Posting for

Wednesday, July 1, 1998

by: Bert Rush

brush@firstam.com

AGENTS/TECHNOLOGY/INTERNET

More and more, our agents realize that in order to compete and remain productive over the next few years they'll need to increase their reliance on technology.

Today I'd like to invite your comments and suggestions as to how we can help them.

First American got an early start in this game with the introduction of the Electronic Underwriting Library in early 1994--pioneered by Phil Webb and now managed and updated by Mary Powell. The Underwriting Library continues to excite real estate attorneys and agents, and we need to continue to remind them of its existence, usefulness, and frequent updates. It's the first good reason, some folks seem to feel, to get a computer for the office.

The next order of business, seems to me, is to encourage agents to become e-mail enabled ASAP. Their e-mail address should be on their business cards, letterhead--everything they hand out. At the same time, our in-house people with whom agents may want or need to communicate should all be e-mail enabled. Many of us, employees and agents alike, will accomplish things using e-mail that we wouldn't bother to try otherwise. Consider: in some sticky situations you hesitate to send a letter because it seems too stiff and formal. You hesitate to call because once you get past voice-mail you might not make yourself clear, or the other party might get worked up and not understand you. E-mail is perfect for this--it's conversational, fast, and you can make reasonably sure you've made yourself clear before pushing "Send." Plus you have a record of what was said and agreed.

Besides, these days some customers will not think you're serious about helping them unless you have e-mail.

Next point: Any agent with volume to speak of should be thinking about putting up their own website. This is not an expensive proposition. Some customers will select a title company this way--and primarily this way. These are the customers who hesitate to make personal contact until they have a sense of who they're talking to and what they might be told or asked--almost any kind of website gives them comfort, and invites them to call.

A website may prove to be the best way to advertise your business. When you put an ad in the paper, a magazine, TV or radio--it's just part of the ambient noise competing for the consumer's attention. Even those paying attention might not remember what was said halfway through the next bit of news or advertising. But when someone visits your website, they are prepared to pay attention. As one prominent ad man puts it, they are giving you "Permission" to sell them (he calls it "Permission Advertising"). You're not competing with other activities or distractions to make your pitch. Can't beat that.

Here's an example of a website for one of our best (and exclusive) agents, Josephine-Crater Title Companies, serving southwest Oregon. You may visit the website by clicking on the link below:

Another thought: Those of you in agency-driven regions may consider lining up a good website design firm to help agents get set up at discounted cost. Who cares if most of the websites look the same? These agents serve different communities and probably wouldn't mind.

Finally, again for those of you in agency-driven regions, how about setting up your own e-mail listserv connecting all your agents and (maybe) outside counsel. You could make them feel more connected to First American by feeding them state and local news and info, proposed legislation, underwriting guidelines, recent claims--plus whatever you might want to pirate from LandSakes. Just keep in mind kinds of things not to say—remembering e-mail is discoverable in litigation and you don't want to compromise pending disputes--and you could do great with this. In her spare time, I'm sure Mary P. wouldn't mind helping you get set up(!).

Questions, comment, ideas, argument--just press "Reply"....

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Following Wednesday's posting Jim DeCourcey (Josephine-Crater Title Companies, Oregon) writes:

Good thoughts Bert. ores.com (our site) has been up since 1995, and will be revamped for 1998 in a few weeks. It may go through some regular changes. One of our design considerations is to mirror the look and feel of the First American site, so that links between different aspects of the First American site (home page, fastweb, underwriter library, credco, etc.) will not be jarring.

If you set up a listserv and e-mail is a good communication tool, why not set up your customers who do not yet have email with accounts on your listserv. For a very reasonable charge you can introduce them to the world of technology at the same time that you connect them to you electronically.

You improve your ability to communicate with them at the same time, which makes you a better provider, and makes them a better customer.

As agents we certainly could use the expertise that might be offered by a web design company. We also need ready access to elements of the First American design scheme. Pictures, buttons, etc., should be made available to our web designer so that we can get that First American look. Perhaps this is already the case and I just need to point our web designer in the right direction to get the proper permissions, etc.

Alan Rubin (Uniondale, NY) writes:

In connection with agents and e-mail, a "tie-in" between all agents and First American would present a good "forum" for counsel to pass on underwriting suggestions, changes in the law, etc.

Reply to Alan: I remember Lou Kushner's lament that our NY operation was stymied in their training efforts because they'd schedule a seminar and agents wouldn't come. You've heard all the reasons: Too busy, it's snowing, traffic's a mess, I'm the only person in my office who can handle things so I'm chained to my desk, etc. The listserv gets us past all of that--through to the agent.

Tuey Murdock (New Orleans) writes:

For another agent's website see: www.IDM-Inc.com. This is our agent for the Bahamas. Also, a good, reasonably priced producer of websites is www.webcast1.com. They produced the website for our agent in the Bahamas.

Carol Brooks (Bedford, NH) writes:

In New Hampshire, we developed a state specific version of the Underwriting Library for Endorsements and Guidelines. Is it possible to have our NH Residential and Commercial Endorsement Manual posted on the website and incorporated into the CD-Rom next edition??? We would need the ability to amend from time to time as well.

Reply to Carol: I forwarded this message to Mary Powell--she's going to work on it. Seems it should be do-able--and another great thing about material published on the internet is that you can amend it anytime, cheaply and quickly.

Dana Bos (Phoenix) writes:

If agents and customers would like to learn about standard software (like Powerpoint or Excel), operating systems (like Win95) or Internet browsers (like Netscape), there is another option besides spending a day in a vendor class.

They can take advantage of an Internet-based training option called Learn It Online (http://www.learnitonline.com/). They can take the training right at their computer and spend as much or as little time on it as they have available. LearnItOnline's courses are divided into manageable, "bite-sized" tutorials so users can get the precise information they need precisely when they need it, delivered right to their desktop. It costs $70 for one year of access to all of their courses. (That's a great deal.) First American Title, Arizona has been using this approach to train our internal employees. If you'd like to hear more about it, feel free to call me.

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Following Wednesday's posting the reply of Carol Brooks (NH) was forwarded to Mary Powell, and from Mary to Eric Jacobs (of our Interactive Division in Santa Ana). As you may recall, Carol's reply was as follows:

In New Hampshire, we developed a state specific version of the Underwriting Library for Endorsements and Guidelines. Is it possible to have our NH Residential and Commercial Endorsement Manual posted on the website and incorporated into the CD-Rom next edition??? We would need the ability to amend from time to time as well.

When I forwarded this to Mary I was reminded that two years ago--or so--I saw a demonstration of special First American websites created for several of our county operations. I asked whatever happened to that program--an inquiry which Mary also passed on to Eric Jacobs. Now from Eric we have this answer:

Yes - many of our states, regions, and counties have their own web sites. These sites are customized from a series of site templates to reflect the local flavor of the office/region and act as a 'portal' to the FASTWeb order processing system. Others who have not yet requested a site have the standard corporate directory page listed.

You can see these sites from the on-line web directory at:

Hope this helps...

Eric's e-mail address is ejacobs@firstam.com. Also replying to the posting on "Agents," Mary Powell writes:

It's exciting to see this area mushroom - how can any of us lose? It is so inexpensive and the real estate (e.g. server space) is cheap. The more of us that are involved in this area, the better First American looks in terms of being forward-looking, confident, willing to try something new and bold, and ahead of the game all the way around. I think it is very embarassing, and dulls our edge, when we go out to a customer and they know more than we do about our business information provided on the web or about a technology which is being used in the industry that we've never heard of. In this arena, what you don't know CAN hurt you. People like Jim DeCourcey make his operation and First American's look very good.

The web and computers in general can be incredibly intimidating. It can be like going to a country where you do not know the language, customs or money system and being expected to take a job improving interstate commerce for the nation. How does one communicate? How do you hire good people to help you? How do you know how much time a project should take or if you are being overcharged for the work? And how much should you spend?

Besides, you have a lot of other work to do, so how will you ever have time to figure it all out, keep it going then replace it every 2 minutes?

In the land where we don't speak the language, we must find trustworthy friends. The business equivalent to that is asking other First American folks what their experience has been, plus I would recommend using every resource available that is offered, like First American e-mail and web building. Remember that the solutions that work for you are out there, you just have to look for them. There are lots of us ready and very willing to help out.

I say the water's nice. Come on in!