Best Practices


<p><em>Clunky</em>. It&#8217;s the only way to describe how far too many property firms are running things. Commercial real estate (CRE) acquisitions pipeline software connects investors and transaction parties like nothing else. However, something inexplicable has been happening in the CRE world that is just now getting the correction it deserves. CRE has been <em>one of the last</em> industries to embrace leading-edge technology. Most firms are still using software tools from <em>20 years ago</em>. That means that they&#8217;re competing in today&#8217;s million-mile-an-hour market with tech that&#8217;s two decades old. It also means that firms are dealing with tangles of spreadsheets,  disjointed workflows, and generic customer relationship management (CRM) software that&#8217;s slowing them down during a time when being the fastest has never been more important.</p>



<p>In the real world, firms need tools for complex data management that tie together capital sources, deal makers, brokers, banks, and other core intel assets. Managing a complex pipeline doesn&#8217;t have to be complex enough to require a rigorous infrastructure. Modern CRE pipeline software provides automated data collection for sharp analytical capabilities that help to augment the decision-making process right out of the box. The result? Firms are able to <em>outcompete</em> for deal flow, track relationships, and rocket through closing processes. That&#8217;s precisely why so many firms are adopting AtlasX for expert pipeline management. Take a look at what the transition means for your firm.</p>



<h2>Creating Success From Within: The Importance of Centralized Deal Management</h2>



<p>CRE teams are nomadic by nature. While real assets aren&#8217;t centralized in CRE, data needs to be. That&#8217;s why cloud software is so compatible with the needs of a CRE firm. With cloud-based data management, materials are available for all members of the firm. Employees can access data on demand when they are in the office, at home, or out at property tours. There&#8217;s no need to search through emails, network drives, spreadsheets, documents, and complex file paths just to pull up essential information. There&#8217;s also a strong sharing aspect that makes cloud-based data management so essential.</p>



<p>Cloud-based software allows for seamless internal sharing. It also allows for managed, protected sharing outside the organization. Users enjoy a 360-degree view of the pipeline to prevent duplicated efforts and communication blind spots that waste time. This validation of data allows decision makers to trust a centralized source of information regarding deals and properties.</p>



<h2>How Cloud-Based CRE Acquisitions Pipeline Software Builds Workplace Efficiency</h2>



<p>It&#8217;s time for CRE firms to think beyond the spreadsheet when developing workflows. Spreadsheets can&#8217;t handle the massive troves of data that need to be handled by firms on a daily basis. They also require manual intervention to function. In addition to taking up time and energy, the need for spreadsheets to be manually updated creates a situation where any attempt at real-time data analysis is impossible. That means that spreadsheets are only as good as the amount of time a staff is willing to put into them. What&#8217;s more, they don&#8217;t offer a secure platform for updating, storing, and sharing data. It&#8217;s very easy for a spreadsheet to get exposed &#8220;out in the wild&#8221; with a single share.</p>



<p>Modern CRE workflow needs have outgrown spreadsheets. Firms must replace manual input errors with best-in-class AI for data they can feel confident about using. A big perk of AI-based CRE pipeline software is that employees no longer have to spend time manually copying and pasting from offering memorandums (OMs) and emails into workflow databases. AI tools automatically assemble pipelines in seconds by standardizing unstructured data in emails and documents as part of the blueprint for the pipeline database.</p>



<p>This doesn&#8217;t just save time. It also establishes clarity. With this added visibility, the entire team is on the same page when it comes to goals and deadlines. Employees are able to move forward in unison toward closing without confusion over deadlines. In fact, features that automate action plans ensure that wires aren&#8217;t crossed during deliberation because metrics are selected based on intensive analytics and reporting features that update automatically on user dashboards. In addition, the pipeline extends to include accounting teams, asset management teams, and other auxiliary groups that need to access information regarding closing dates, deposits, due diligence, post-closing actions, and other key aspects that impact their pipeline subsets.</p>



<h2>Staying in Control of the Deal: CRE Acquisitions Pipeline Software Only Work If It&#8217;s Customizable</h2>



<p>It&#8217;s essential that firms have capabilities for customizing pipeline software to meet their distinctive objectives. While older software created static templates that forced a specific workflow, cutting-edge CRE software now creates malleable workflow options that allow firms to customize settings to suit their goals and investment strategies. Firms are capable of becoming more flexible and adaptive based on their own or investors needs using dashboards that are customizable regardless of the asset class or position in the capital stack.</p>



<h2>Workflow Software Should Provide Insights: The Importance of Analysis</h2>



<p>Many firms fall into the trap of stockpiling spreadsheets. The problem with this is that these spreadsheets can&#8217;t &#8220;work for you&#8221; unless they&#8217;re actively being worked on by employees. The beauty of dynamic CRE pipeline software is that it doesn&#8217;t just stockpile massive amounts of data. While this software&#8217;s storage capabilities are essentially unlimited, the reality is that storage is really just a &#8220;bonus&#8221; that comes in addition to constant real-time and historical data analysis that generates instant, meaningful insights. Firms can leverage the insights that are created using their own pure data to make use of proprietary knowledge for better investment outcomes by utilizing historical sales comps, rent comps, expense line items, and much more. However, it’s not just historical data to leverage, but firms also get the benefits of active deal summary reports that allow them to dissect opportunities during every stage of a deal. In addition to getting the advantage that comes from mining data for leverage, firms also get the benefits of active deal summary reports that allow them to dissect opportunities during every stage of a deal.</p>



<p>Modern CRE pipeline software also builds in risk-management analysis based on incoming data to mitigate conflicts during the then lifecycle of a deal. In addition to tracking the progress of every step of an investment, this software also creates a visual model for employees and clients to reference for the ultimate syncing of expectations and investment mandates. Good CRE pipeline software never forgets the critical next steps. While some systems simply collect and store data, AtlasX turns your enterprise&#8217;s invaluable proprietary data into usable decision-making assets. This includes data tied to comparable sales tracking, historical data tied to cap rates and market rents, and proprietary data that can be interweaved with public data to create more accurate trend charts.</p>



<h2>Technology Should Nurture Human Relationships</h2>



<p>Spreadsheets can feel like walls that keep people and data compartmentalized. It&#8217;s very important for CRE software to help connect the dots between brokers, investors, partners, and service providers instead of creating &#8220;walls of data&#8221; that keep different participants segmented. Communication, transparency, and collaboration are the ultimate goals of this form of technology. However, good data builds in a &#8220;trust factor&#8221; by providing highly controlled settings that ensure the right data is shared with the right people.</p>



<h2>Final Thoughts: Creating the Professional Presence That Wows Investors Starts With Your Pipeline</h2>



<p>LP investors want to know that a firm is managing their internal insights impeccably. After all, the insights you&#8217;re generating are dictating the decisions that can make or break an investment. That&#8217;s precisely why AtlasX has worked in easy to make customized reporting for delivery to potential investors and partners. Insights are delivered based on both open and closed deals to provide a full-circle approach to nurturing referrals and relationships. Outdated software keeps CRE firms stuck. AtlasX (CRE) acquisitions pipeline software propels them toward a future built by AI-generated insights created in real time using both proprietary and global data. There&#8217;s no better way to stay organized from within while projecting a professional presence outward.</p>



<p>Want to learn more about why so many firms are growing with help from AtlasX? <a href="https://atlasx.co/request-demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scheduling a demo</a> is easy! Simply contact AtlasX to learn more.</p>


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Category: Best Practices