It is time to facilitate technical piles that actually work for title agents
It is not because of a lack of trying of some technology suppliers. Title professionals are in any case overwhelmed by the constant stream of new solutions that promise to bring a revolution into their activities. The real challenge lies in how these technologies work together – or more accurately, how they don’t. Too many providers build walls around their platforms and force agents to choose between the most effective solutions for their own unique activities and seamless workflow integration.
This approach completely ignores how title agencies – especially larger companies – operate in the real world. It has been said many times before, but repeats: each title agency has unique needs when it comes to the requirements of the customer, geographical markets and the regulatory arrangements that rule them and product mix.
Today’s agent does not rely on a single monolithic platform. They can’t. They need flexible technology with which they can combine the most effective tools for them based on their operational requirements. A commercial title store that serves institutional lenders has a hugely different needs than a boutique operation aimed at residential refinancing, but both deserve technological piles that are tailored to their specific requirements.
The next generation of successful technology suppliers acknowledges this reality by giving priority to interoperability above platform monopolization. Instead of trying to be everything for everyone, they focus on doing their core functions exceptionally well and makes it effortless for agents to integrate complementary solutions. That means robust APIs, standardized data formats and real cooperation with other technological suppliers instead of considering them as competitors to be defeated.
Consider the difference in user experience. In the old model, an agent can use one system for order management, another for title search assignments and a third party for DOC PrEP. Moving data between these systems, however, all too often means manual input, file output or complex solutions that invite errors and consume valuable time. When problems arise, every supplier points to the others to fingers, allowing agents to play technological detective while their customers are waiting for answers. Of course, adapted integration can become available … for a price and if they want to wait weeks or months.
Fortunately that is already starting to change. Progressive technology providers have already started designing their solutions to seamlessly communicate with other platforms, to automatically share data and maintain synchronization throughout the workflow without the need for custom integrations. In the not too distant future, when problems occur, integrated systems will offer a clear view of where problems have arisen and suppliers will take the collective responsibility for resolution instead of hiding behind platform limits.
The long ignored need for cooperation is ultimately also extended to the product development process. Leading technology suppliers leave the mentality “Building and they will adjust” in favor of continuous and routine feedback that Agent Insights places in the center of Innovation. They understand that the most elegant code is worthless if it doesn’t solve real problems in real workflows. Title agents are usually practical problem solvers. And when the production system is the problem …?
The next generation of tech providers already establishes formal advisory councils (which meet more than once a year) that have been designed to offer various perspectives from agent, to perform regular user research sessions and to retain transparent route maps that reflect customer priorities instead of internal engineering pre -inspections. The most important thing is that they do not see function requests as interruptions for their development plans, but rather as valuable intelligence on market needs and operational pain points. Nobody understands the unique needs of a title agent other than that title agent.
The market is already rewarding providers that embrace these principles. Agents are increasingly evaluating potential technical partners not only on function lists, but also on integration options and response capacity for feedback. They ask pointed questions (such as title agents usually do): does this solution play well with our existing tools? How do you include customer entry into your development process? Can we adjust workflows without breaking through compatibility with other systems?
Technology providers who answer these questions convincingly (and authentically) win market share of competitors who still stick to their own approaches with closed system. They build deeper customer relationships on the basis of real partnership instead of supplier lock. The most important thing is that they help title agents to offer their own customers better service by removing technological friction from critical processes.
The future of title technology is not in building larger walls around individual platforms, but in creating bridges between the solutions that best match the unique needs of each customer. Providers who understand this shift – and treat it – will thrive in an increasingly competitive market where the success of the customer success determines the success of suppliers.
John Freyer, Jr. is the president and co-founder of Settlor, an independent national technology supplier. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial department of Housingwire and the owners.
To contact the editor who is responsible for this piece: [email protected].
