ADVANCED ACCESS August 2006 Newsletter

August 2006 Newsletter

"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken." - James Dent

Recent Southern California Summer Heat Challenges
Response Of ADVANCED ACCESS IT Staff

It’s time had come…and it performed perfectly!

ADVANCED ACCESS and its’ talented IT Staff were pressed into action these past two months, when Southern California experienced 21 consecutive days of “triple digit temperatures,” as daily records soared anywhere from 90-degrees to over 126-degrees in some desert locations. The resulting weather, was recorded as the hottest in the state’s history, and led to some challenging power concerns resulting in power failures, “rolling blackouts” for some areas of the state, and consumer demands that stressed existing power systems well beyond their designed limitations.

ADVANCED ACCESS employees also contributed their part to conserve as much energy as possible and also help control soaring summer temperatures inside offices, by voluntarily conducting business and completing assignments with many of the fluorescent lights turned off in an “eerie” darkened workplace.

The challenging last few weeks had been the first time that the recently upgraded and renovated architecture of our Internet Data Center and support structure had been pressed into service and tested in “real-time actual situations” since its completion. Recent efforts have doubled the square footage of the actual server room and have seen installed a new (and massive!) Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to ensure there would be no break in power during times of high demand and power concerns such as the past few weeks. The fully redundant UPS system also has a planned Standby Emergency Backup Generator, that is designed to provide additional power should it be needed.

And as a result of efficient and effective pre-planning by the Senior Management Team and talented staff members, all scheduled shifts and daily business was conducted uninterrupted, with no loss of power and continued services to over 30,000 clients nationwide. Over 150,000 BTU’s were produced by ADVANCED ACCESS equipment, which was the equivalent of what it takes to cool some 15 houses of approximately 2,000-square feet, or about 2 city blocks of homes of equal size. The standard rating unit of air conditioners is a British thermal unit, or “BTU,” which is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit.
ADVANCED ACCESS currently has over 135 servers on-line in our Internet Data Center– more than double the number of servers we reported last year. Our server room is kept at a constant 67 degrees Fahrenheit (on its own separate air conditioning system,) and is designed with dual security entrances and firewalls. Access is controlled by a biometric thumbprint ID system. ADVANCED ACCESS personnel are "on call" 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week on a paging system in case of any system interruption, and also offsite backup facilities.

Why is this important to you? Reliability and performance are essential to you in order to maintain your Website on today's Internet. We believe we offer the best services available for the money you ultimately invest. Our guaranteed commitment at ADVANCED ACCESS is the continued improvement of the products and services we provide to our loyal clients nationwide. Keep an eye on future newsletters for further updates on products, programs, and services.

ADVANCED ACCESS Participates In Keller Williams® Benefit

ADVANCED ACCESS was proud and honored to participate in a “Silent Auction” for a Keller Williams® fundraiser that was held on Friday, July 21st, 2006. The event was held at the Hotel Sofitel in Rosemont, Illinois, and was attended by approximately 300 of the Midwest Region’s Top Producers for Keller Williams®.

Mo Anderson, CEO of Keller Williams® Realty International, was the featured speaker and trainer who addressed those in attendance about how to have a productive ALC. She was joined by another guest speaker, The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who spoke on “…how growing equality in lending and housing will help support the real estate market,” and also how to help children understand the importance of good credit at a young age. Approximately $10,000 was raised during the evening activities.

The Midwest Region Top Producers had decided that the event was a prime opportunity to raise needed funds for KW Cares. Established in 2003, Keller Williams® Realty Cares (KW Cares) is a 501(c)3 public charity that raises money through Keller Williams® offices nationwide, in order to provide emergency financial assistance to any member of the KW family in need and other charities aligned with the mission and values of Keller Williams® Realty and KW Cares.

This charity is the heart of the Keller Williams® Realty culture in action – finding and serving the higher purpose of business through charitable giving in the communities where their agents live and work. KW Cares was the brainchild of the agents of Keller Williams® Realty and Mo Anderson, CEO of Keller Williams® Realty International, who took this dream and brought it to fruition. Today it is supported by all KW associates.

Even now the program focuses on bringing relief to members of the KW family affected by Hurricane Katrina, and KW Cares continues to support those associates in times of national and personal crisis. KW Cares also benefits other charities that are aligned with the mission and values of Keller Williams® Realty and KW Cares.

ADVANCED ACCESS Announces Agreement with TRULIA, INC.

ADVANCED ACCESS, today announced that it has completed a final partnership agreement with TRULIA, INC., to provide its clients with yet another valuable resource to market real estate listings over the Internet. TRULIA has revolutionized on-line home search by offering a rich, intuitive user-experience that points consumers directly to listings on agent and broker websites.

We are using the ListNOW ‘Export’ option to feed your active listings to Trulia to be listed on their website. We are still putting the ‘finishing touches’ on the feed to make sure that our clients get the most out of this wonderful service.

“At Trulia, our goal is to offer a user-friendly search tool for consumers to locate property information on-line, and then point those consumers to the true source of information on listing broker and agent websites,” explains Sami Inkinen, COO of Trulia. “Our new marketing partnership with ADVANCED ACCESS, one of the premier Web Design, Hosting and Internet Marketing providers to the real estate industry, makes available a great new property marketing tool to their vast customer base of real estate professionals across the country.”

“We are always searching for new products and services that will enrich our client’s Websites, which in turn, will enhance their visitors’ experiences”, stated Mark Gilmore, Vice President of Business Development at ADVANCED ACCESS. “We feel that the addition of Trulia as our newest marketing partner accomplishes this goal by offering consumers the ability to simplify their on-line property searches.”

ADVANCED ACCESS Mobile Website Team Members
Slated For National Featured Speaking Engagements

The ADVANCED ACCESS Mobile Website Team is once again, visiting a neighborhood near you! If you're a modern-day REALTOR® who is becoming more and more dependent on a real estate Website, it helps to know all you can about the industry, trends, and helpful hints on how to effectively utilize and integrate your Website into your everyday Internet Marketing Program.

Over the past year, Mobile Website Team members have participated in over 50 conventions and trade shows, conducting educational and demonstrative discussions with members of local, state, and national Real Estate organizations. Members of the Mobile Website Team have traveled over 500,000 air miles and visited with over 500,000 agents and REALTORS® nationwide.

ADVANCED ACCESS designed this idea in order to meet the growing demand from agents across the country to be provided with seminars on better ways to increase Internet Website effectiveness. The ADVANCED ACCESS Mobile Website Team is an innovative concept to provide members of the real estate industry with “real-time” up-to-the-minutes seminars and presentations on the latest news and developments that impact real estate Internet Websites. Topics can vary, as well as an introduction and demonstration of various ADVANCED ACCESS products, programs and services currently being offered and available.

Members of the ADVANCED ACCESS Mobile Website Team who are slated to appear as featured speakers over the next few months include:

*Roger Livingston, Regional Sales Manager
presents “Internet Search Engine Marketing for the Real Estate Professional!”
Monday, September 11th, 3:20 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. & 3:40 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (2-20 minute sessions)
2006 North Carolina Association of REALTORS® Convention & Business Village
Savannah International Trade & Convention Center, Savannah, GA

*Larry Lokker, Regional Sales Manager/National Speaker
presents “Shift Into High Gear – From Website To Website Success!”
Tuesday, September 26th, 9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.
Michigan Association of REALTORS® 2006 Convention & Expo
DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, MI

*Jane Ellsworth-Purcell, Sr. VP ADVANCED ACCESS Sales
September 26th – 29th, ‘2006
Oregon Association of REALTORS® 2006 Annual Convention & International Symposium
Westin Bayshore Resorts & Marina, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

*Darren Kipfer, Regional Sales Manager/National Speaker
presents “Internet & Website Marketing Tips!”
September 20th, ‘2006, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Virginia Association of REALTORS® 2006 “Style & Substance” Convention & Expo
The Homestead Resort, Hot Springs, VA

*ADVANCED ACCESS Mobile Website Team Member
Monday, October 16th, ‘2006, 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Kansas Association of REALTORS® 85th Annual Convention
Wichita Marriott, Wichita, KS

*Larry Lokker, Regional Sales Manager/National Speaker
presents “Power of Perception – Internet Presence That Grabs Consumers”
Tuesday, October 17th, ‘2006
California REALTOR® EXPO 2006
Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA

Interested parties who would like more information on the ADVANCED ACCESS Mobile Website Team please contact Maria Valderrama, Toll-Free at 1-888-902-4653, Ext. #1008.

ADVANCED ACCESS Customer Support Call Center Continues To Improve Incoming Call Response Efficiency In 2006

The ADVANCED ACCESS Customer Support Department completed the final phase of a major expansion and renovation project last June 2005, and soon after in July the next month, was proud to launch weekend support which completed the upgrade of its highly successful Customer Support Call Center. The move enabled ADVANCED ACCESS to expand its facilities and staffing by a full 30% from a year ago, and provided twice the space and seating as the previous configuration. With a growing client roster of 30,000 REALTORS® nationwide across the country, staff was committed to provide the latest in Call Center Support technology and service excellence.

Although recent numbers of incoming call have increased to reflect this overall growth, staff is proud to announce that prompt and efficient service has continued to improve, and are reflected in current Call Center statistics that have been recorded and reviewed for efficiency analysis. Customer Support Staff recorded its highest set of efficiency ratings during the month of July, when approximately 13,649 calls were made to the Customer Support Call Center. A company high mark of 95.85% of all calls that were made to the Customer Support Call Center were answered, and once placed in the “incoming call queue” were handled after a “wait time” of an average of 33-seconds. (“All calls” includes all call-in and hang-ups that may occur when people decide to place their call later, or if someone calls after hours, etc).

The numbers indicate a steady improvement in the overall response time of the Customer Support Call Center increased efficiency and reflect staff addressing an average of 440 inquiries on a daily basis, and since January 2006, have allowed ADVANCED ACCESS Support Call Center members to provide BETTER service and FASTER response times than ever before. Statistics have improved from 80.74% of calls answered with a “wait time” of 4 minutes and 8-seconds in January, to this past July when record statistics were achieved by staff. Currently, staff is continuing to review and analyze Call Center data, and will continue to make necessary improvements to provide improved Customer Support over the next few months.

A reminder that ADVANCED ACCESS Customer Support staff provides e-mail and phone support 7 days a week. Our Customer Support business hours are Monday through Friday 7 AM to 6 PM and Saturday and Sunday 7 AM to 4 PM.

Featured Client of the Month Anne & Tim Wiens

HISTORY & START IN THE INDUSTRY

Anne & Tim Wiens (www.YourAgentAnne.com) are both “California natives.” They recently were named “dual winners” in the 4th Annual ADVANCED ACCESS 2006 Most Impressive Website Competition, garnering first-place in the Best Use of a Template classificationand also in the overall Most Impressive ADVANCED ACCESS Website Category.

Anne was born in San Francisco, and grew up in Marin County where she lived for many years until she met Tim. She is the oldest of two children, has a younger brother who is a teacher in Atlanta, and he and his wife have two children. Anne’s parents, who are both teachers, are still living in Marin County.

Tim, her husband whom she married in 2000, was born and raised in the Fresno area, and is the youngest of four children who themselves are all married. The siblings have seven children of their own. Their mother is retired and father passed away a few years ago.

Both Anne & Tim graduated from the California State University at Fresno. Anne earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Journalism, with an emphasis in Public Relations, and was also accepted to a post baccalaureate program. Her employment included a national homebuilder, as well as several Bay Area companies including Spectrum Equity Investors; Cascade Communications Ventures, and the California Pacific Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. She also worked for the San Francisco Giants professional baseball organization in their Sales & Marketing Department during the completion of PacBell Park, now called AT&T Park. Anne stated that, “…it was a wonderful experience that I enjoyed very much.”

Tim earned his B.A. in Mathematics/Computer Science, and worked as a computer programmer/analyst for 15 years before making the transition to real estate. Anne continued, “…my parents gave me a lot of confidence and support to know I can accomplish any goal I want to achieve. Tim was raised in the small town of Reedley, California, instilling the “small-town values” and solid sense of responsibility, part of what made me fall in love with him.” She concluded, “…Tim is my real estate partner, transaction coordinator, tour planner, Webmaster, support system, and in general, ‘My Rock!’”

After getting married in 2000, Anne recalled, “…we purchased a few investment properties, and I also enjoyed looking at homes, researching different areas and comps. It has always been my hobby and passion, so in April of 2004, I earned my real estate license.”

Tim at the time was still into computers, but was very handy with experience in home renovation, including a 1930s Tudor style home, and still enjoys doing wiring and electrical work of all kinds. While his main hobby today is still working on his 1965 Mustang which he has owned since high school, he began to also gravitate towards the real estate industry. As Anne added, “…In August of that same year (2004), Tim earned his license, and since the two of us have a strong entrepreneurial spirit, we were off and running in the real estate business!”

Anne continued, “…Because of my background in news reporting and writing, I have a natural curiosity in learning about people, and finding out about their backgrounds and dreams in order to do my research on what they are looking for in the ideal property. This is yet another reason why I enjoy real estate, because I get to ‘interview people’ and help them discover their dream house and ultimate community.”

Anne & Tim have no children, but do have a sweet black Labrador Retriever named “Troi,” (named by the previous owner after Counselor Troi in the TV series Star Trek). She continued, “… we have lots of time and energy for our clients and real estate.” In her spare time Anne enjoys traveling and reading, but mostly is a workaholic, who enjoys helping her clients day and night! She reflected, “…the thing I love most about being a REALTOR® is that every day is different!...I like the fact that I can make a positive impact on others who are looking for solutions to their housing and living needs.”

THEIR IMPRESSIONS AND REFLECTIONS ON THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY

Anne offered her thoughts on the status of today’s real estate marketplace. “…I believe in this wonderful Sacramento area, and people are continuing to move and relocate here to live due to a stable economy, great weather, excellent schools, and proximity to everything, including Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, and Napa Valley. Prospective home owners are utilizing the Internet more and more to get relocation information, which is wonderful. Many of these people are just starting to think about moving here, so it’s important to keep in touch with them and e-mail is also convenient. I enjoy utilizing the Internet and all it has to offer, and it allows me to meet prospective buyers from all over the world and become their resource for housing and community solutions.

“The local market in this area was hot for five years ending last year. Near the end of the hot period, there were a lot of new houses being built and a lot of owners put their houses on the market to “cash out” on the rising prices before the “bubble burst” according to the media speculation! This created a lot of competition among sellers – bringing the cost of homes down, not a crash, but enough to allow some time for potential buyers to take advantage of the amount of inventory that we have on the marketplace today.”

Anne added, “…We’re in a buyer’s market; however, sale prices remain strong due to the local economy and quality of life here. It’s a great time to buy if you’re planning to live in your house for a while with excellent benefits to becoming a homeowner. Personally, I would invest in real estate any day over the stock market or any other type of investment opportunity!”

“Although reflection is important, my focus these days is on the future. The past is something we need to respect, but I remain focused on all of the possibilities that the future holds. The best days are ahead,” she concluded.

THEIR OFFICE’S MARKET – PLACER, SACRAMENTO, AND EL DORADO COUNTIES

More recently, this past summer of 2006, they moved to Squier Real Estate in Roseville, California. “…Tim and I work in Placer, Sacramento, and El Dorado Counties. We also live in Placer County and after 2 ½ years in a large firm; we decided to make the move to Squier Real Estate.” Anne continued, “…the owners/brokers, have a wonderful niche in the marketplace working exclusively with members of the two largest retirement communities in our area, Sun City Roseville and Sun City Lincoln Hills.”

Anne spoke about her newly formed relationship. “…They are lovely people, and excellent businesswomen…with a GREAT reputation within the local community. This is what attracted both Tim and me to their office, and what ultimately, will provide us with an exciting real estate opportunity.” The Wiens’ and their Squier Real Estate office, take great pride in their motto…“Committed To Serving YOU!”

Anne added her thoughts about the local marketplace. “…Here in Roseville, we are located northeast of Sacramento at the base of the Sierra Foothills, one hundred miles northeast of San Francisco, four hundred miles north of Los Angeles, but only eight minutes from beautiful Folsom Lake. We have many newer homes and communities, complete with championship golf courses.”

She continued, “…with Thunder Valley Casino, fine restaurants and upscale shopping venues, a wide range of senior housing, complete with lots of parks and open space, low crime, this really is a wonderful place to raise a family, start your career, retire, or just enjoy life! The school system is also a huge selling point, with excellent public schools.”

ANNE & TIM WIENS TELL WHY ADVANCED ACCESS?

Anne recalled how they initially found ADVANCED ACCESS. “Tim was initially looking for a Website with e-mail campaigns at a reasonable cost. The ADVANCED ACCESS Website has a ton of information for prospects right out of the box. But the ability to easily expand on that foundation has proven its’ greatest feature. You get so much more value from ADVANCED ACCESS than any other template-based Website. To get all the features that ADVANCED ACCESS has to offer, from a custom-made Website, would certainly cost a small fortune. After purchasing and working with it awhile, we really came to appreciate the many features that we really hadn’t thought about like the ease at which new pages can be created and inserted. The forum is also great for ideas, and Anna (Bourland, ADVANCED ACCESS Director of Research & Content Development) is wonderful for any problem that needs a quick solution.”

Anne concluded, “…the all-in-one package, with ADVANCED ACCESS, the database of information, the ability to input listings effortlessly and in a timely manner, the slideshow feature, and the fact that there are so many templates available – an abundant selection of templates that allows your site to look unique and not like everyone else on the Internet, ultimately led us to become big fans of ADVANCED ACCESS!”

“Part of the reason that I signed with ADVANCED ACCESS, was that I looked at the top real estate sites, and it seemed that everyone was using them! I figured that if they were using ADVANCED ACCESS, it must be a pretty good product offering value and true testimony on how effective they were in servicing the real estate industry.”

ADVANCED ACCESS PROVIDES VALUE FOR YOUR INVESTMENT

Anne added, “…we have heard from clients and people in general, and they find our Website easy-to-use, attractive and informative. In general, the Website has provided us with a huge amount of feedback. I have talked to some agents who said they don’t have a Website, and I just can’t fathom not having a Website that effectively represents them on the Internet.”

ON WINNING THIS YEAR’S MOST IMPRESSIVE WEBSITE AWARD

Anne answered, “…we were naturally thrilled, but surprised when we were notified that we were chosen. There are so many other agents who have great and distinguished Websites; we honestly did not expect to win. Being chosen is of course, very exciting, and humbling…but we LOVE IT and will enjoy it very, very much!”

THE FINAL WORD

Anne was very adamant about her final comments, “…we feel fortunate to have found ADVANCED ACCESS. Real Estate agents that are tech savvy, and comfortable with the Internet, have a huge advantage these days in terms of being able to see opportunities that don’t exist and being able to also create them in a timely manner. It is equally important to be able to take full advantage of those opportunities that DO EXIST, and ADVANCED ACCESS is able to provide the tools to do both. I was just reading statistics that said Internet home buyers usually visit on an average of six Websites before they actually choose a real estate agent, and most times visit approximately eight sites to visit Internet listings. This infers that when they select an agent, they are certainly motivated and ready to purchase. So we need to actively find these potential clients, or better yet, they need to find us – or even ultimately, we need to find each other! ADVANCED ACCESS understands this relationship, and provides us with the necessary tools to accomplish this, and we enjoy working with them as well!”

ADVANCED ACCESS Labor Day Office Closure

ADVANCED ACCESS will close it offices on Monday, September 4th, 2006, in observance of the Labor Day Holiday weekend. Normal office hours will resume on Tuesday, September 5th, 2006!

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5th, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The original intent was to celebrate a “workingmen’s holiday,” and with the spread and eventual growth of labor organizations throughout the United States, became a popular holiday with all member of the country’s working force.

Most American holidays are in some way connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. The Labor Day...”is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

The entire Senior Management Team and our staff would like to take this opportunity to extend to our extended family, valued customers, friends and families a most sincere wish for a Happy Labor Day!

Featured AA Employee of the Month: Jessica Garcia

Jessica Garcia grew up in the beautiful rural area of Reche Canyon, California with her younger brother Philip. She hails from a large extended family which is scattered all over the country.

Jessica received her high school diploma from Colton High School and continued her education at Cal State San Bernardino graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. She also received her certification for Geographic Information Systems from San Bernardino Valley College.

Currently living in Riverside, California, Jessica would love to continue her travels far and wide beyond Southern California. She is already somewhat of a seasoned traveler having already visited 21 of the 50 states. Her goal is to visit all 50 by the time she is 30 years old! Other than traveling, her hobbies include collecting vinyl records and singing karaoke. She is also an avid musician and is skilled in 5 instruments (Piano, Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, and Bass Guitar) and counting!

Before joining the ADVANCED ACCESS team, Jessica worked as an optometry assistant, and also provided student tech support for the Social & Behavioral Science Department at Cal State San Bernardino. She also did some volunteer teaching at the Master's Computer School in Calimesa, California teaching computer skills to the unemployed.

Jessica loves her job at ADVANCED ACCESS, “In the time that I have worked here at ADVANCED ACCESS, I have made friends with coworkers AND clients! I love working together with my clients to make sure that their website has everything it needs to obtain great rankings in the search engines!”

Our Internet Marketing Specialist team is lucky to have Jessica in their ranks. The inset photo is of Jessica and our Internet Marketing Specialist Manager – Audrey Seiberling on their way to the ‘Google Dance’ during the recent Search Engine Strategies Conference and Expo in San Jose, California for more fun amidst the research, research, and more research! Audrey says, “Jessica is a pleasure to have in the department. Her attention to detail and genuine concern for her clients and their rankings has made her popular with our clients as well as her co-workers.”

July 2006 | Back to Main Page | September 2006