Help make Top Producer 8i the product it needs to be for your business!
I've heard frustration from many of my coaching clients about Top Producer 8i. The recurring themes are:
- Find-ability - Where do I find how to do what I'm used to in 7i? Or did they just eliminate that function?
- More complicated - It takes more clicks and/or keystrokes and/or scrolling to accomplish almost everything in 8i than in 7i.
One of my clients has begun systematically emailing support@topproducer.com with specific feedback as he encounters a bothersome issue. Although it takes a little time, he feels it pales in comparison with putting up with the dysfunction long term, or making a complete transition of his operation to some other solution. I agree.
Here's an example of one of his emails to Support:
RE: The Calendar
Too much other stuff around it so the actual calendar view is too small on my laptop and I can't see enough of my day without scrolling. Even the full screen view only displays one additional hour.
In 7i the mini-calendar shows the current date in red numbers, and the date you are working on highlighted in a different color. Only the current date is indicated in 8i, giving you no visual reference to the date you are working on.
The only way to see a future week in week view is to scroll to it one week at a time a real pain to view several months ahead. I tried selecting the week view, and then a future date, and it changes to the day view of that date so then I select week view to see that week, but it reverts to the week view for the current week.
Too many clicks and keystrokes required to create an activity way too much time and effort
Have to click in Description field to start typing (should default to having the cursor there)
Scroll box for time selection is awkward
One hour default intervals are too broad. We need 15 minute intervals.
Requires multiple clicks and manual typing to change to start and end times not on the hour
Requires the colon to distinguish between hour:minute
Requires fully entering am or pm
Should allow entry of 1015a and recognize it as 10:15 am, for example
Too much scrolling required with the Add and Cancel buttons at the bottom of this page.
RE: The Calendar
Too much other stuff around it so the actual calendar view is too small on my laptop and I can't see enough of my day without scrolling. Even the full screen view only displays one additional hour.
In 7i the mini-calendar shows the current date in red numbers, and the date you are working on highlighted in a different color. Only the current date is indicated in 8i, giving you no visual reference to the date you are working on.
The only way to see a future week in week view is to scroll to it one week at a time a real pain to view several months ahead. I tried selecting the week view, and then a future date, and it changes to the day view of that date so then I select week view to see that week, but it reverts to the week view for the current week.
Too many clicks and keystrokes required to create an activity way too much time and effort
Have to click in Description field to start typing (should default to having the cursor there)
Scroll box for time selection is awkward
One hour default intervals are too broad. We need 15 minute intervals.
Requires multiple clicks and manual typing to change to start and end times not on the hour
Requires the colon to distinguish between hour:minute
Requires fully entering am or pm
Should allow entry of 1015a and recognize it as 10:15 am, for example
Too much scrolling required with the Add and Cancel buttons at the bottom of this page.
I know that his email above is very detailed. I tend to write shorter emails more often. Suits my personality.
Consider starting an email to support@topproducer.com at the moment you run into something that bugs you. Be as specific as you can, and propose how you wish it worked. Add to it each time you encounter a problem, and hit Send when you are done for the day.
Share this idea with your colleagues today by sending this email to all the other agents in your database. We need to create some noise.
Together, our constructive feedback dramatically increases the odds of Top Producer fixing what's troublesome. And there is a lot that can be improved.
But, what if it's too little, too late? Some of you are asking, "What are my options?" What do other top producers use instead of Top Producer? Please share your knowledge of alternatives that you or your colleagues use effectively instead.
Together, our constructive feedback dramatically increases the odds of Top Producer fixing what's troublesome. And there is a lot that can be improved.
But, what if it's too little, too late? Some of you are asking, "What are my options?" What do other top producers use instead of Top Producer? Please share your knowledge of alternatives that you or your colleagues use effectively instead.
- Maybe another single product (online or not)?
- Maybe an integrated suite (like MS Office tweaked for Realtors)?
- Maybe a combination of applications that work well together as needed (contact management, action plans, execution of mailings snail and e , listing and sales management).
I promise to share what I learn!
To your continued success,
Reg Gupton
To your continued success,
Reg Gupton
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