Every chief appraiser, especially when it comes to real estate appraisal management, knows how important proper communication and organizational workflow is within the department.
Trying to manage the entire appraisal process manually, or using simple worksheet programs like Outlook or Excel certainly doesn't do any wonders for productivity levels and increases the likelihood of mistakes.
No matter how good you think your appraisal department is doing now, getting an automated appraisal management software to do all of the tough work for you, will boost your productivity levels.
YouConnect is an appraisal management software platform that has proven to Chief Appraisers at several banks including SouthState Bank, Fifth Third Bank, First Interstate Bank, and many more. Getting appraisal workflow set up for banks doesn't have to be expensive, clunky, or even more difficult to operate than doing it manually.
Developed by the Realwired team, a team of certified commercial appraisal consultants with experience spanning decades, YouConnect was designed with ease of use and unrelenting support to ensure client success in mind.
YouConnect aims to ease the entire appraisal workflow for banks, enhancing productivity with appraisal and environmental workflow, automated vendor management, and excellent reporting all from a single platform.
The team handling YouConnect is also fully committed to building healthy relationships with their bank customers, nurturing those relationships, and providing full-time support when needed, no questions asked.
In fact, most of the new banks coming onboard the YouConnect platform are due to a combination of the excellent relationships that the Realwired team has built with existing customers while ensuring their success and the incredible platform itself.
This translates into true positive reviews that they share with their colleagues at other banks who are seeking validation of the YouConnect appraisal workflow platform.
With YouConnect, there's a guarantee that every appraisal department will get the platform they need, at the price they can afford. YouConnect has a phenomenal support system to rely on every single time. Their Client Success team shares appraisal department best practices that enhance the current process.
They also provide custom integrations with other systems the banks may be currently using, including loan origination systems like nCino that streamlines all customer and employee interactions to increase efficiency.
YouConnect and SouthState Bank
SouthState Bank is one of the top banks currently utilizing the YouConnect appraisal platform to its full potential, and getting a true success story with the results they want, at the time they want it, and exactly how they want it.
Problem Statement
SouthState Bank previously had a manual setup. CenterState prior to the merger, was utilizing an entrenched provider’s platform. Post-merger, the new combined bank decided on YouConnect going forward to handle all their appraisal management needs. They recognized their previous platform wasn't really efficient in the long run. What they wanted was to upgrade to an automated appraisal platform for bank workflow.
Their Needs and Requirements
SouthState Bank needed an appraisal workflow option that would go across the entire appraisal department, needed to be automated, and flexible enough to accommodate their unique workflow and internal processes.
The transparency of the appraisal management system was also important in aiding implementation across SouthState Bank's geographical footprints.
How YouConnect came into the picture
The chief appraiser and team at SouthState Bank carefully considered several appraisal management options and talked to numerous colleagues at other banks who were using the YouConnect platform and alternative platforms.
After thorough research and first-hand reviews of the different platforms, they chose YouConnect. With its cost-effectiveness and top-notch responsive team, plus its ability to cater to their dynamic and custom needs while covering their entire bank footprints, there wasn't a choice that could compare and they haven't regretted their decision for a single moment.
What YouConnect has done for SouthState Bank
For the SouthState Bank appraisal team, moving from both a manual process and entrenched provider to an automated one was 'a saving grace'. It made it quite easy to handle the number of transactions and type of requests they have, even with their substantial increase in appraisal volume, particularly post-merger.
A major feature they utilized and worked for them was being able to do due diligence checks, track the necessary items like the errors and omission insurance, current licenses, and classify their appraisers by property type and geographical competency.
They also loved the YouConnect reporting feature that showed them metrics like where the transactions are coming from, and have both vendors and appraisal managers meeting their delivery dates. This feature was a big focus for them and their expansion into different territories because it ensured that their chief appraisers and managers could meet the needs of their Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with their account officers.
For the SouthState Bank appraisal team, the best part of working with the YouConnect team and support group is the receptiveness of the team to make support or modifications that they need. The customization abilities are commendable. SouthState Bank expanded their YouConnect system to capture residential and commercial evaluations, appraisals, validations, and third-party inspections. The platform also handles environmental reports and reviews, making their work even easier than before.
Other reasons why banks love YouConnect and why yours should too
Obsessive Customer Service
At Realwired, one of their foremost brand values is their exceptional customer service that ensures customer success all year round.
With YouConnect's customer support system, appraisal teams or departments never have to worry about little or big problems they face while using the software.
For any modifications, additions, and customization their client banks need, they only have to send a message and it's urgently sorted. No lags. No delays. Get the service you want and need regardless of your bank size.
Great Communication
Its imperative for appraisal teams to work with maximum effectiveness, seamless, and with real-time communication. The communication between the appraisal department, lending staff, , external vendors, and other relevant departments within the bank is critical.
With the YouConnect software, the back and forth of manual communication with individual parties and the risk of valuable information getting lost in the mix is eliminated. The YouConnect workflow provides easy communication captured within the highly sophisticated system using both live chat and email options, which makes it easy to keep all the information in one place as an audit trail, make great decisions and avoid any costly mistakes.
Ease of Use
Unlike some other appraisal management platforms which are cumbersome and tasking to use, even for some tech-oriented people, the YouConnect platform is simple, easy to use, and very beginner-friendly. With a lot less clicking and more automated doing, appraisal teams utilizing the YouConnect system have the most advanced appraisal software at their fingertips.
The Audit Trail Function
Every appraisal team deals with sensitive, confidential information that should be protected at all costs.
One of the benefits clients enjoy is the option to add a user to audit and allow them to see only the information they need without giving them full access to the entire system.
Reporting Function
With appraisal teams, reports are critical and require careful documentation to ensure everything is in place and accurate. Having an appraisal management software like YouConnect has simplified the entire reporting process for appraisal departments.
They have an automated custom reporting function where they compile the reports the way they want them to look and send it out to everyone it needs to get to, within the bank, and any external emails included at the exact time you program it to.
No matter how frequent the reports are, or customized metrics that need to be included, they provide quick and efficient support for any problem you run into along the way.
Increased Workflow and Efficiency
From independent studies and a multitude of customer interviews about YouConnect, it was revealed that it increases the meeting Service Level Agreements in appraisal departments by 40%.
The automated workflow gives appraisal managers real-time insights into everything going on within team, enhancing efficient monitoring of work queues, identifying any glitches in the system, and offering quick solutions or reallocating duties to improve efficiency. It helps them make healthy business decisions with all cards on the table and as little risk as possible.
It allows the team to actually do their jobs without having to worry about how the system works or struggling with it because YouConnect does what it's supposed to do every single time.
About The Realwired Team
Realwired is a commercial real estate technology management and consulting company dedicated to providing the best and easy-to-use appraisal management software solutions on the market.
With over 25 years of experience in the commercial real estate business, and creating groundbreaking technology to ease processes. Banks can be sure they'll be making confident investments with Realwired.
YouConnect, the most advanced appraisal software was created by the top appraisal experts at the Realwired team, using their wealth of knowledge and experience to simplify, automate, increase efficiency, and scale the real estate appraisal workflow for banks.
With YouConnect being customer-focused and compliant with all existing laws and regulations guiding the appraisal practice and also completing the rigorous AICPA SOC2 audit annually, banks can be more than sure of their technology and the safety of their cloud computing.
At Realwired, we respect data privacy and our stance is that the bank maintains data rights, something the entrenched provider can not say.
Trusted by clients like SouthState Bank, Fifth Third Bank, First Interstate Bank, Alta Bank, Origin Bank, and many more, YouConnect is on a mission to change the real estate bank appraisal space.
If you're thinking of migrating to an easy-to-use automated appraisal management platform, it's a good time to ask your colleagues at banks that have successfully implemented YouConnect to share the good news with you.
Visit their website for more information about the Realwired team and the YouConnect appraisal software.
