In 7 Days My MLS System Goes POOF! Gone forever!

I hate change as much as the next person.  I come from a family where my dad ate the same cereal each morning for breakfast for three decades (until they stopped making it -- it was called Pep, I doubt anyone on here is old enough to remember it).  He did reluctantly switch to Wheaties and managed to survive to 92 years of age. 

How is this relevant to our current MLS system going away?  In 7 days our current MLS system will be history.  There will be no fall back system.  Despite a hectic schedule with six transactions in progress, 13 listings, and running around with buyers, I have been taking the time to learn the new  Matrix system and using it in real time with my clients under pressure.  In fact, I am pretending that the switchover is already permanent (although I do have to go back to the old system to input listings or makes changes to them).

However, there are some agents who say they will NOT learn the new system and as of today many agents have not even tried the system.  Yes, that is right, they have not even logged on and tried it.  They are still using their old systems, we have three of them -- all of which are disappearing in 7 days.

One agent in my office said that he would have his assistant work the new system.  Yes, but what if his client calls him and asks him to look up the home across the street that just came on the market to see what it costs.  What is going to do, go onto Zillow to keep track of home prices?  I can think of dozens of scenarios where you have to go on MLS to answer your clients questions.  I always keep the MLS program open on my desktop throughout the day as I am fielding calls from clients.

Yes, I hate change, but when you see a freight train barreling down the tracks, you acknowledge the reality and take action.  This is the primary tool of our industry.  I cannot imagine ignoring this change, any more than I can imagine ignoring social media, e-mail, or texting.  I may hate change, but I do what I need to do to help my clients sell their homes and thanks to my friends on AR, I stay abreast of changes in our industry and make those changes.  Being technology savvy is not an option in our industry.  It's a basic requirement for survival and success.