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Tech Helpline and Form Simplicity May Be Coming to a Conference Near You
Team members from Tech Helpline, real estate's top-ranked tech support service, and Form Simplicity, the only Realtor association-owned top digital transaction management solution, are hitting the road. With more agents working remotely, tech support and digital solutions have never been more vital. That's why Tech Helpline and Form Simplicity representatives may be coming to a conference near you to showcase its technology services and solutions for real estate brokers and agents nationwide. Owned and operated by Florida Realtors®, both Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline are available to associations, MLSs and brokerages nationwide. Tech Helpline Check out Tech Helpline's new mobile app – available on Google Play and the App Store – that allows you to connect directly with a tech advisor while on the go. Or bring your top tech questions to the conference to ask Tech Helpline experts. Dubbed the real estate industry's "Genius Bar," the staff at Tech Helpline have a combined IT experience of 350+ years, providing support in English and Spanish via online chat, phone, and email. Form Simplicity If you're looking for a transaction management solution to help you go digital – or replace your current solution – talk to the experts from Form Simplicity to see how easy, safe, and secure it can be to go digital and paperless. Here is a list of upcoming conventions and conferences attended by Tech Helpline and/or Form Simplicity: August 24 to 25 – Florida Realtors in Orlando, FL: Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline will return to the Florida Realtors Convention & Trade Expo at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort. Their booths are in the Sebastian Foyer, and analysts from Tech Helpline will be available to assist you with any issues you might face with your devices while on site. Also, check out "Selfie City," sponsored by Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline. Most importantly, don't miss the in-person training sessions throughout Wednesday and Thursday, by Kaz Cisowski and Jason Schatz, including: Wednesday, Aug. 24: 10:00 am – 11:00 am: "Master the Paperless Transaction in Form Simplicity"3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: "Brokers: Reduce Risk and Remain Compliant with Form Simplicity"4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: "Learn the new and improved eSign 2.0" Thursday, Aug. 25: 9:00 am – 10:00 am: "Brokers: Reduce Risk and Remain Compliant with Form Simplicity"10:30 am – 11:30 am: "Learn the new and improved eSign 2.0"2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: "Master the Paperless Transaction in Form Simplicity" August 29 to September 2 – Georgia Realtors in Nashville, TN: Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline will be exhibiting at the GAR Annual Conference & Expo at The Nashville Renaissance Hotel. September 12-14 – Arkansas Realtors in Jonesboro, AR: Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline will be present at the Arkansas REALTORS® 98th Annual Tradeshow & Convention, including as the sponsor of the ARA app. September 13-16 – Wyoming Realtors in Cody, WY: Form Simplicity education and training expert Kaz will be teaching three one-hour classes at the Wyoming REALTORS® Conference and Expo, including "The Foundations of Form Simplicity" (1CE), "Optimizing Your Workflow with Form Simplicity" (1CE) and "eSign and Close!" (1CE). September 18-21 – Ohio Realtors in Cleveland, OH: Tech Helpline heads to the Ohio REALTORS® Annual Convention and Expo. September 19 – Greater Springfield Realtors in Springfield, MO: Kaz will be teaching several workshops, including "The Foundations of Form Simplicity," "Optimizing Your Workflow with Form Simplicity," and "eSign and Close!" at the Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS®. September 20-22 – Missouri Realtors in Chesterfield, MO: Both Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline will be at the Missouri REALTORS® Fall Business Conference. Kaz will teach three one-hour Form Simplicity sessions. Please, check the convention's schedule for the days and times. September 28-30 – Council of MLS in Indianapolis, IN: Stop by the Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline exhibit at CMLS2022, located at JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis. October 3-6 – Oregon Realtors in Seaside, OR: Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline will travel to the Oregon REALTORS® Fall Convention. October 4-7 – Idaho Realtors in Coeur d'Alene, ID: Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline also will be at the Idaho REALTORS® Convention at the Coeur d'Alene Resort. October 5-7 – Kansas Realtors in Overland Park, KS: Kaz will provide in-person training, including three one-hour classes during the KAR Annual Conference & Expo, including "The Foundations of Form Simplicity" (1CE), "Optimizing Your Workflow with Form Simplicity" (1CE), and "eSign and Close!" (1CE). November 11-13 – Realtors Conference & Expo in Orlando, FL: This year, Florida Realtors headquarters city is home to the biggest annual Realtor event, now renamed NAR NXT, The REALTOR® Experience, at the Orange County Convention Center. Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline will be front and center in booth #851. Kaz will provide in-person training that includes three sessions on Friday, November 11, and four sessions on Saturday, November 12. His line-up includes: Friday, November 11: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm: "Get Started with Form Simplicity"2:30 pm to 3:30 pm: "Optimize Your Transaction Management Workflow"4:00 pm to 5:00 pm: "eSign and Close!" Saturday, November 12: 10:30 am to 11:30 am: "Get Started with Form Simplicity"12:00 pm to 1:00 pm: "Optimize Your Transaction Management Workflow"1:30 pm to 2:30 pm: "Brokers: Reduce Risk and Remain Compliant"3:00 pm to 4:00 pm: "eSign and Close!" December 5-8 – Triple Play at Atlantic City, NJ: The Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline team wraps up its travel schedule with the Triple Play REALTOR® Convention & Trade Expo at the Atlantic City Convention Center. Hosts include the New Jersey Realtors®, NYSAR, and the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors®. If you attend any of these conferences, please bring all your questions for Tech Helpline or Form Simplicity. Our team is ready to help you or get you swiftly connected to Tech Helpline analysts or Form Simplicity experts to ensure you get the answers and support you need. And we will update this article on the FormSimplicity.com and TechHelpline.com blogs as more information becomes available. We hope to see you soon! Other topics you also may be interested in: "How Tech Helpline became known for 'Friendly Tech Support'" – July 2022 "How to Answer the Top 3 Questions Clients Have About eSigning" – July 2022 "The 5 Most Common Questions Agents Ask When They Call Tech Support" – June 2022 "Which of These 3 Reasons Convinced You to Use THE Software Tool Brokers Encourage Most?" – May 2022 Tricia Stamper is Director of Technology at Florida Realtors®, which owns both Tech Helpline and Form

Should You Go to a Real Estate Conference?
Is it worth it for you as a real estate agent to attend a real estate conference? You need to take time out of your busy schedule to be there. And there is also the financial cost that needs to be taken into account. Should you go? Here are reasons you SHOULD go to a conference: 1. The Networking Potential To be truly successful at anything, you need to surround yourself with like-minded individuals. What better place to find those people than a conference for your profession? Even the most introverted real estate agents can use this as an opportunity to build a mastermind. Despite being in a room filled with your competition, these people can become your best friends. There will always be somebody smarter or more successful than you. These are the type of people you want to have in your circle. 2. Talk to Real Estate Tech Companies You can ask technology companies what they do in person at a real estate conference. There are plenty of companies that offer services to real estate agents. This is your chance to learn more about them, or discover new companies you've never heard of before. Go say hi! 3. Learning Good conferences will book thought leaders to teach you a new aspect of the industry. Zurple's leaders will sometimes talk about the consumer timeline so agents know where a real estate lead is once they find your website. Some other speakers will talk about how integrate new technologies into your business model to make it more efficient. One of the primary reasons you should go is to learn something new that your clients will benefit from. 4. Agent Referrals For those of you going to out-of-town conferences, this is an excellent chance to create a nationwide network of agents that you can trade referrals with. This is a great strategy for anybody that conducts business in a place where people will migrate to. 5. Break Out Sessions For a more focused learning experience, some industry thought leaders will offer smaller sessions where they can teach what they know to a smaller class. This gives you more opportunity to answer the questions that have been burning in your head for the past year. Don't be an agent that learns all day, but doesn't benefit from it! The key is to implement everything you've learned into your business. Knowledge can only take you so far. Action is what is needed for true success. 6. New Perspectives Despite the sensory overload, you'll be able to look at your business with a new set of eyes. Maybe they'll cover an obstacle that you could never quite master. Or maybe they introduce you to a new way to do an old thing. It never hurts to keep an open mind! To view the original article, visit the Zurple

Your Survival Guide to Attending a Virtual Conference
The next real estate conference you are most likely to attend won't require you to drive or fly. You won't have to book a hotel or dinner reservations. Instead, you will go online via your computer or smartphone. Virtual conferences have rapidly taken to replacing major in-person meetings and conventions in every industry. Even the largest meeting of Realtors, the annual convention of the National Association of Realtors, has announced it will be virtual this fall. The NAR Annual Convention announced it will move from an in-person event that was set for New Orleans in early November to a fully virtual event online from November 13-16. Attending a conference or convention online sounds a lot easier, right? Be forewarned that attending a virtual convention for three or four days in a row can be as exhausting as attending one in person. But you can reduce the stress and strain that can come from attending a virtual meeting by following these tips before, during, and after an all online conference. Before a virtual conference Plan early: Block your calendar as if you are attending a real conference. Select your "must attend" events. And if technology fails during a must-attend session, have a "Plan B" alternative as a backup. Make sure you build in breaks – even if the schedulers appear to overlook this need – we are all learning how to adapt! Take a test drive: If you have never attended a virtual conference, before you block your schedule for three or four days, test out a half-day online event. There are many free conferences and meetings online locally and nationally that cover many industries, including real estate. Try out how it feels to attend a virtual conference – being online for four or more hours straight – you'll discover in advance if you need better equipment. You might find you need a more comfortable office chair or a large computer monitor. It's better to learn this in advance of attending a multi-day event. Be tech ready: Explore the website of the conference you are planning to attend to see if it offers a mobile app. The earlier you can download, install, and set up the app, the better. There are often built-in tools such as an event schedule calendar featuring alters, a list of attendees, and ways to connect with others. If you know the conference is going to use video, some browsers (Google Chrome, Windows) allow you to add features that can speed up video playback. Research and install these, and they might come in handy. Finally, test your viewing technology. If you are going to have interactive sessions where you can be seen and heard along with other participants, make sure you have the essentials for two-way participation. You need to make sure you have the right set up: a good video camera, proper lighting, and a microphone. While built-in cameras and mics may work fine, investing the dollars you are saving by attending virtually to better equipment can help you make a great impression. Remember to clean your screen: Smudges can make a laptop's camera blurry. Set your brightness level. Make sure everything is plugged in well in advance of your meeting. If you know you are using technology like Zoom, Webex or GoToMeeting, make sure you have the latest software installed well before you try to connect. During the virtual conference Breaks will save your back and your eyes: You need to stand and stretch – and often – when attending a virtual conference. You will not be getting up anytime soon to walk several blocks to your next session like you would at a regular convention. So, don't be stuck at your desk either. Walk around your room, and remember to exercise your eyes as well. Eye fatigue can give you headaches if you stare at a screen too long. You can learn about different ways to exercise your eyes here. Remember, breaks are vital to virtual conference endurance. Use a video playback speed hack: Most virtual conventions won't be completely live, as it takes too much bandwidth. While live sessions may be more common for smaller breakout panels and workshops, General Sessions are most likely going to be on video. There's a hack to speed up your viewing to squeeze out extra time to get all the content still but stay on top of your regular business responsibilities. The most common commercial video platform is Vimeo and YouTube for general videos. YouTube has a built-in speed adjustment found by clicking on the gear icon at the bottom of the YouTube video player. Microsoft Edge offers users a tool that adjusts YouTube playback as well. Vimeo Pro and Business accounts also have this feature built-in, but Google Chrome users can add a plugin that allows them to control Vimeo videos' speed. This can be a huge time saver when you have a presenter who speaks slow. While the average person speaks at a pace of 100-130 words per minute, our minds can fully comprehend speech at 180 words per minute. Ask questions and engage whenever possible: A virtual conference can't replace the energy one gets from being in a room with other people. Keep the Chat Box open and do your best to ask questions. Use the Chat Box to read and comment to all – or directly to others – when you have a thought to share. Being engaged online can help you get more out of a virtual conference. If you get the opportunity to participate in a live two-way session, make sure you look directly at the camera, frame your face correctly, and avoid backlighting so you can look your best. After the virtual conference Recorded sessions: If you know for sure you'll have access to all or some recorded sessions soon after the virtual conference, take advantage of it. Look at the convention schedule for potential conflicts of overlapping sessions you want to attend. If you know one session will be available for playback later, visit the one that won't be viewable. It's great when you can "attend" a virtual meeting you would have certainly missed in person. Electronic handouts: Often, a speaker will mention that they will make their PowerPoint presentation or other material available after the meeting. Send yourself a reminder to follow up to collect these items if you don't automatically receive them as promised. This often saves you a lot of time taking notes – or trying to capture a screenshot. Post-conference networking: While we can't attend a major real estate convention in person, we can try to take advantage of the fact that more people than ever are likely to participate in a virtual meeting of the Florida Realtors or the National Association of Realtors. That means a shared experience with more people whom you know. And while you may not be physically sitting next to them, think about how you might follow up with them afterward to discuss. Perhaps even hold a Zoom meeting post-conference to share what you learned and discover what others learned. The great thing about virtual conferences is that it is hard to beat the ROI — return on investment — it offers versus an in-person meet. The downside is that even the most creative attempts at hosting a virtual Happy Hour can't replace having a drink in the lobby bar with a colleague or friend. The good news is you can get a lot out of a virtual convention if you get organized, stay focused by taking breaks and creating ways to stay engaged. You still might need a vacation afterwards. And if you have any issues with your technology, remember you can always contact Tech Helpline. Your tech support team available as a member benefit at no additional cost. To view the original article, visit the Tech Helpline