How to Access Agent Office Remotely

In the past years we have seen an explosion of options for leveraging the Internet to increase productivity in real estate.

Although I am somewhat critical of Web-based applications (see AgentOffice vs. Top Producer) the ability to access my own computer and database over the Internet is, in a word, FANTASTIC!

Many agents think that the only way to have remote access to their database is to “rent” a web-based program like Top Producer 7i or 8.

In the past few years as high speed Internet access has become the norm instead of the exception, a host of remote access options allow you to continue using your PC based applications and access them from any Internet enabled computer.

If you listen to XM radio or any AM talk radio station regularly, I’m sure you’ve heard commercials for GoToMyPC.com.  This is just one of the options available to you for accessing your own database or harnessing the Internet to coordinate the activities of a remote team or team member.

Before I discuss which product/setup is best for you, I’d like to thank the real estate agents I have met through Craig Proctor’s Coaching Program and Howard Brinton’s StarPower organization for their continued willingness to share their research and discoveries with me so that I can pass them on to you.  Which just goes to illustrate what I only recently learned in life; truly successful people like to share their ideas to help others avoid their own pain and suffering.  It must be lonely at the top, which might explain why so many of these amazing people want to help others make it to the top of their markets.

Who Needs Remote Access to Agent Office?

This sounds like a stupid question, but I’m amazed how many people have opted for a web based database (which will financially bleed you to death every single month) when they are a single agent with no assistant(s) or partner(s).

There are still a lot of you out there (my wife included) who prefer the full size keyboard and larger screen associated with desktop computers.  You may have invested a small fortune in a computer for your home with all the bells and whistles, and have a second desktop computer in your real estate office.

The problem for this kind of “single agent” comes from trying to figure out how to share a database between two computers that are not “networked” to share the same data and software programs.  As a rule, single agents without a partner or an assistant do not need to setup and pay for remote access.

I personally prefer a laptop computer that I do not share with anyone else in my family.  I simply carry it back and forth from the office to my home, to my appointments and when I travel.  To save climbing under my desk at my home and office to plug in the AC power adapter, I recommend buying a second power supply (you can buy them from your computer manufacturer’s website or get a universal charger from your local RadioShack store) to leave in my office where climbing under the desk is more public and thus embarrassing.  With a laptop I only have one set of programs and one set of data.  I don’t have to worry about “synchronizing” two different machines.

If you install a copy of Agent Office on your home computer and then install a second copy on your office computer (you can install Agent Office on as many machines as you like; there is no limit to the number of installations) you will end up with two different sets of data.

Agent Office has a feature built into it called Accusync which allows you to use CD’s or Memory Sticks to synchronize data back and forth between the two machines.  For a single agent this is a waste of time because it requires synching, and re-synching over and over again.

Accusync was created for a team in which two or more people share a database and want to work independently, but want to merge or “synchronize” their data on a daily or weekly basis.

Think of a scenario with an agent and an assistant who share a physical office space during the day and work on two computers, say a desktop for the assistant and a laptop for the agent.  The two computers are “networked” so they can work in real time on the same set of data while they are in the office.  The agent wants to “check out” a set of data to the laptop to go on appointments and work at home in the evening.  Accusync will allow you to check out a complete set of data to the laptop and allow the assistant to continue working without the fear of losing any data.  The agent can add contacts, schedule and complete activities away from the office and when he/she returns the next day (or two days or a week, etc.) the laptop can by synchronized to the desktop so both people’s work will be merged together.  Watch my A to Z Training DVD’s, Disc 4 to learn how to setup Accusync.

Situation 1: You are the only person using Agent Office

If you are the only person who ever uses Agent Office, but have two computers in different locations, you can simply Backup your data (Agent Office has a backup feature built into it) from one computer and Restore it into the other.  Keep in mind that a Restore over-writes any data in that computer.  With Accusync you merge changes that were made on each machine and with a Backup/Restore, you erase everything that was on the machine you are restoring data to.

So, let’s review.  If you are a single agent with no assistant(s) or partner(s) here are my recommendations:

1. Get a laptop and eliminate the need to move data back and forth between computers!

OR

2. Use the Backup and Restore feature of Agent Office to move data back and forth between two non-networked desktop computers (one at home and one in the office).  You will need to keep in mind which machine has the most current set of data or you could backup the wrong machine (with the older data) and restore this data over the newer data on your other machine.

Here’s how it would work if you wanted to use the Backup/Restore option:

1. Install AgentOffice on both machines with or without demo data

2. Pick one machine to perform your initial registration and setup of the software to match your needs (Jim Casey’s Setup and Utilities DVD for AgentOffice).  Let’s assume you are going to do the bulk of your work on your office computer, but it really doesn’t matter.

3. When you are done working on your office computer (completing the registration and setup settings) perform a Backup of your AO data on that machine.  I demonstrate backing up your data and copying it to a CD on my Setup and Utilities DVD and the Backup Addendum chapter of my Training Manual on CD.

4. Take the backup CD home.  On your home machine you will not need to register or unlock the software or perform any of the setup issues you have completed on your office machine.  From the AgentOffice program grouping select Backup/Restore, (Click Start – All Programs – AgentOffice – Backup/Restore).  Click on the Restore tab and use the browse button to locate your backup file.  You’ll probably have to copy the backup file from your CD onto your desktop in order for the program to find it.  Not all CD drives are readable from the Restore module.

5. Once you have restored your data on the home machine you can simply log in with your password and begin working.  All the settings from the office machine should be transferred to your home machine including all your data.
6. Before you leave home to return to your office, you will need to backup your home computer’s AgentOffice data and bring the CD or Memory Stick with you to the office to perform the Restore on that machine.  Just keep in mind that you need to perform a backup from whatever machine you are finishing up working on and bring that backup to the other machine and restore it before you work, otherwise you will end up with different data on two machines!

OR

3. Set up remote access from your home computer to your office computer.  This is a relatively simple procedure but it requires the use of third party software.  Check out www.LogMeIn.com or check out www.GoToMyPC.com to find out the costs and features for using their services.  Depending upon how many bells and whistles you want, you can use LogMeIn.com’s basic access package for free or pay between $15-30/mo.  In a nutshell, here’s how these two programs work:

1. After you choose your preferred access program (see paragraph C. above) you will follow their instructions for setting up each of your machines for their service.

2. You install all your favorite programs and your AO database on your office computer (or whichever computer you find yourself using the most).   This computer must be left running if you want to access it remotely from your other location.  You can turn off your monitor to save energy, but you must leave the processor on or booted up and the computer must be connected to the Internet.

3. From your remote (home, in our example) machine you will use either of these remote access programs and the Internet to access your other (office) machine.  When you do, you will be taking over the office computer so no one else can use it while you are logged into it.  You may notice a slight lag in the performance on your home computer because you are essentially using your home machine’s keyboard and screen to run your office computer’s processor.  Keep in mind that any printing you choose to do will, by default, select the printer(s) in your office instead of your home.  You can do additional setup in order to print documents from home even though you are running your office computer.  Check with the remote access vendor you choose to find out about printing from home.

Situation 2: You and an Assistant or Partner Need Access to Agent Office

If you are an agent with an assistant or partner and you both have computers located in the same physical location, you do not need to setup or pay for remote access.  You will want to invest in having a local technician (www.GeekSquad.com) set up a network between your two machines.  If they are in the same room a “wired” network would be the cheapest solution, but you can go “wireless” if you don’t want to run a bunch of cables around the office.  Either way, a network is not something the average person should set up.  I’m relatively fearless with technology, but I’ve seen too many people try to set up their own networks and end up spending more time being a geek instead of selling real estate.

In a typical network situation, you have two or more computers, in the same physical location, connected to each other with the ability to share data and peripherals (printers, scanners, Internet access, etc.) between them.  With AgentOffice you install the program files on each one of the computers, but you only install one set of data files that both machines share.  This allows you to both work in “real time” which means when one of you adds a contact or schedules an activity they are immediately available to the other person.

If you are setting up a simple network between two people, you should determine which machine will be considered the “master” and will store the shared data files for the two of you.  I would recommend picking the newer, faster, larger storage capacity machine as the “master” and the other machine as the “remote” or workstation.

In the event of an agent and an assistant where the agent has a laptop which he/she plans to take out of the office, and the assistant has a desktop computer, I would recommend making the assistant’s machine the “master” machine and the laptop the remote.  The odds of losing a laptop to theft or damage, makes it safer to house your master data on a Desktop machine that never leaves the office.

REGARDLESS, make sure you are backing up your data regularly in case something happens to both machines!  I’ve started using a web service called www.Carbonite.com to do automatic, daily backups of the files and folders I choose to their web servers.

NOTE: If you have a team with three or more computers in the same physical location you may want to upgrade your network to incorporate a “server” to speed up the performance of all of your shared programs.  A server is essentially an additional computer that is used to store all the shared documents and files for all the users of the network, but it is not used by anyone on your team to actually run programs.  This keeps your network running faster and smoother without the additional burden of using that processor to run programs.  Again, you should get advice about networking from a local technician so that he/she can support your system after the setup and when you need to add more programs or peripherals.

With a Desktop as your master machine (storing the Agent Office data) and a Laptop for an agent, you can simply activate the Accusync feature of Agent Office in order for the agent to check out data and take the laptop home to work remotely.  See Jim Casey’s A to Z Training DVDs for AgentOffice, Disc 4 – Setting up Accusync for directions.

What if you or your assistant want to work from home?

If your assistant has a Desktop machine in your office and you are networked together with either a Desktop and a Laptop or two Desktop machines (I don’t recommend buying a Laptop for an assistant to take home) you can set up remote access from your assistant’s home computer to their office machine using the remote access services I suggested earlier (www.LogMeIn.com or www.GoToMyPC.com).  You can do the same from your home computer to your office computer.  Remember, the office machine(s) must be running and connected to the Internet in order for anyone to access either machine remotely.  If you have incorporated a server into your network, the server must also be kept running.

Situation 3: A Team Sharing Physical Office Space to Access Agent Office

If you are a team of any size and all share the same physical office space and are networked together with a computer for each team member, you do not need remote access.  Again, as I mentioned earlier, you should consider setting up a network with a server if you have three or more simultaneous users for optimum performance and speed.  Hire a local technician to setup your network and to keep it running smoothly.

I have seen the majority of teams using Desktop machines for the administrative staff and Laptops for the agents to use in the office and at home or on appointments.  When an agent wants to take their Laptop away from the office, they need to “check out” data before they leave using the Accusync feature of Agent Office.

You can have as many as a dozen agents checking in and checking out data with Accusync, however, you must know that when each person checks in or out, ALL OTHER TEAM MEMBERS MUST LOG OUT OF AGENT OFFICE.  This can be pretty disruptive as agents come and go at all times of the day.  I recommend, if you are going to use Accusync for a team with more than two or three agents, that you set up certain times of the day in which they can check in and out of the system otherwise you’ll really slow your administrative staff down.

If one of your administrative staff wants to work from home, you can set up remote access from your assistant’s home computer to their office machine using the remote access services I suggested earlier (www.LogMeIn.com or www.GoToMyPC.com).

In fact, as long as you have a network in the office with a computer for each team member, you can use remote access software for any team member who wants the flexibility to work from their home computer.  Keep in mind that there must be a separate machine for each team member to log into in order for everyone to be able to work simultaneously.  When you log into a computer remotely, you essentially “take over” that computer so no one else can use it at the same time.  Just to really drive the point home, if you have a team of 8 people, and you all want to work remotely, you would need 16 computers (one in the office and one at home for each team member) for everyone to be able to work from home simultaneously using these remote access services.  If you have team members who rarely work in the office or want to work exclusively from home this kind of arrangement becomes space and cost prohibitive.

Situation 4: A Team That Wants Remote Access to Their Agent Office Database

If you are an agent with a(n) assistant(s) or partner(s) or a small team who want(s) to work exclusively from a remote office or home, you’ll need to consider an alternative to simple, machine-to-machine, remote access software.  You could put two machines in your home or office, network them together and setup remote access to the second machine for your assistant or partner from their home computer.  I know people who have found this to be the most cost effective way to work together if it’s just two people.

However, I have found a hosting service in San Diego that can really be a great solution for two to five people who want to all work remotely in real time.  The good news is that you don’t need to invest in any additional hardware, you won’t have to install AgentOffice on any of your computers and this service will even do daily, redundant backups of your AO data.  Also, you will own your software and your data and you can discontinue using this service at any time and simply backup your data and restore it on your local computer or network.  The company is called Eserver and you can check out their service at http://agent.eserver.com or speak directly to Jeff Uyemura at 877-ESERVER.  If you sign up for their service directly from their website, remember to use CASEY as your Promotional/Referral Code to save $50 off the setup fee.

The coolest thing about this hosting is that you get all the benefits (speed, stability and multi-tasking) of a true Windows application (unlike the clunky interface and workflow of a web-based application) AND you are accessing your program in real time over the Internet.  You also bypass the expense and efforts of setting up your own local network.  There’s only one thing to keep in mind.  If you use the eServer hosting, you will all be accessing the program over the Internet so you will have to pay a monthly fee for each person on your team (that needs access to Agent Office).

Here’s how the eServer Agent hosting service works.  eServer will need your Agent Office Serial number and the version of the software you are using.  They will not need your software discs.  They will install a copy of the software on their servers and they will have you download a remote client server software to each of your computers.  This is pretty simple and takes about 10 minutes on each machine.  You will need high speed internet access on all of your computers, however I do know some people who have been able to use this service with dial up.

You will end up with an AgentOffice icon on your desktop which will actually access your software and launch it on eServer Agent’s servers in San Diego.  You’ll be able to add all of your team members within the AgentOffice software and each of you will be able to access the software simultaneously in real time.  You will also be able to print on your local printer and eserver will setup an Outlook e-mail account so you can send and receive e-mail and import leads from your website or hotline if they are sent with a V-card attachment.

There is a one-time setup fee and an on-going monthly fee of $50 per month per user.  So, a team of two would pay $100 per month for both of you to have unlimited, real-time access to a shared database.  Even with a team of 5, the $250 per month cost is a bargain when you consider that you have on-going support for your network (even on weekends where the guys at eserver check their messages hourly to make sure you can get access to your data) and automatic, redundant, nightly backups of your data.  I have been working with eServer for the past 4 years and they are currently hosting over 700 agents for me who rave about their service.

Situation 5: A Large Team That Will Need Access to Agent Office Remotely

You are an agent who has, or plans on building, a large team (5 or more team members) and most of you want to work remotely.  What if you are like Craig Proctor, where you have 6 or more buyer agents who work exclusively from home and as many administrative staff working in your office?  The cost of web hosting on eServer becomes significant at $50 per user per month.  (To be fair, I do know a team or two with as many as 20 people on the team and they still find the eServer hosting a value at $1,000 per month).

Consider Craig Proctor’s scenario; a team of 18-20 people, half who come to the office to work (administrative staff) and half who spend their days and nights showing and listing houses (buyer and listing partners).  Craig purchased a relatively expensive solution about 5 years ago.  He had a Citrix Client Server installed that allows his entire team to access his AgentOffice software from the office’s local network or from each of his team member’s computers at home or wherever they have Internet access.  This system allows multiple people to access his server simultaneously over the Internet.  Instead of a traditional network scenario where AgentOffice is installed on every office computer and only the data is shared on the server, the Citrix Client Server solution installs the AO program and data on the server only.  Remote users log into the server and launch the program on the server, not on their own computer.  This acts as additional security in the event a team member leaves and wants to keep using Craig’s software.  At the time he purchased his system it cost close to $20,000.

The good news?  Today, that same system would cost half of what Craig paid.  The benefits of this kind of setup are many.

First of all, Craig would tell you that eliminating the daily commute to the office gives his buyer and listing agents an extra 30-60 minutes a day to be working or enjoying their time off.  Secondly, with this kind of system, Craig has no on-going monthly hosting or remote access expenses.  Yes, he has to pay for someone to regularly service his network, but he is not locked into any on-going monthly fees because he owns the server and he owns his software.  Thirdly, Craig maintains control of his database rather than having someone like Top Producer hold his data hostage.  Craig would tell you that his investment in his own server has paid for itself several times over in increased productivity and his ability to grow his territory without making agents drive into his office to get their leads.

I have found for large teams of 5 or more people who want to work remotely, the Citrix Client Server solution has a reasonable payback period to justify the upfront expense.  A less expensive, but comparable solution employed by a number of teams I work with is to use Microsoft’s Terminal Server software to achieve the same results.  For a team of 5-10 you can have an outside technician build a server and configure Terminal Server for you for around six to seven thousand dollars.

I have been referring teams to a company in Michigan that builds Dell servers, configures Terminal Server, installs AgentOffice and supports you remotely for a very fair price.  You can speak directly to Nathan Lockwood with Eclipse Consulting at 586-263-1775 or you can e-mail him at nathan@eclipse-online.com.  Mention that Jim Casey told you to call and he’ll get back to you quicker!