Nekst began as a tool focused on task management, not to be confused with "Document Management" like Dotloop, Docusign and others. Over the years, we have recognized the importance of storing and sharing documents as assistants and transaction coordinators in real estate work to get listings under contract and properties closed.
As we took on this feature, we knew that we needed to be smarter about how documents were handled in Nekst. Understanding that real estate agents were already storing documents on their personal computers, in the cloud and with their broker, we wanted to ensure that Nekst offered a darn good reason to be yet another storage option for transaction documents.
Document Labels
We first mapped out the best way for agents to stay organized as they managed the multitude of documents involved in a transaction. Because documents often come with inconsistent file naming, we decided to create "Labels" as a placeholder for all of the important documents in a transaction. It didn't matter what the file name was as long as the label of "Purchase Contract" was associated with it.
Linking Documents to Labels was a great first step in improving the document management process. We also allow for Universal Documents to be pre-loaded with labels should there be a document that never changes which you want included every time a certain label is used.
Label Templates
As individual labels were being created, we needed a way to group these labels into a bundle, aka template, which could be applied to a property. Applying a Label Template provides our users with placeholders for every important document. In a quick glance, a user can identify any missing documents for their transaction.
Multiple templates can be applied to a single property to help when transitioning from a listing to a pending. And if a deal falls through, the same template can be re-applied to a property; removing the old documents and creating new placeholders for the correct paperwork.
Uploading Document with or without Labels
We recognize that not every document needs a label, so users are still able to upload random documents. Any document uploaded can easily be renamed, downloaded or shared.
SmartTags for Documents
In the same way that Detail Boxes can be embedded into Email and SMS Messages to automatically populate transaction information without the need to retype information, links to the PDF documents joins the list of available SmartTags. By simply typing "#documents", a list of available documents will appear for the user to select. No need to search through a file manager, download or upload anything.
Action Plans can have these SmartTags pre-loaded in Email & SMS Tasks to make new property setup simpler and faster than ever. Best of all, all documents load as a preview in a browser - no need for you or your recipients to download files, keeping emails smaller in size and allowing for text message sharing of documents.
Client Portal Sharing
Documents can also be shared along with all of the important transaction information in our Client Portal - the consumer facing, single page website that provides your client with a roadmap of important key dates, notes and now Documents! Any document added to a property can easily be included in the Client Portal and easily accessible by clients at any time, on desktop or mobile.
