Archon Appraisal Group: Using Technology to Improve Your Customer ExperienceIf you asked enough appraisers, most would agree that appraising is more complicated than it used to be. We put quality first, but we know that turnaround time is a big concern these days. Therefore, we've found that the best place to save time is in our our workflow. The appraisers that have steadily adopted new technology have been the ones able to provide their customers with more accurate reports, better customer service and faster turnaround times.
Ordering and Tracking
Way back when, a lot of our orders were delivered via fax and were confirmed with phone calls once we arrived at the office. It might be hours before a client even knew if we could do the order. Things are quite a bit different now and when an order is placed on the site, we get an e-mail on our phones. We can even log into this site from the field and send back an e-mail confirmation – including the time and date for the inspection if we've been able to talk to the occupant.
When you order from Archon Appraisal Group you can expect us to be concerned about your deadlines. We don't make you wait around for replies because we understand the speed at which we get things done directly effects your bottom-line. Through features on this website, we can actually speed up the entire appraisal process.
Data Gathering ToolsOne of the most time consuming parts of an appraisal is gathering the data. We spend quite a bit of time obtaining the facts on the subject property and the local market data and trends. Once again, technology has stepped in to help Archon Appraisal Group.
We've learned that taking notes the standard way, using pencil and paper, generally takes longer since we we have to enter everything back in at the office. Don't be surprised to see us with a tablet PC or collecting data using a program written for our phones that even lets us sketch a floorplan right on the spot. Rather than using that clumsy old tape measure, a larger percentage appraisers are adopting accurate laser measuring devices that also help measure hard to access areas.
All of this technology ensures that the final report is as complete and without error as possible, requiring fewer call-backs and revisions. A real money saver for busy appraisal clients.
Here at Archon Appraisal Group we make sure you have more ways to receive your report.The majority of our appraisals are delivered through e-mail as PDF documents. Generally our clients are most familiar with receiving PDFs attached to their e-mail. It's a lot better than the old days when everything was on paper. But, we've even been able to innovate how you receive your report with this website.
Everyone knows how frustrating it is to lose a file. Or have you ever had an attachment blocked because it was too big? We have the technology to overcome those problems, too. Whenever we send an appraisal, the client is e-mailed a download link to retrieve the PDF. So, at that point, it doesn't matter if all the extra photos and maps in the report result in a large file that would normally be blocked by e-mail. And the download link is good for 90 days. So if you lose the file, you can log back in here and retrieve it again - saving you time, since we won't even need to run back to the computer.
Digital Workfile TechnologyIt would be great if appraisers could never have to think about an assignment again after writing and giving it to the client. However, appraisals are employed to show the condition of a property on the inspection date. Therefore, appraisers need to keep their reports for 5 years in case any disputes or other matters arise regarding the property.
To sum it all up, Archon Appraisal Group uses all the technology available to us technology to improve service. By storing every aspect of the appraisal - notes, sketches, supporting documentation and calculations - along with the appraisal electronically, we skip the old-fashioned hard copies and only need our computer to recall exactly what that assignment was about.
These are just a few examples of how we use technology daily. Utilizing the right tools, along with the appraisal know-how that you've grown to expect allows the appraiser to save time without cutting corners and deliver a better product to you, our client.
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