will be in how you do business.

Get buy-in from the people who will use it. A well-known aspect of system changes is that the line-of-business workers can enable success or scuttle it. The latter will happen to at least some degree if you drag them among unwillingly and discount what they know about how the business works. Have various departments involved in the evaluation and decision phases. 

Set a schedule with enough time and a list of goals. The former part is going to be longer than you’re expecting. Some software packages can take months at the very least to install and get up and running. Don’t omit the training phase so people have a chance to learn new processes and mechanics. It may also be necessary to run dual processes: one that keeps things moving as they have been until installation is done and you’re ready to switch over operations.

Also, a big part of the battle is getting things connected with what you’ve had for years. Integration between packages, as well as data preparation and importation from the old to new systems, is trying and absolutely necessary. Spend the time to do it right, including getting on top of all the data definitions. You don’t want to find out that the software uses similar terms as you do but defines them differently, even in subtle ways. That can lead to the biggest mistakes that might happen, because you’ll be sure things are running correctly when you’ve just introduced almost invisible changes to your fundamentals.