ADVANCED ACCESS February 2005 Newsletter

February 2005 Newsletter

"Cherish your human connections: your relationships with friends and family."
- Barbara Bush

AA Finalizes Agreement with New York State Association

ADVANCED ACCESS has finalized an agreement with NYSAR Real Estate Services, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the New York State Association of Realtors. The Affinity Program Agreement designates ADVANCED ACCESS as the preferred provider of Web site services to more than 55,000 NYSAR members statewide.

The New York State Association of Realtors is the fourth largest state association in the country, and the agreement now establishes formal strategic partnerships for Advanced Access with three of the top five largest statewide Realtor associations in the United States.

ADVANCED ACCESS, an industry leader in Web site design, hosting and Internet marketing for real estate professionals, currently has developed "preferred provider" agreements with the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR); the Illinois Association of Realtors (IAR); REBR (Real Estate Business Resources) a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Kansas Association of Realtors, and the North Carolina Association of Realtors.

"We are pleased to offer our members a turnkey solution to their Internet-based marketing needs through this agreement with ADVANCED ACCESS," said Charles M. Staro, NYSAR Chief Executive Officer. "Web sites are a must for today's successful real estate professional and this product will put our members on the cutting edge."

"We are pleased, excited and honored to welcome one of the most respected state associations for Realtors in the country into our extended family, " stated Mark Gilmore, vice president of Affinity Programs for ADVANCED ACCESS. "This marks the fifth state Realtor association with which we have entered into a formal agreement, and we are naturally excited and very committed to providing a quality product combined with complete customer care and service. The finalization of this agreement has resulted in a partnership that we all can be very proud of. We anticipate a mutually beneficial relationship in the future."

The Albany, NY-based New York State Association of REALTORSŽ is a not-for-profit trade organization representing more than 55,000 of New York State's real estate professionals. The association provides a variety of benefits including legislative and legal representation, educational programs, publications such as the New York State REALTORŽ and a code of professional standards. These REALTORSŽ are also members of the New York Association of REALTORSŽ as well as their local board or association of REALTORSŽ.

AA's Rapid GROWTH Means More Customer Support Reps

Here at ADVANCED ACCESS we are committed to serving your customer service needs as promptly and efficiently as possible. During the past few months we have experienced tremendous growth, which has resulted in increased volume in our Customer Support department. Although we have tried to keep up with this growth by hiring additional support staff, lately some of our clients have experienced longer hold times and slower responses than usual. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

The good news...Aron Spegon, our Director of Customer Support, reports that eight new customer service representatives were hired this month, and have completed various stages of training. All of our customer support representatives are enrolled in a rigorous 4-week training program before they are approved to work with our clients. The training program involves company knowledge, basic real estate training, customer service skills, and intensive education in every aspect of our Virtual Office. This ensures that our customer support representatives are highly committed, knowledgeable, with excellent computer and people skills to better serve you.

In addition, we are developing more accurate forecasting systems to predict call/email volume for future occurrences, along with more streamlined procedures to make it easier for customers to process their requests. Faster and more informative in-house systems are being designed to provide more thorough and accurate responses to customer inquiries.

At ADVANCED ACCESS, our motto is: "The Key to Your Success...is Our Service." Please be assured that our commitment to your success is unwavering and we are making every effort to increase our customer support staff to maintain the fastest and most efficient service possible. We would like to thank you very sincerely for your patience as we continue to seek better and more efficient ways to serve you. As always, we appreciate your business and your support.

ADVANCED ACCESS Chosen by Keller WilliamsŽ Realty International

ADVANCED ACCESS announced the signing of a formal agreement that finalized the selection process by Keller Williams Realty International of ADVANCED ACCESS as a new member of its elite Spotlight Vendor Program.

The Spotlight Vendor Program is an opportunity for various real estate companies, suppliers and vendors, to complete a stringent review process, and become part of the Keller Williams Realty team. With over 38,000 agents and 420 offices across the country, Keller Williams Realty is one of the fastest growing, most innovative real estate companies in the nation, and is currently the fifth-largest real estate firm in the United States. Last year, Keller Williams Realty experienced a 52 percent increase of approximately 12,000 agents, and this year expects to rise to the fourth position overall with an increase of 17,000 additional members.

"We are honored that the Keller Williams Realty Review Committee awarded its final approval to ADVANCED ACCESS, its products, programs and services, and we are naturally very excited about forming an early relationship with this fast growing and innovative real estate company," commented President Justin Davis of ADVANCED ACCESS. "Our industry strategic partnerships that have been successful in the past, have been built upon trust, reliability and mutual respects for their members who are also our clients, and we are committed to making this new relationship work in that same manner for years to come."

Sherry McHale, Vendor Relation's Manager for Keller Williams stated, "We're excited to have ADVANCED ACCESS as one of our '2005 vendors. We seek to continue building our program partnerships. To date, there are over ninety Spotlight Vendors in our program."

Founded in 1983, Keller WilliamsŽ Realty International (KWRI) is an international residential real estate company with more than 350 offices located across the U.S. and Canada. Currently the fifth largest U.S. residential real estate firm in North America, Keller WilliamsŽ began franchising its offices in 1991. The company has succeeded by treating its 38,000-plus associates as partners, and shares its knowledge, policy control, and company profits on a system-wide basis. KWRI's agents are distinguished by their level of professional education, their full-time commitment to real estate sales, and their level of business success. For more information, visit Keller WilliamsŽ Realty online at www.kw.com.

ADVANCED ACCESS Contributes to Tsunami Relief Fund

The devastation caused by the December tsunami in South Asia and the significant need for housing for millions of tsunami victims have prompted the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSŽ to continue its campaign to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity International, which will build "REALTORŽ Villages" in four hard-hit countries.

"Habitat is building transitional housing as fast as it can to get displaced families out of overcrowded, disease-ridden refugee camps, but the needs far outweigh the resources at this time," says NAR President Al Mansell. "Nearly 5 million people are homeless. Today we are announcing we are continuing the REALTORŽ Tsunami Relief Project."

NAR announced in January the creation of the REALTORŽ Tsunami Relief Project. ADVANCED ACCESS made a commitment to join the National Association of REALTORSŽ in helping the victims of this tragedy. In a company-wide promotion, ADVANCED ACCESS earmarked a portion of each sale made during the month of January for the Tsunami Relief fund. We are proud to announce that a significant donation has been made to the REALTORŽ Tsunami Relief Project.

On January 4, NAR established the project and later pledged to raise $1 million. As of 9 a.m. on February 17, NAR has raised $1,182,298 from 5,864 contributors.

All of the administrative costs of conducting the REALTORŽ Tsunami Relief Project are being absorbed by NAR; 100 percent of all donations will go directly to Habitat for Humanity International for construction of the REALTORŽ Villages.

Contributions can be made online through the following secure site powered by NAR's e-commerce system: REALTORŽ Tsunami Relief Project contributions. Contributions are tax deductible.

ADVANCED ACCESS Finalizes Agreement With
Oregon Association Of REALTORS^Ž (OAR)

California-Based Firm Completes Agreement With Sixth State REALTOR^Ž Association

ADVANCED ACCESS, today announced that it has finalized an agreement with the Oregon Association of REALTORS^Ž (OAR). The Affinity Program Agreement designates ADVANCED ACCESS as the preferred provider of Website services to more than 14,000 OAR members statewide. The Oregon Association of REALTORS^Ž is the twenty-fifth largest State Association in the country and the agreement now establishes formal strategic partnerships for ADVANCED ACCESS with a total of six State REALTOR^Ž Associations throughout the country.

In addition, ADVANCED ACCESS currently holds agreements with three of the top five largest statewide REALTOR^Ž Associations in the United States, and is recognized as an industry leader in Website design, hosting and Internet marketing for real estate professionals. Current "preferred provider" agreements are in place with the Florida Association of REALTORS^Ž; the Illinois Association of REALTORS^Ž; REBR (Real Estate Business Resources) a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Kansas Association of REALTORS^Ž; the New York State Association of REALTORS^Ž, and the North Carolina Association of REALTORS^Ž.

Jenny Pakula, Deputy CEO and Assistant General Counsel for the Oregon Association of REALTORS^Ž stated, "We are looking forward to a successful partnership with ADVANCED ACCESS and are pleased with the quality and quantity of products they have to offer our members."

"This agreement marks the sixth state REALTOR^Ž Association with which we have entered into a formal agreement, and we feel very privileged that the leadership of the Oregon Association of REALTORS^Ž has recognized ADVANCED ACCESS as a preferred provider of Website technology products," stated Mark Gilmore, Vice President of Affinity Programs for ADVANCED ACCESS.

The Oregon Association of REALTORSŽ (OAR) was established in 1932 to organize the real estate profession in Oregon. Today, the Association is the REALTORSŽ' real estate business advocate, a force for education and a legislative advocate for free enterprise and private property rights in Oregon.

Oregon REALTORSŽ serves more than 14,000 members in thirty-one Member Boards/Associations. The Association's core purpose is to advance the ability of Oregon REALTORSŽ to practice the real estate profession in an ethical, profitable and successful manner.

NAR Launches Public Awareness Campaign With Ads
Urging Consumers to Contact a Realtor^Ž First

WASHINGTON (February 4, 2005) - The National Association of Realtors^Ž Public Awareness Campaign kicks off its eighth year this month with new television and radio ads featuring real people talking about their real estate experiences and touting the benefits of working with a Realtor^Ž. New this year, the ads encourage consumers to contact a Realtor^Ž first when it comes time to buy or sell a home or lease a commercial space.

The spots, which will debut on broadcast and cable networks the week of February 7, remind folks that not all agents are Realtors^Ž and urge consumers to look for the Realtor^Ž "R" on their agent's business card. The ads also help differentiate Realtors^Ž from others in the real estate business by concluding with the tag line, "Ask if your agent is a Realtor^Ž, a member of the National Association of Realtors^Ž."

The 2005 campaign will feature four new television commercials and four new radio spots as well as new customizable print ads, posters and Web banners for state and local associations to use. The television and radio commercials will run from February 7 through the end of October as part of the $25 million advertising campaign.

This year's campaign also will include NAR's first-ever Spanish-language television ad. The new spot, which closely resembles the English-language version, uses real Hispanic Americans sharing their hopes, dreams and stories about trying to achieve the American dream of homeownership. The new Hispanic television and radio ads will begin airing on Spanish-language networks in mid-March.

"NAR's Public Awareness Campaign helps millions of potential home buyers, home sellers and commercial business owners understand the value of working with a Realtor^Ž," said NAR President Al Mansell, CEO of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Salt Lake City. "This year's campaign promises to build on the success of our previous efforts by branding Realtors^Ž as the first point of contact and encouraging consumers to look for the Realtor^Ž 'R' on their agent's business card."

The 2005 campaign returns to the airwaves next week with spots running on network news and entertainment shows such as NBC's Today, ABC's Good Morning America and CBS' Late Show with David Letterman. In addition, ads will begin airing next week on cable networks like A&E, The Learning Channel, Home & Garden Television, Discovery Home, The Food Network and The History Channel.

The 2005 media plan includes spots on prime time network television programs like The West Wing, Law & Order and CSI Miami, which will start airing the week of March 7. The campaign will also continue its sponsorship of network radio programming like NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered and will be back at bat on sports radio by sponsoring ESPN Radio's coverage of Major League Baseball.

The network television and radio advertisements have changed the way consumers think about buying and selling real estate. A 2004 tracking study found that approximately three out of four consumers, about 71 percent, are aware of the NAR's advertising campaign. The survey also found that more consumers than ever are likely to select a Realtor^Ž to help them buy or sell a home. Consumers' preference for working with a Realtor^Ž has increased from 58 percent in 2000 to 72 percent in 2004.

Last May, NAR's board of directors voted to continue a special annual assessment of $20 per member to fund the campaign through 2005 and 2006. The assessment would rise to $25 in 2007 to meet expected higher advertising costs.

The National Association of Realtors^Ž, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing 1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

Featured Employee of the Month - Tim Song

This month we are featuring Tim Song from our Quality Control department. Tim has been on board here at ADVANCED ACCESS since May of 2001.

Tim has lived in southern California for the past 28 years with his family. He has a younger sister, Jean, who is 3 years younger and a loving mom who has been the foundation of his family. Last year, when Tim had some serious health problems, he gives a lot of credit to his family for supporting him through the difficult times. Now that Tim has recovered, he plans to marry within the next few years. Tim has been dating Susan Lee for three years.

During Tim's spare time he loves to watch movies. He likes to keep an open mind, so he will watch almost anything at least for the entertainment value. In addition Tim is serving at Springing Fountain Church as a youth teacher and advisor and feels it is very encouraging to be able to have a positive impact on the younger generation.

Tim is currently in the Customer Support-Quality Control department where he specifically addresses our clients' issues or difficulties. Our clients typically call Tim "the problem solver" but the way he looks at his job, he calls it simply "great customer service." Tim says, "I love coming up with solutions for our clients because regardless of the situation or problem they face I am always here to help them with honesty and integrity as their website consultant and advisor."

ADVANCED ACCESS is delighted to work with Tim Song, and our happy clients wholeheartedly agree.

On the Lighter Side

"The best way to keep children home is to make the home a pleasant atmosphere - and let the air out of the tires."
- Dorothy Parker - Writer

"I have noticed that people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them."
- E. V. Lucas - Novelist and art critic

January 2005 | Back to Main Page | March 2005