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Which BPO Companies are the Hardest to Work for?

By
Real Estate Technology with BPO Automation Group & BPO University

 I have been asked this controversial question many times in the last few years by my past customers. When asked this I somehow have absolutely no problem answering them without having any reservation. I might surprise some of you here by being point blank and straight to the point. Plus, you should know that I have officially fired companies that I found to be not worth the amount of frustration that they caused.

 Keep in mind that when I would talk about this and share my personal opinion and preferences it is based on my own first-hand experience with each company. I feel like I can back up my opinion well because of being able to work for over 30 BPO, REO and Asset mgmt companies. Thus I have no fear of sharing this with you, especially if it will help you avoid many of the headaches and frustrations that come with bending over backwards for companies that end up being more hassle then they are worth.

(Quick side note, I am a BIG believer in the fact that to be able to speak intelligently and have a rock-solid opinion about a specific point or topic one must do so by actually experiencing it themselves. This is what I will try my best to do here.)

 For me the following companies are hard to work for overall:

1. Proteck (They are a very slow paying company and their online forms are really long)

2. eMortgage Logic (They have multiple formats of their online BPO forms. The forms are very time-consuming and the QC process that is built into their online BPO forms is very cut and dry and just plain strict)

3. LandAmerica (Their online forms are time-consuming and their QC process is very cut and dry and just plain strict)

4. Rels Valuations (aka Corelogic, ACS, Valuation Support Services) They are a good company in some ways, but their BPO forms are very time-consuming and the QC process that is built into their online BPO forms is very cut and dry and just plain strict)

5. PCV-Murcor (The forms are very time-consuming and the QC process that is built into their online BPO forms is very cut and dry and just plain strict)

6. USA Valuation Services (I only did one order for them and had to fight to try to get paid, I never was paid, so I fired them!)

7. eValuation Solutions (They used to be a decent company and used to pay, but I had to fight to get paid for multiple RUSH orders I did for them, thus I fired them right after receiving payment. They have gone south in more ways then one, beware of them!)

Now for the very good news about these companies is that they DO pay (minus eValuation Solutions) and are companies with solid reputations, so if you can put up all of their quarks then you may have success with them. Plus, if you are still doing all of the data entry side of your BPO and REO orders by hand and have not heard about a way to automate your data entry side of your BPO orders then check out my newest eBook entitled, "All You Ever Wanted to Know About Automating Your BPO Orders."

Please feel free to comment, leave feedback and write about companies that you've found it difficult to work for too! I'd love to hear other about people's experience.

In my next blog I'll talk about which companies are on the TOP of my favorite's list to work for and why!

Thanks for reading!

 Nicole Ocean

 BPO Trainer/Realtor

 www.nicoleocean.com

 360-223-2482

Comments(16)

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Kelly Willey
Long and Foster BEL AIR MARYLAND - Bel Air, MD
Short Sale Agent - Harford County Maryland Real Estate

Protek has been good to me and they cut checks once a month.

Nov 24, 2008 11:52 AM
Sarah Rummage
Benchmark Realty LLC, Nashville TN 615.516.5233 - Nashville, TN
Love Being Realtor® in the Nashville TN Area!

Thanks for the BPO company tips.  I am surprised there aren't more companies springing up right now.  I am picky about which orders I take (that is if they aren't taken by somebody else by the time I get to the computer and 'accept' them.

Sarah

Nov 24, 2008 11:55 AM
Robert Schwabe
Herron Real Estate - Orange Park, FL
Orange Park Real Estate

Nicole - There are a few BPO companies that you mentioned that I had really good service from. They all seem to pay in a timelymanner. There is one that I've done work for that you don't have on the list and they pay 90 day after BPO is complete. When I get that check it feels like a bonus.

Nov 24, 2008 02:36 PM
Nicole Ocean
BPO Automation Group & BPO University - Miami, FL
"Your BPO Coach"

Kelly and Sarah thank you for your comments! Kelly, I am curious if you actually receive payment within 30 days from Proteck, because I have never received it that quickly from them, in fact on average in the last 2 years of working of them they pay around 50-60 days after I complete the BPO order for them typically with a 2 day turnaround. They are the slowest paying company I've worked for, well that is next to the ones that simply didn't pay at all, but that's a whole other story!

They told me awhile ago when I questioned why I was seeing their check in the mail anywhere from 45-70+ days after doing a BPO, they said that they wait to get paid by the client that orders the BPO first before paying us. Hummmmm, I think that is kind of backwards! 

Kindly,

 Nicole Ocean

 BPO Trainer/Realtor

 www.nicoleocean.com

 

Nov 24, 2008 03:00 PM
Nicole Ocean
BPO Automation Group & BPO University - Miami, FL
"Your BPO Coach"

p.s I focused on the worst companies from my own personal experience, please keep this in mind, plus the details that I mentioned about the companies is where they lacked.

Rels, EML and LandAm all pays quickly, I don't fault them for this, but to me their QC process is hard to deal with. I just wanted to clarify this point.

Warmly,

 Nicole Ocean

Nov 24, 2008 03:03 PM
Jo Hamel
Century 21 Heritage - Amesbury, MA

Hi Nicole,

Have you had any experience with imortgageservices? I am so getting rid of them! Their site is Terrible, takes forever to upload photos and the always send orders back for some reason or another.

Nov 25, 2008 10:29 AM
Tiffany Burke
Group one real estate - Corpus Christi, TX

What about the company BPOsonline, that is one company that I have done work for that has yet to be acknowledged and they just sent me a rush order that I ignored.  How do you all deal with companies that just ignore you after you do the work?  Do you just e-mail and call and call or do you just rack it up as a lesson learned?

Dec 29, 2008 07:49 AM
Anonymous
Bob Gonzalez

I'm in the Ft.Lauderdale / Boca Raton , Florida area and have seen a slow down in BPO orders the last 2 months which is beyond me as there are hundreds of foreclosures being filed here daily. What is ruining the RE market here is the large number of "unapproved" short sales being marketed on MLS and excessive time Lenders take to make a decission which is usually NO and we loose Buyers. I have a SHS contract in on a property for over a month with all our favorite Bank of America and although they own Landsafe, a BPO has yet to be done on the property 

Unfortunately some BPO companies treat BPO agents like dogs that they occasionally throw a bone to and let them fight over it. I recently fired FARVV for that, lousey QC guidelines and slow paying and reasigning orders the morning of when they are due even after emailing a status. EValuations is another fired company as all they ever sent me was rush jobs due the next day at low pay and lousy QC. EValuation also seems to want a "Brokers Price Opinion" as long as it concurs with their opinion.

Some companies that I like are Mark to Market although thier forms have some useless information thier rep's are friendly and helpful and they pay on time, unfortunately they have clamped down on auto accepters (at leat BPO Automations) and there is still "some companies" auto accepter I beileve is working in thier system so it is now imposible to mannualy accept orders ... and Mainstreet is a good company although they have been real slow in our area lately.

Nicole is correct in that the auto form completer is a great asset to have, although it does need some tweeking for each company forms and thats something her tech's need to do rather than throw it on the customer to go thru the online manual that takes forever.

Like  anything else, you just have to keep trying and hope for positive results. There is no free lunch...

 

Best of luck to all...

 

Bob G.

Premier Brokers Realty, Inc.

Boca Raton, Florida

800-216-8281

Mar 10, 2010 06:49 AM
#8
Anonymous
Karen Godley

I've performed BPOs for about a dozen companies here in Gainesville FL for more than 2 years. I definitely like some better than others but the one I hate is the one who hasn't paid me. Go figure.

Servicelink also know as Powerlink has owed me $450 since November. I've talked to the vendor representative so many times I think he blocks my calls and he's definitely ignoring my emails.  I'll have to get more aggressive but hope everyone else will consider my experience before they deal with them.

 

 

Mar 15, 2011 10:24 AM
#9
Cameron Novak
The Homefinding Center - 1000 Palms, CA
Real Estate Broker since 2008

Bank Of America/Land Safe was terrific until they transferred report input to Inspection Port, required 3 times as much preparation, and violation of MLS photo copyright laws.... coupled with a 10% pay decrease.  They are now a HORRIBLE company to work with and I hope they realize the mistake they've made before it irreparably harms their company and the agents who have worked so hard to make them look good.

Jul 02, 2011 10:02 PM
Nicole Ocean
BPO Automation Group & BPO University - Miami, FL
"Your BPO Coach"

Cameron,

Thanks for sharing! I know where you are coming from as being an BPO agent myself that worked for Landsafe for many years.

I have the dirt on them and know that we were pampered a lot when they had their old system. They were one of the highest paying mills out there and didn't have a QC system in place, or at least you rarely if ever heard back from them once you submitted a report.

I also noticed that many times a BPO request would come up in Landsafe that a few days later the same property would turn up in CoreLogic/FARVV's account as a new BPO request. This leads me to believe that Landsafe's old system was just for internal purposes and as such they didn't have a standard QC checking system in place. They relied on other mills that they would outsource the same BPO reports to where they enforced a standard QC system.

I feel that they are stepping up finally by upgrading to the new InspectionPort site and finally are catching up with other companies by adopting and adhering to stand practices in our industry.

Change is always hard, I know, but try to go with the flow and in the end those that are able to adapt in this business maintain or flourish and those that refuse or can't will move onto other things eventually. I hope that you are one that will adapt and flourish Cameron. Best of continued success to you!

Warmly,

Nicole Ocean

Founder of BPO Automation Group & BPO University

Jul 03, 2011 04:41 AM
Tiffany Burke
Group one real estate - Corpus Christi, TX

Nicole,

Can you please send me a link to the place that BofA/Landsafe outsourced their BPOs to. I used to do all office BPOs for several years but since FEB. when they stoped sending out the BPOs in TX. I have hardly had any work whatsoever. I was doing about 50 or more per month and now im lucky to get 5 or 10. It was my main source of income. I would REALLY appreciate if you could point me in the direction of the BofA bpos,I dont mind the longer,harder forms ,I just really need some work as soon as possib le. Thanks Nicole. 

Jul 03, 2011 05:03 AM
Nicole Ocean
BPO Automation Group & BPO University - Miami, FL
"Your BPO Coach"

Hi Tiffany,

Landsafe's new site for doing BPO's is through www.inspectionport.com

Rumor is that they aren't accepting new agents or brokers at this time.

Hope this helps,

Nicole

Jul 03, 2011 06:56 AM
Tiffany Burke
Group one real estate - Corpus Christi, TX

Thank you Nicole. ;)

Jul 11, 2011 04:49 AM
Anonymous
Lisa

It is impossible to do these BPOs now through InspectionsPort.  I have done them for years.  Now the photos required for comps on sold and listings, and dealing with the new "appraisal form" is just way too much for the little money.  I hope BoA returns to the old system fast!! 

Jul 28, 2011 12:00 PM
#15
Mike MAC

I was doing BPO's for Lansafe for years.  20+ a month.  Now I get more than ever from them because I think no one wants to use the inspectionport system/forrms they are so time consuming and difficult , I could never take all the orders because they take way to long to do.  I have also been doing BPO's for many other companies, but InspectionPort is awful in my opionion.  It is extremely hard to work with, not efficient at all, takes longer to do a report for them than any other company.  I already know of a bunch of agents that have stopped doing work for them.  Oh, plus you make less!  It is the most confusing system I have ever encountered in all my years and it is a shame they did not simplify it and make it more agent/user friendly.  There system is nothing but hard to work with. I embrace change, but not when it becomes a negative.

May 01, 2012 06:35 AM
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