Agent Inbox Training March 15

Agent Inbox Training

Coming March 15, 2017

As a FREE Member Benefit you now have the most robust communication and messaging platform the industry has to offer! Currently agents are texting, emailing, using instant messaging and calling with no way to track or have an audit trail. What if we could take all these forms of communication and put them in one place? Well today we can.

Agent Inbox is a fundamentally new way to communicate throughout a real estate transaction. Agent Inbox is the backbone by which every party in the real estate world conducts business. With Agent Inbox you will be able to:

• Message any agent and start a conversation that continues until closing.
• Schedule a showing and build a route with one click request to show.
• Provide valuable feedback for both listing agent and your own records.
• Message directly your local MLS and association for info and help. (coming soon)

It's time to get organized, it's time to work smarter not harder, it's time to make Agent Inbox the hub of your business. RealtyWEB.Net MLS will be offering 2 chances to attend a 90-minute class taught by Dick Betts of Agent Inbox and learn how to put Agent Inbox to work for you! 

This is a FREE member benefit so jump on board!

Choose your session:

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

10:00 AM -11:30 AM

Click to register

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

1:00 PM - 2:30 AM 

Click to register

View Unsaved Searches & Search Criteria in Customer Portals

On March 9, you will be able to view the most recent unsaved search and search criteria that a contact creates in their portal (when they use the full-website portal). This functionality will provide you with additional insight to the kinds of searches your contacts are creating in their portals even when they do not save the search. Additionally, Flexmls IDX users will be able to see the criteria for saved searches that their contacts have created.

Most Recent Unsaved Search
If you have enabled the new portal, your contacts have the ability to use the Filter option to set their own search criteria (as allowed by your MLS).


Even though your contacts cannot save the searches they run (unless you are a Flexmls IDX subscriber), you can view their most recent search criteria and results in Flexmls by going to Contact Management, selecting a contact, and clicking on their Portal tab. Scroll to the Most Recent Unsaved Search section.


Under the Most Recent Unsaved Search section, click View search parameters to view search criteria for the most recent unsaved search that they ran in the portal.


From the Portal tab in Contact Management, click the Most Recent Unsaved Search link to view the results of their most recent unsaved search.


When viewing the results, you will be working on behalf of the contact while starting in the Most Recent Unsaved Search. Note, when working on behalf of a contact, the Most Recent Unsaved Search option will be available when the contact has previously run unsaved searches in their portal. Clicking the search displays the search results for their most recent, unsaved search.

Flexmls IDX - View Search Criteria for Contact Created Searches
In addition to the functionality noted above, Flexmls IDX subscribers will be able to view the search criteria for searches that their contacts save in their portals. From the Portal tab in Contact Management, click the More option next to a search in the Portal Saved Searches section (these are contact-created searches).


Click View search parameters to view the search criteria.

Flexmls Pro For iOS & Mobile Portal Enhancement

On March 6, a new feature will be available for Flexmls Pro for iOS and Flexmls Mobile Web: you will be able to send your contacts an invitation to use the portal. Just as before, the portal allows your contacts to view their subscription news feed, saved searches, and favorite listings. We suggest saving a search to a contact before sending a portal invitation--this provides your contact with a portal that is immediately useful to their needs.

Send a Portal Invitation to Contacts
From the Contacts menu, click the Send Invite button to invite a contact to the portal. You can also send the portal invite from a contact's detail screen.


On the Send Invite screen, tap Email Invite to send the invitation to your contact (tap Send if you are using Flexmls Mobile Web).


Note: If you update your contact's record on the Send Invite screen by changing their email address, name or phone number, the changes will be saved to the contact's record. If you customize the invitation message, Flexmls Pro will save the changes on your mobile device so the next time you send the invitation, the text you entered previously will appear. In Flexmls Mobile Web, you can modify the invitation text, but the changes are not stored; the default text will appear each time you invite a contact to use the portal.

After sending the portal invite, your contact will receive a portal invitation email. Clicking the Sign Up button sends them to your portal where they can complete the portal sign up process.


Resend a Portal Invitation to Contacts
If you have already invited a contact to your portal (regardless if the invitation was sent from Flexmls Pro, Flexmls Mobile Web, or Flexmls Web), you won't see a Send Invite button next to the contact's name on the Contacts screen. To resend the portal invitation, go to your contact's record and tap Resend Invite. Tap Resend Email to resend the invitation (tap the Resend link if your are using Flexmls Mobile Web).


Note: The top of Resend Invite screen displays the time and date of the most recent invitation you sent to your contact.

Download Flexmls Pro for iOS
If you haven't done so already, make sure you download Flexmls Pro for your iOS device: click here to get the latest version.

If you prefer to use the browser on your mobile device rather than the app, open your device's browser and go to m.flexmls.com.

Listing Photos

COPYRIGHT... Please be advised If your photo agreement has language like this, the photos may not be placed in NEFMLS "Photos may be uploaded to any MLS listing service solely for promotion of the Property during the pendency of this Agreement."This language prevents photos from being used in CMA's, Sold and other historical listings as well as any third party applications NEFMLS contracts for or that you purchase.

Instead you need to execute a "Work For Hire" agreement that provides you an "unlimited right to use license"  NEFMLS can not defend your copyright or that of your photographer unless NEFMLS is assigned that license.

NEFMLS Rules and Regs 

"By the act of submission of any property listing content to the Corporation, the Participant represents that they have been authorized to grant and also thereby does grant authority and license for the Corporation to include the property listing content in its copyrighted multiple listing service compilation, statistical report on comparables and to otherwise use all or part of the data as the Corporation desires. Listing content includes, but is not limited to, photographs, images, graphics, audio and video recordings, virtual tours, drawings, descriptions, remarks, narratives, pricing information, and other details or information related to listed property."

Listing Agreement

"SELLER hereby grants to NEFMLS, NEFAR and BROKER the unlimited right to license, use, publish, reproduce, compile, distribute, store, disseminate, sell and license to others all text, graphics, photos, videos, virtual tours, documents and any other types of data entered into the NEFMLS system. SELLER hereby releases and assigns to NEFMLS, NEFAR and  BROKER all of the SELLER’S interests in all intellectual property rights therein, and SELLER agrees to indemnify and hold them harmless from all losses, damages, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, which may be incurred because of third party claims concerning intellectual property rights, which indemnity and hold harmless will survive performance of this Agreement by BROKER, termination of this Agreement and the closing of the sale of the Property"

The National Association of Realtors has a good example of what a Work for Hire contract with a photographer may look like-click here.

Always double check the licensing when using photos you have not taken yourself and never attempt to copy a photo that does not belong to you.

Upcoming Data Changes to Flexmls

As you may recall from earlier data changes that have blready been made, NAR has initiated listing data standards for all MLSs in an effort to make data sharing and product development easier and more cost effective.  Due to this initiative, there are just a few minor changes that we will be made to the listing information on Flexmls, effective February 20th:

• Common/Club Amenities (for the property types of Residential, Condominiums, Vacant Land, and Rentals)
• Interior & Exterior Pest Control will be merged into a single entry titled Pest Control

• Possible Financing (for all property types)
• Contract for Deed – will be converted into Owner Financing and eliminated

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact support.

Agent-Only Links in Subscription to Follow Portal Preferences

On February 28, the agent-only links in your copy of subscription emails will get an improvement. Instead of always taking you the News Feed for your contact, the links will follow the Portal Preference Listing links from email show.


General Portal Preference
The Portal Preference, Listing links from email show, determines if links in subscription emails open in the News Feed, to only the Listings in the subscription email, or in the Saved Search. It now applies to the your agent copy of the subscription email in addition to the email that your contact receives. For more information on the preference click here.

Regardless of whether you are using the new portal or the classic portal, when you click the link in your agent-only copy of the subscription email, the link will follow your portal preference and open in Flexmls web where you will be working on behalf of your contact.


Contact-Specific Portal Preference
You can set Portal Preferences on a per-contact basis by going to Contact Management, selecting a contact, and clicking the Portal tab. Select Change Settings and then set the Listing links from email show option.


If you have an individual contact's Portal Preference set differently than your general Portal Preferences, it will override the general setting. Now the contact's specific setting also applies to your agent-only link in your copy of subscription emails.

Design Changes to Preview Mode For Subscriptions

On February 23, there will be several design changes to make Preview Mode for Subscriptions more intuitive to use. These changes will only affect the design and layout of the Subscription screen and the agent copy of the subscription email; Preview Mode's functionality will not change.

Just as before, Preview Mode enables you to be selective about which listings and updates your client receives via subscription. Instead of sending updates about all the listings that match the saved search, Flexmls will only send updates to the contact for listings that you have approved.

Enabling Preview Mode
When Adding or Editing a subscription, the Preview Mode option will be relabeled Enable Preview Mode and moved to the bottom of the General Subscription Options. Hovering over the tool tip will display the help text "Preview Mode allows you to approve listings before they are emailed to clients." Please note: Preview Mode is unchecked by default when you create a subscription; you must click the checkbox to enable it.


If you check the box to enable Preview Mode, the following text will display on the Subscription screen: When Preview Mode is enabled, contacts will not receive any emails until you approve the listings you'd like them to see. When there are new or changed listings, you will receive an email to review and approve the listings you would like to have emailed to your contact. This text box will always be present on the Subscription screen if Enable Preview Mode is checked.


Also note, when Preview Mode is enabled, you will now be able to check/uncheck the option Send me an email when a contact clicks the link. When Preview Mode is enabled and this option is checked, once you approve a listing it will be sent to your contact. When your contact clicks the emailed link to view the listing, you will receive a notification.

Approving Listings
When Preview Mode is enabled, the subscription will send you notifications of new and changed listings. This notification will contain both Approved and Unapproved listings. Your client will receive subscription updates only for Approved listings.

The top portion of the email you receive is only visible to you as the agent. Its text has been clarified and now reads "Click here to approve listings for [contact name]."


Clicking the link in the agent-only section takes you to Flexmls where you will see your contact's News Feed. Click the Approve button next to a specific listing to send it to your contact or select multiple listings and click the Approve link at the top of the screen. Your contact will not receive any listings unless you have approved them.


Once a listing has been approved, it is automatically sent to your contact. Any future updates for that listing will be sent directly to your contact without requiring your approval.

Coming Soon-Delete Multiple Photos

On February 21, you will be able to delete multiple photos (up to 50 at once) from the Photo Upload screen.

Check the Select All option at the top of the screen to select all photos (if there are more than 50 photos, the first 50 will be selected), or select specific photos by checking the box in the photo's upper right corner. Then click the Delete Selected button in the upper right corner of the screen. Please note, some MLSs may not allow you to delete the primary photo.


Note:The option to delete multiple photos will only be available from the current Photo Upload screen. If you use the Original Photo Upload screen, you can only delete one photo at a time.

New Look For HotSheets

On February 21, the layout of the hot sheet page will be updated to make it more modern, part of an ongoing effort to freshen the user interface and make it more useable.

To run the hot sheet, go to Daily Functions menu and select Hot Sheet.


The new hot sheet page has two sections: the 24-Hour Hot Sheet at the top of the page and the Custom Hot Sheet at the bottom of the page.


24-Hour Hot Sheet
As before, filters are available for the 24-hour hot sheet (as determined by your MLS). Click on an available filter and either scroll through the list or start typing in the search bar. To make multiple selections, check the box next to each item you'd like to add. Once you've made your selections, click the Run 24-Hour Hot Sheet button to go directly to a search results page that displays all events from the last 24 hours.


Please note, if you run the 24-Hour Hot Sheet on a Monday, it displays listing events from the past 72 hours.

Custom Hot Sheet
If you've run your custom hot sheet previously, clicking the Run Custom Hot Sheet button will run your custom hot sheet using the same criteria used in your previous run and show listing events from the past 72 hours.


If you want to set up new custom hot sheet search criteria or search on a different time frame for listing events, click the Custom Hot Sheet Settings link. For detailed information on setting the custom hot sheet's criteria, click here.


Manage Hot Sheet Views
If allowed by your MLS, you can click the Manage Hot Sheet Views link to change the view associated with each section of the hot sheet.