Special offer

GOING PAPER-LESS -- or at least starting for the ActiveRain/Kodak Challenge

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside
ActiveRain & Kodak: the challenge to go PAPER-LESS
 
 
 
 
The challenge to go PAPER-LESS is intriguing.  Discussions around the water cooler produced no answers. How would we deal with the prior stacks of paper ruling our office space?  OK – we’ll deal with that another time. Take the challenge to go PAPER-LESS as a new direction and change what we do going forward.  To start, we adopted the motto: "Don’t Create More Paper Today!" That was our beginning.

Armed with our motto - "Don't Create More Paper Today", we had to decide what steps to take next.  The challenge to go paper-less involves substituting for the printer and copy machine. 

First, listing information.  Everyone in the Real Estate industry has printed out volumes of paper on listings. Sometimes, with great regret, the Client informs us that their copies are forgotten at home!  So - we started there - e-mailing data sheets as attachments instead of printing them out.  That accomplished two things at the same time - both paper-less and  the information is always at hand on any Internet ready device. 

Second, driving directions. We applied the same method to driving directions as well.
Now maps are sent as links or embeds in an email. That orients the Client to the area before leaving home. In 2011, once out and about, it is common that folks have GPS.  Perhaps the Client even has a smartphone with a Navigation feature.  Second paper-less step accomplished.

Third, using links to send detailed information about the neighborhoods, the schools and recreation in the area.  That way we haven't printed reams of paper about recreation when the Client wanted to hear about schools.  As each of us knows, every link leads to other links.  Going PAPER-LESS allows the Client to decide where to delve further.

Fourth, an amazing benefit from Google: Google Calendar.  Everyone in the office has access to the same Google Calendar. Access levels within the Google Calendar are relegated on a simple "need to do" basis.  AND BEST OF ALL - the Google Calendar is available wherever anyone has access to the Internet.  Nothing to forget at home or at the office.

Fifth, consolidation.  We directed our office email address to a Gmail address.  The "Settings" control allows reply from inside Gmail as if written from the COMPANY ADDRESS!  Same professional appearance - more convenience as now Google calendar appears on our email screen! So cool!

Sixth step was addressing written memos. We began to save paper-less memos as DRAFT emails on Gmail.  Memo retrieval is so simple:  In the SEARCH box, type the subject needed.  Gmail sorts and presents relevant ones in a neat list. 
No more lost or mis-filed items! 

Last, implimenting the use of QR codes. Adding them to business cards, house signs and flyers will definitely reduce paper!


DIFFICULTY with going PAPER-LESS?
  The ActiveRain/Kodak challenge required some serious thinking.  Trying to write cogently without a printed outline.  So much back and forth to the computer file!  NEVER AGAIN!  Non-negotiable!  Well, maybe negotiable.  I guess the outline document could be sent to the smartphone ...


Have a happy day –
Lynn

Image courtesy of payjunction.com.
Post Copyright 2011.  All rights reserved.

 

  • "This post is written as a submission to the ActiveRain & Kodak Paper-less Challenge contest.  I have the chance to win the high speed KODAK SCANMATE i1120 Scanner, great for helping real estate professionals reduce their stacks of paper by scanning contracts, photos and business cards in seconds."

Comments (12)

Jennifer Fivelsdal
JFIVE Home Realty LLC | 845-758-6842|162 Deer Run Rd Red Hook NY 12571 - Rhinebeck, NY
Mid Hudson Valley real estate connection

Lynn you are certainly doing your part to go paperless.   I am doing these too, but there are some papers I won't give up.  I have had to survive a week without electricity so without that paper backup of my database I would not have been able to function.

Feb 26, 2011 04:11 PM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-617-6375
Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside - Atlanta, GA
Concierge Service for Our Atlanta Sellers & Buyers

Dear Jennifer,

I enjoy reading your posts and am flattered that you commented on my (third) post. 

Not using paper is not my first choice.  I just felt that I had to try to be able to enter the contest honestly.  Did meet some resistance in the office - I will admit.  

The "no electric" happens here in Atlanta as well.  See your point.

Had lunch recently - well - November - on the banks of the Hudson.  Aren't we lucky Pete Seeger got the clean-up going and received so much support?

Sorry about your saddness.

Lynn

Feb 26, 2011 04:20 PM
Gary Coles (International Referrals)
Venture Realty International - Las Vegas, NV
Latin America Real Estate

Lynn, I like the motto that you have established.  It looks like you are making a great start. You might also want to check out Google Docs.  I used to save many of my documents as sent email because I could go back and look them up but now I am finding that I can use Google Docs the same way and it is easy to retrieve my forms,etc. from any computer anywhere.

I also use a second monitor for my computer so I can look over at the other screen for an outline as I work on the first screen.  It is really fun when I have a split screen on the first (right now I have ScribeFire showing on the bottom of Firefox and pictures and calendars on the other).

Feb 27, 2011 06:19 AM
Nick T Pappas
Assoc. Broker ABR, CRS, SFR, e-Pro, @Homes Realty Group, Broker/Providence Property Mgmnt, LLC Huntsville AL - Huntsville, AL
Madison & Huntsville Alabama Real Estate Resource

Lynn, you have a lot going on...I make use of some of your ideas...neet to check out the Google Calendar...I'm working on the QR codes.

Feb 27, 2011 04:51 PM
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Lynn,

Congratulations on your solutions for the challenge, I wish you continued success in all your endeavors.  A

Feb 28, 2011 03:46 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-617-6375
Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside - Atlanta, GA
Concierge Service for Our Atlanta Sellers & Buyers

@Gary -  Google docs are a great asset.  Used them but am not yet proficient at it.  I appreciate your support as my newbie toes get into the AR water.

@Nick - I cannot believe how much easier it is to keep track using the Google calendar.  The different permission levels make it easy to let others pop in and out to check your schedule without bothering you.

Let's contact each other again as we each get into QR.  You will know when I have started because I will post about the subject!

@Alexandra - Your continued support is very meaningful for me.  I am working my way through your posts as my "Siegel School" enrollment!

Have a happy day -
Lynn

 

Feb 28, 2011 04:28 AM
Elizabeth Byrne
Keller Williams Realty - Arlington, VA
Arlington Virginia Real Estate

Lynn, all your suggestions are terrific ways to reduce amount of paper we use every day.

I truly enjoyed meeting you today, and hope to see you again next time you visit Arlington. Have a great trip back to Atlanta. Elizabeth

Mar 03, 2011 04:03 AM
Sondra Meyer:
EXP Realty, LLC - Corpus Christi, TX
See It. Experience It. Live It.

Lynn, Welcome to Active Rain!  ODAT - One Day At a Time.....what a great motto that you have incorporated into your business name. 

I am wowed by the fact that your group was able to come up with 7 different things you could do to move towards becoming paperless.   I tried to think of something for an entry, but I didn't get too far.  I guess I still like to hold, touch, shuffle and make piles out of my papers a little too much. 

 

Mar 03, 2011 10:50 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-617-6375
Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside - Atlanta, GA
Concierge Service for Our Atlanta Sellers & Buyers

Dear Elizabeth,

What a treat to meet you!Andyour restaurant choice was terrific!

I look forward to reading your posts from a distance and seeing you when I am in Arlington again! 

Have a happy day -
Lynn

Mar 03, 2011 04:02 PM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-617-6375
Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside - Atlanta, GA
Concierge Service for Our Atlanta Sellers & Buyers

Dear Sondra -

Hold, touch, shuffle and pile are some of my FAVORITE activities!

Yes, it was a challenge to think of the options.  A commenter suggested GOOGLE documents - I am going to try that next.  I don't know which I love more - AR or Google!

Thanks for your comments.

Have a happy day -
Lynn

Mar 03, 2011 04:04 PM
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Lynn,

Thanks for the compliment.  We enjoy hearing from you...on the subject of leading edge, it is easy to define and find, as there is never a crowd on the leading edge.  LOL A

Mar 03, 2011 04:09 PM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-617-6375
Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside - Atlanta, GA
Concierge Service for Our Atlanta Sellers & Buyers

Dear R & A,

I made a commitment to myself to answer each comment - yurs now answered twice!

Always glad to see you along the AR way.

Have a happy Day -
Lynn

Mar 05, 2011 03:29 PM