Member Reaction to MLS Blue

hree years of research and development and three months of implementation have resulted in an "Absolutely Blue" MLS that is a hit with TREND members. Larry Steinberg, an agent from Keller-Williams Realty, Cherry Hill, NJ, quantified his sentiment when he told TREND, "I'm 98 percent satisfied with the MLS."

Nancy Geisel, an agent from Long & Foster, Newtown Square, PA, was also very satisfied with MLS Blue. "I like how the MLS is set up," she said. "I can personalize my search. I can also click 'Last Search' to easily get to the last search I performed. The little things like that are great, but..."

That "but" represents the unfamiliarity she and many other TREND members are experiencing while adjusting to some of the patterns of MLS Blue. While a learning curve does exist with TREND's system, overall members like MLS Blue.

The Extra Clicks

One aspect that Geisel and others are talking about is the fact that there are additional clicks. In fact, Geisel said, "It seems like there's a lot more clicking."

One of the extra clicks that Geisel doesn't favor is the "Next" button. It adds one more click before she can view her results. It's true, compared to the previous MLS, that button adds an extra click before you can see the listings. But... it was added to save you clicks in the long run.

Before designing MLS Blue, TREND investigated member usage habits and found a recurring pattern where lots of extra clicks and a good deal of time was spent. See if this sounds familiar, and notice the number of "clicks."

You perform a search. (Click to get to results). After looking at the one-line report, you realize that you don't want to wade through the sea of 150 matches that came back. You return to the search page. (Click) You enter more criteria to narrow the results and (Click) look again at the one-line report. You've got 6 matches. You think, "There's only 6, I should just look at the full report." You (Click and) view the full report.

What a frustrating back and forth process, which takes several minutes and at least (count them) four clicks to new pages.

The "Next" button in MLS Blue gives you the opportunity to pause before "Viewing Results" and do the following things to save you the "back and forth" and extra clicks later:

• You can see the number of results that matched your search and determine if that number is what you want.
• If its not, you can easily edit the criteria using the pencil or "X" icons in the Search Criteria section.
• Once you have the number of results you want, you can choose the report you want by selecting the report and sort in the Results Manager.

And "Voila!" Four potential clicks are reduced to two!

Bill Tilghman, an agent at RE/MAX Tri-County, Hamilton Square, NJ, is one member who is reaping the benefits of that pause and using the right-hand column, especially the Results Manager. By selecting the report he wants from the drop-down, he can go directly to viewing his results in whatever report he wants.

When performing your next search, pause for a moment after you click "Next." Notice the information displayed in the right-hand column: the "Results," the "Search Criteria" section and the "Results Manager." This is the moment that will save you time - and clicks - later.

More Clicks in Other Places, Too?

Members have also relayed to TREND the disappointment at the increased number of clicks when saving an auto search (prospect), saving an auto client match (direct client e-mail) or creating a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) Report. Here again we admit, the clicks were intentionally added, but hopefully to your benefit.

In the previous MLS system, you achieved these tasks using one page that had many steps on it. The page was not well organized, so you were unsure which fields to complete first or even which ones you had to complete at all.

In MLS Blue, these complex processes were designed as wizards. Instead of having one page with multiple steps to complete at one time, the wizards walk you step-by-step through them.

You are asked to enter only a few pieces of information at a time, making the task less difficult to understand. The wizard also helps ensure you don't miss a step, and that you do complete the process properly.

Functionality has "Clicked" with Members

Despite discontentment with the number of clicks, the majority of you like the overall improvements to the MLS. Forgive the pun, but it "clicked" with you.

Geisel liked the Preferences feature, which allowed her to customize settings to make the MLS work for her. "I set up my preferences how I wanted them when I first started."

"I can check out a listing in a new window without losing everything," added Tilghman, by clicking on the MLS number.

Dale Pennapacker, an agent from Keller Williams Real Estate, Blue Bell, PA says: "When I needed it … help was (right) there," with the "?" icon.

Other popular new features of MLS Blue are:

• Hovering over the camera icon on the Member-One Line report to quickly view the primary listing photo.
• Using the new school district hyperlink on the Member Full Report to view their website.
• Entering multiple notes in Contacts to create a journal to track your relationship with your clients.