The new REINSW Agency Services Chapter recognises the pivotal role of the practitioners who keep the engine room of our member agencies running smoothly.
By Christopher Carey
Back in June 2014, REINSW made some significant changes to its membership structure. The aim of the changes was, in part, to open up membership to a whole new audience of industry practitioners. Because of the changes, all employees of member agencies now have access to the benefits of REINSW membership, including the Helpline, REI Forms Live, entry into the Awards for Excellence, discounts on training, access to the Journal, research reports and more at no charge.
What became apparent as a consequence of the changes was that there was now a large pool of members that really didn’t fit within REINSW’s current Chapter structure. Sales people easily find a home in the Residential Sales Chapter. Property managers can join the Property Management Chapter. Commercial agents and strata managers are able to mingle with their colleagues via the Commercial Chapter and the Strata Management Chapter respectively. And so on through the current array of REINSW Chapters, specialist practitioners can each find their place.
But what about those in our industry who don’t practise in frontline positions? The office managers? The marketers? The admin assistants? The receptionists? The accountants? And all those other professionals working in agencies to keep the engine room running? To date, our Chapter structure simply hasn’t accommodated them.
Agency Services Chapter
With this in mind, REINSW set about hatching a plan to recognise all these practitioners working in member agencies. The ones who hold critical roles and can be regarded as the in-house support mechanisms for the face of the business. And so, the Agency Services Chapter has been created.
The term “in-house service provider” is not unknown in our industry and we know that these providers play an essential role in driving outcomes for all agencies. Whether it’s promptly answering incoming calls at reception or putting together a targeted marketing campaign. Whether it’s determining business strategy as a general manager or balancing the trust account. These practitioners support the business at every level – and they now have a home in the Agency Services Chapter.
A growing membership
Since deciding to launch the Agency Services Chapter, the REINSW Membership Team has been combing through its database to identify those members eligible to be joined to the Chapter. Already numbers have grown to more than 1,000! This number alone shows just how vital this new Chapter is to the future of REINSW’s membership.
With this strength of numbers, REINSW is committed to developing a Chapter that will help every member agency improve their standard of operation. The Chapter aims to make life easier for these members by providing a go-to place for information and guidance.
The face of agency practice has changed. Once upon a time real estate was just about selling and leasing. No more. There’s so much more involved these days – finance, marketing, office management, public relations, technology, compliance and more. And there’s someone to fill each of these roles. They are all real estate professionals and they now have a home in the REINSW Agency Services Chapter.