Antoine Matthews is a Senior Associate with CBRE Capital Markets in the Columbus office. He provides investment sales services to multifamily clients ranging from small private investors to large public entities.
I’m on a three person team based in Columbus, Ohio. Before we made the switch to Apto, we inherited a list of names and properties in a SQL server-based software. There were multiple issues using it as our system of record and it was clear a transition to a current technology was needed. A new broker joined our team thirty days prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she reintroduced Apto as a better solution. After speaking to a sales rep and seeing a quick demo of the software, we knew Apto would meet our team’s specific needs.
Fast forward to present day, and we use Apto every day. Our primary focus is client engagement, typically via phone and now Zoom calls. Apto allows our team to keep detailed notes and arrange timely follow up. The goal is to build relationships through consistent contact and Apto helps us do just that. Moreover, it has allowed us to maintain a detailed property database, inclusive of both rent and unit mixes.
Although we’ve only had Apto for about six months, we’ve already seen a lot of value from our investment. Within the first 90 days of using Apto, it was clear we could not have made a better choice. The ability to track, update, and export property-level rent and unit mix data is crucial to our business. The ability to export data is critical for us because we use our data in tandem with another in-house product. Our last CRM made it difficult to do so, and customer service was poor. The Apto experience has been very positive and their customer care team is always quick to respond.
I’ve spent a good amount of time using the Apto Prospecting Console. The feature keeps all pertinent information in front of you, so anything you need while speaking with clients is easily accessible. Consistently staying top of mind with clients is key, but can be a challenge; Apto makes this much easier. I’m looking forward to getting even more value from the Prospecting Console, and firmly believe the tool will be a competitive advantage in our growth over the next one to two years.
Using Apto has streamlined our processes and handling of data. The ability to create, run, and export various business metric reports has saved time and countless headaches. For example, at any given time, you may want or need to know information about Deal Status, Pursuits, Listings, Closings, Commissions, etc. The ability to quickly pull this information within Apto is what separates Apto from other commercial real estate technology offerings. The multifamily space is intrinsically data-heavy, so making your daily systems and processes as automated as possible is critical to establishing efficiency. Thanks to Apto, we can share our operations with our clients and validate we’ve done our homework. In return, our clients have expressed great appreciation of our willingness to go the extra mile.
Our experience with the Buildout team has been first class. If you’ve ever transitioned a database before, you know it’s quite a process and can be stressful. The Buildout transition team was patient and responsive, and I can say without question you would be in very good hands should you choose to make the switch to Apto too.
If your goal is to build a career and business in commercial real estate, a CRM is an excellent—and necessary—foundation. Apto is the CRM I would recommend to anyone who is in the market for a new solution.