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Connect Now is a stand-alone lead routing and capture app.
Platforms: Browser, iOS, Android
Ideal for: High-volume independent brokerages and high-producing teams, new agents and offices who buy leads
Top selling points:
- CNipIT applet for websites
- Very large library of connected lead source
- Automation connection to many CRMs
- Two-way mobile sync
- Dynamic, intricate lead routing
Top concerns:
Working alongside CRMs that already have lead routing features. While ConnectNow has more advanced analytics and likely a better mobile experience, it could be seen as redundant.
What you should know
This is a sharp, niche app that offers a great way to maximize the value of your paid leads. Of course, it’s just as good for organic leads, too.
ConnectNow quickly adheres to your lead sources — just about any of them available — and pushes lead data through to whatever CRM you’re using to run things. It’s quasi-middleware.
This software is all about response times, and it’s flexible enough to fit into multiple office sizes and structures. I like this app a lot.
The mobile experience really stands out, and I think it’s where most of its value is derived. Visually, it’s a winner. Marking yourself as available to receive leads is as easy as a giant toggle button on the home screen, and right below that is how many unclaimed leads you have.
A carousel of various stat boards can be swiped through, providing insight into total leads received, claimed vs. unclaimed, average time to claim, and for how long each day you made yourself available.
Of course, brokers and team leaders can see all of these stats as well, aiding in decisions about lead sources and agent performance.
The mobile app isn’t at all overcooked — everything you need to do with a lead and to progress your use of the software is here.
Claimed leads come with a dialogue card that offers rent and purchase budget, income range, estimated investable assets, and if they’re a current owner, the expected value of their home.
It also provides a LinkedIn summary when available and the home being viewed when they decided to reach out.
Everything an agent needs to know to make quick, initial contact is here. The app also includes functionality for team leads and brokers, such as lead reassignment and lead history.
ConnectNow is very tightly designed and presented, and it’s consolidated in a way that requires very little physical interaction. Read and react. Overall, this is a superb mobile experience design.
Understand that this compact user experience is derived from the business nature of the app. Its role is to augment a niche — but critical — facet of modern online real estate business: lead capture. It’s not trying to be a CRM or manage marketing content. Good.
The software comes with a cool applet called the CNipIT. It’s a clever pop-up that alerts website visitors to the number of available sales reps. It includes their pictures and a quick contact form.
It can be branded, and the agents it shows are determined by who makes themselves available or by the broker’s lead assignment parameters. New lead info is sent to the app, and the CNipIT is also measured as a lead source alongside all the others.
The CNipIT is cool, but most first-time web visitors aren’t ready to chat with any agent. I recommend testing it for a bit, but don’t buy this software because of it.
Brokers and team leaders have a good deal of lead assignment power. Leads can be granted according to zip code, price range or time-to-claim. In high-volume offices, dynamic allocation routing can be used to spread leads around, or set a limit to how many leads per day an agent can claim.
The web app has a leaderboard and clean breakdowns of source efficacy, agent uptime, lead requests, response performance and response methodology.
In short, this is all about leads. If you spend money on leads, your lead capture and response practices should be equated to buying high-performance tires for a sports car. Sure, you don’t need them, but you just bought a sports car.
Oh, and a number of big-name CRMs can be linked, such as FollowUp Boss and Compass. Soon, LionDesk and SalesForce will be available. I was told that even if the direct link isn’t shown in the app, the company will do it for you.
Have a technology product you would like to discuss? Email Craig Rowe
Craig C. Rowe started in commercial real estate at the dawn of the dot-com boom, helping an array of commercial real estate companies fortify their online presence and analyze internal software decisions. He now helps agents with technology decisions and marketing through reviewing software and tech for Inman.