Do you remember the last time you wrote a letter? There was a time not too long ago in human history that putting ink on paper and sending it out through a carrier was the only way to communicate a message. And, it could be days, weeks, or even months before you got a reply. Can you imagine negotiating a business transaction or conducting a war or developing a romance through this slow means of communication? Well, somehow, it was done for centuries.
Of course, many means of communication have come along that have sped up our ability to communicate with one another. There was the telegraph, and then the telephone. Then, finally, we entered into the digital age. E-mail revolutionized the way people and, especially people in business, communicate with one another. And even today, it remains the most important means of communication.
But even email is different today than it was when it was first introduced. Decades ago, it would have been perfectly acceptable to check your e-mail once week or every couple of days. An immediate response wasn't expected. Today, however, when you don't answer e-mails within a few hours, people get nervous. We have now entered the era of real-time communication.
The next evolution in this form of communication appears to be text messaging or "chatting" platforms in which a real-time dialogue can take place. In the mortgage industry, it's important for us to learn how to and to be comfortable with using these new technologies. It's where the market is headed. When people want to talk, they want to talk now. Waiting is a thing of the past. Are you ready for the age of real-time communication?
David Lykken, a 43-year veteran of the mortgage industry, is president of Transformational Mortgage Solutions (TMS), a management consulting firm that provides transformative business strategies to owners and “C-Level” executives via consulting, executive coaching and various communications strategies. He is a frequent guest on FOX Business News and hosts his own weekly podcast called “Lykken On Lending” heard Monday’s at 1:00 p.m. ET at LykkenOnLending.com. David’s phone number is (512) 759-0999 and his e-mail is [email protected].
