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Matrix New Features Update |
The past two months have seen a series of new features available in Matrix that can make a significant impact on subscriber workflows – by speeding up processes, reducing clicks, further customizing communications and enhancing client presentations. Each has been long in development, as we work with Tarasoft to fine-tune these tools and ensure they are as closely tailored to our subscribers’ accustomed habits and workflows as possible.
Note: these are advanced productivity features in Matrix. Users are strongly advised to first take foundational Matrix courses to ensure they are familiar with the basic functionality before exploring these features. For information on our Matrix training offerings and recommended Learning Tracks, visit our Training site in our enhanced online information Portal.
Concierge Mode: Further Customizing the Auto-Email Feature
Matrix offers agents a variety of ways to distribute listings to their clients, such as Auto Email. However, a one-size-fits-all approach rarely applies, even with the specifications that Auto Email offers. The ‘Concierge’ feature goes one step further -- allowing agents to view and approve listings prior to emails being sent. Concierge mode is enabled during the creation of an auto-email. It can also be accessed via My Matrix/ AutoEmail/ Settings.
After being notified of new matches, agents can approve or decline listings that meet each client’s unique search criteria.
The concierge style of email is a proven tool in offering agents greater control over distribution of listing data, ultimately producing results with a greater degree of client interest. For additional information, see the How To on Concierge Mode.
Hit Counters: Tracking Exposure to Your Listing in Matrix
The Matrix Client Portal is one of the key value differentiators in Matrix: agents can provide their clients with a customized environment in which to save searches, view listings and communicate directly with their agent, while simultaneously providing agents a way to track a client’s activity in the system, and further customize their service to that clients’ most recent preferences and interests.
Matrix’s ‘Hit Counters’ functionality allows listing agents to track the activity their listings receive through any Matrix portal used in the system—not just the data from their own clients’ portals, but how many times any client or any agent has viewed a particular listing inside his or her own portal.
Every click or visit in a client portal is a data point available to the listing agent. Statistics such as the number of times the agent’s listing has been included in an auto email to any client, or added to Favorites, Possibilities and Discarded, are all made available. For additional information, see the How To on Hit Counters.
Matrix Statistics: Illustrating Data Trends Over Time
This month, we are rolling out the Matrix Stats program, a new analysis tool that gives MLSListings subscribers a competitive edge in understanding local market trends, and easily illustrating them in client presentations. After June 27, this feature will be available via a new Stats tab from any of the Matrix Search screens.
Matrix Stats is best used to illustrate trends graphically, and to compare overall market trends over time – a reporting structure optimal for data sets greater than 100 results. Matrix Stats offers a unique functionality; it’s different from the ‘Market Reports’ tab, which is used for specific listings and to compare a small number of properties. In the same vein, subscribers looking specifically for CMA-like comparisons of up to 500 listings should not use Matrix Stats for this function; instead, they should use the regular ‘search’ function and export this data for customized external analysis.
Note: Comparisons between Matrix Stats and Pro Stats Will Return Different Results
It is important to note that Matrix Stats and Pro Stats should not be expected to return equivalent results over the same periods of time. This is due to a fundamental difference in the way each system captures data. Historically, Pro Stats has captured data via ‘snapshots’ of time; specifically, on the fifth of every month, a snapshot was taken of the prior month’s records. At the time, the benefit to this system was storage capacity; only one record was stored, and referenced to build an agent’s stats display. The drawback is that it does not take into account adjustments made after the fact – for example, an entry change on the sixth of the month, or any other records corrections after that snapshot was taken. Because monthly data informs quarterly and annual data and so on and so forth, the larger the time period referenced, the greater the disparity between the ‘snapshot’ and actual correct records.
One of the primary features of Matrix Stats is its ability to process data on-the-fly; that is, the data as it stands in the moment of the query. This feature empowers Matrix as the undisputable source of the most accurate statistical representation of market activity. Whichever stats program a subscriber uses, it’s important to compare apples to apples; that is, Matrix to Matrix or Pro Stats to Pro Stats.
How Matrix Stats Works
In the stats tab, users first select search criteria as usual – virtually any search criteria from basic to advanced may be used, with the exception of ‘status’, since Matrix Stats is a historical trending comparison over time. The results screen offers close to a dozen system ‘preset’ stats templates – such as Average List Price – that can be further customized by the user. Resulting charts and graphs can be emailed, printed as a PDF, or simply copied-and-pasted (via right-click) into an external report.
Results can be further customized to include more than one statistic on the same graph, and to make other adjustments such as chart color palettes, specific timeframes, and more.
The many customization options can be saved as a custom template by the user to reproduce at any time. Tabular data is also available, and can be exported to Excel or included in the email.
Like all of the primary features in MLSListings’ Matrix application, the Matrix Stats program has been considerably customized to apply to our market and our subscribers’ most common business needs, in consultation with our many advisory groups and with input from our outreach and customer service teams. The Training section of our enhanced online Portal includes Learning Tracks for Stats 1 and Stats 2, outlining the training courses and related How To's associated with learning to use the Stats functionality to its full potential.
Speed Bar: Customizable Shorthand for Faster Results -- and a ‘Recent Searches’ Feature
The aptly named ‘Speed Bar’ does just what it says – decreases clicks, and delivers results faster. The Speed Bar will appear just below the menu bar on every Matrix screen. Users can enter a series of shortcodes in the speed bar box (or simply enter your search criteria as usual, and watch the speed bar ‘create’ these for you).
Once you’re in the results screen, criteria can quickly be revised in the speed bar -- removing the extra clicks necessary to return to a previous screen to revise a search.
The gray question mark in the speed bar window reveals a list of suggested short codes and definitions, and users can also create and save their own Speed Bar short codes for additional frequently used fields, such as establishing “/SM” as a custom short code for ‘San Mateo’. Instructions for creating and saving custom speed bar short codes are available here. Unless otherwise specified, the speed bar defaults to search the ‘Single Family Residential’ property type.
(Note: do not use street suffixes, such as ave, way, drive, etc. Additionally, only street names of up to three words may be included in the search; “Avenida De La Playa” will not be recognized. This is an imposed system limitation, for optimum performance.)
Recent Searches
The recent updates also feature a dropdown menu with your most recent searches for quick access, further speeding up your workflow. More than 20 recent searches can be saved here.
Look for additional resources in What’s New, Training and Support sections of Portal.mlslistings.com for further assistance, or check with your Association's training calendar to find out when we're in your neighborhood for an instructor-led class on these topics.
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