Some of you know that TitleSouth and TitleSouth's Closing Centers are "Stewart Title shops." Stewart Title Guaranty Company is TitleSouth's title underwriter, and we use Stewart Technologies' "AIM" and "SureClose" software in our title and closing operations.
This week, the folks in Houston, where Stewart Title and Stewart Technologies are located, had some gremlins invade SureClose and we couldn't scan documents to our online files. It is a minor annoyance, and there are work-arounds that keep us going. However, we were having trouble working the way we like to.
As soon as we realized we were having problems, I shot off an email to Sheryl Cave, Dona Sutton and Kim Sekenski at Stewart Technologies Regional Office in Tampa. Sheryl, Dona and Kim provide product support for SureClose for about 4 states. Within minutes, I started getting replies from the team letting me know that they knew about the problem and that they were working with engineers in Houston to get the problem identified and solved. The Houston folks worked on the problem throughout the day, and by day's end had everything back in order. I received about a half dozen emails from Sheryl, who was monitoring the progress, to let me know what was going on, and then another email to sound the "all clear."
To me, this is the kind of responsiveness tech support should give to customers. Sheryl, Dona and Kim (as well as our AIM support and training team of Laz Conn and Laura Roberts) "get it" when it comes to meeting and exceeding our customers needs.
When it comes to supporting our customers, Sheryl, Dona, Kim, Laz and Laura give all of us something to shoot for.
Thanks to all of you for being so helpful to us - you are our champions and we appreciate your efforts.
If you would like more informaiton on SureClose - which I believe is the greatest thing to happen to the real estate industry since the fax machine - contact me at the TitleSouth Closing Center at 205-445-1414 and I'll give you a testimonial and put you in contact with the Stewart Technologies marketing team - they, too, are a top notch bunch of folks.
Until next time,
Pat Smith
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Paper-Less Closings Really are Coming - and Soon I Hope!
About a year ago, I got a preview of a product offered to closing agents by Stewart Technologies, a Stewart Title Company. The product, eClosing Room, allows closings to be completed in an almost paperless environment through the use of pen-based "tablet" computers. Think about it, we already complete many transactions in a paperless manner - debit card and some credit card transactions, internet-based transactions, on-line stock trades, and others. How often in the past month have you completed a purchase by signing your name on a digital pad at a retail store? Paperless, or at least "paper-less" (that is, not truly paper free, but at least involving less paper) are here, and are coming to the real estate closing table.
The Title South Closing Centers have signed up as an eClosing Room customer. We have the software, we have the hardware, and we have the trainer coming next month to get us up to speed on how to put it all together. We are working with mortgage lenders to allow us to submit digitally signed documents to them instead of pen and ink signed paper documents. We have asked the Jefferson County Probate Court to be part of the efiling pilot program for the recording of deeds and mortgages.
I don't know when we will be able to do the first "paper-less" transaction at the TitleSouth Closing Centers, but I truly believe that it will be within the next 90 days. I'll let you know when we're ready to go.
In the meantime, here is a link to an artcile on eClosing Room:
http://realtytimes.com/rtapages/20061226_eclosing.htm
Until next time,
Pat Smith
General Counsel, TitleSouth and
Director, TitleSouth Closing Centers
The Title South Closing Centers have signed up as an eClosing Room customer. We have the software, we have the hardware, and we have the trainer coming next month to get us up to speed on how to put it all together. We are working with mortgage lenders to allow us to submit digitally signed documents to them instead of pen and ink signed paper documents. We have asked the Jefferson County Probate Court to be part of the efiling pilot program for the recording of deeds and mortgages.
I don't know when we will be able to do the first "paper-less" transaction at the TitleSouth Closing Centers, but I truly believe that it will be within the next 90 days. I'll let you know when we're ready to go.
In the meantime, here is a link to an artcile on eClosing Room:
http://realtytimes.com/rtapages/20061226_eclosing.htm
Until next time,
Pat Smith
General Counsel, TitleSouth and
Director, TitleSouth Closing Centers
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
TitleSouth Closings Blog
We opened the TitleSouth Real Estate Closing Center in the Mountain Brook Center (2700 Hwy 280 E) on January 3rd, 2006. Since that opening day, we have closed hundreds of real estate transactions at the Mountain Brook location and have built out and equipped a second location at 2409 Acton Road (the Dolly Creek Shopping Center). We hope to have this location open for business during the first two weeks of January 2007. Shortly thereafter, we will open a third location on the third floor of the RealtySouth Shelby County office on Highway 31 in Pelham. With these three locations, we are within 15 minutes of almost the entire Birmingham metropolitan area.
One of the challenges that we have faced during the past year was to communicate effectively and efficiently with agents, brokers, lenders and others. To communicate with others about specific closing transactions, we implemented the use of SureClose. SureClose is an on-line transaction management solution that allows us to open our closing file to the agents, lender, buyers and others involved in that transaction. By logging into SureClose, parties can see, download and print the documents in our closing files and check on the status of their closing. In addition, when documents are filed or tasks leading to the closing are completed, the parties receive an email or fax notifying them of the progress on the file. In addition, SureClose serves as our closing file from which anyone at the Closing Center can answer your questions about your closing at any time.
Despite the success of SureClose, there are a lot of things that we at the Closing Center would like to communicate to the agents that close with us, and we also would like to give our customers the opportunity to pass along ideas, suggestions and comments to us on how we can do a better job of meeting their needs.
Fred Smith (the founder of FedEx, not the successful Realtor from the RealtySouth Crestline office) once said that if you wanted to start a successful business, go to a party and listen to what people complained about and then start a business that would solve their problems - or something to that effect. To me, the key component of this suggestion is to listen.
This "blog" is designed to let us talk to you, but more importantly, to allow you to talk to us. So please, give us your comments, suggestions and criticisms. Tell us what we can do to make the closing process better for you and your clients. If you don't like what we're doing - tell us. If you like what we're doing - tell us (and a friend).
We promise that we will listen to your suggestions and do whatever we can to implement your suggestions so we can do a better job of serving you.
Sincerely,
Pat Smith
General Counsel, TitleSouth and
Director, TitleSouth Real Estate Closing Centers
One of the challenges that we have faced during the past year was to communicate effectively and efficiently with agents, brokers, lenders and others. To communicate with others about specific closing transactions, we implemented the use of SureClose. SureClose is an on-line transaction management solution that allows us to open our closing file to the agents, lender, buyers and others involved in that transaction. By logging into SureClose, parties can see, download and print the documents in our closing files and check on the status of their closing. In addition, when documents are filed or tasks leading to the closing are completed, the parties receive an email or fax notifying them of the progress on the file. In addition, SureClose serves as our closing file from which anyone at the Closing Center can answer your questions about your closing at any time.
Despite the success of SureClose, there are a lot of things that we at the Closing Center would like to communicate to the agents that close with us, and we also would like to give our customers the opportunity to pass along ideas, suggestions and comments to us on how we can do a better job of meeting their needs.
Fred Smith (the founder of FedEx, not the successful Realtor from the RealtySouth Crestline office) once said that if you wanted to start a successful business, go to a party and listen to what people complained about and then start a business that would solve their problems - or something to that effect. To me, the key component of this suggestion is to listen.
This "blog" is designed to let us talk to you, but more importantly, to allow you to talk to us. So please, give us your comments, suggestions and criticisms. Tell us what we can do to make the closing process better for you and your clients. If you don't like what we're doing - tell us. If you like what we're doing - tell us (and a friend).
We promise that we will listen to your suggestions and do whatever we can to implement your suggestions so we can do a better job of serving you.
Sincerely,
Pat Smith
General Counsel, TitleSouth and
Director, TitleSouth Real Estate Closing Centers
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