Ask Technical Terry is a series RMLS™ aims to offer once a month. RMLS™ subscribers will drive the content—submit any question about RMLS™ to Technical Terry in the comments or by emailing communications@rmls.com. Don’t be shy—we won’t identify you by name.
Dear Technical Terry,
I noticed I’m getting SentriLock showing notifications sent to my email address. Is it possible to get them via text message?
Cheers, New in Newberg
Fear not, New, you can certainly change how you get showing notifications. You just need to change a few preferences with your SentriCard® on the SentriLock website.
Insert your SentriCard® into the SentriLock card reader attached to your computer. Log in to the SentriLock website. On the left side of your screen, click on “Manage My Account.” Make sure the correct cell phone number is listed!
Toward the top of the screen, below the green bar, click on “Preferences.” Choose the showing notification preference you desire, and the delivery method desired, then click to save the changes to your SentriCard®.
Once that’s all done, you should get text messages as soon as the SentriLock system registers a showing—a much easier option than checking your email every few minutes. Good luck!
Hey Technical Terry,
How can I get my SentriLock notifications immediately? Like, as soon as the box is opened?
Cheers, Listing Lisa
Thanks for your question, Lisa! The short answer is yes, there is a way for the SentriLock system to send out immediate showing notifications—but it is dependent on whether the agent showing the property follows SentriLock best practices.
Using a cellular device to open the lockbox—meaning either a remote access device (RAD) or the SentriSmart™ phone app—will send information immediately, provided the device is in cell range.
If the lockbox is out of range of the RAD, an agent can use his or her SentriCard® at the box—they’d just need to place the card back in the RAD as soon as possible after opening the lockbox. The RAD will communicate showing information using its cellular radio—again, as long as the device is in cell range.
Using SentriSmart™
SentriSmart™, an app that is free for RMLS™ subscribers with key service, sends immediate showing notifications with no further action needed on the part of the agent showing a property.
RMLS™ subscribers are increasing their use of the SentriSmart™ app—about 17% of subscribers started using SentriSmart™ when it was released, versus about 27% of subscribers who use it now.
SentriSmart™ is free for RMLS™ subscribers who have key service. Download it for Android or Apple devices here:
• Android SentriSmart™ phone app
• Apple SentriSmart™ phone app
You’ll need to be running Android 2.2 or iOS 6 or higher to use SentriSmart™.
When using SentriSmart™, be aware that a showing notification is sent to the listing agent as soon as you generate a code to open the lockbox. If you generate a code just to see how it works, use one of your own lockboxes to avoid falsely generating a showing notice!
And one more note about RADs: RAD users, charge your RAD for a minimum of four hours weekly using a wall charger. The car charger is not intended to supply a full charge to the RAD, only to keep the RAD battery topped off while it’s in your car.
Hopefully that helps, Lisa. As more people learn about how vital the RAD is and/or start using SentriSmart™, the less you should be receiving delayed notifications. Tell all your REALTOR® friends!
Ever had clients confused by the abbreviations on a Client Full report, or wish that you could assign a new listing to a lockbox within RMLSweb? RMLS™ is pleased to report upcoming improvements to RMLSweb designed to make things easier for our subscribers.
SentriLock Integration
Beginning November 20th, subscribers will be able to perform basic SentriLock functions on the site such as assigning/unassigning a lockbox to a listing and viewing lockbox access information.
Access this new feature in Listing Load using the SentriLock button below the RMLSweb navigation menu (above).
In “My Lockboxes” (above), a list of your lockboxes will appear along with the ML# and the address they’re currently assigned to. Click the X to unassign the listing, but be aware that showing surveys will be cleared out once the lockbox has been unassigned.
To assign a lockbox to a listing, click on the “My Unassigned Listings” tab. Active listings will be displayed, and subscribers can click the link to assign a lockbox to a particular listing.
If you’d rather have a look at the history of lockbox accesses, click the lockbox serial number in the “My Lockboxes” tab (above).
RMLSweb communicates lockbox changes back to SentriLock almost instantly, meaning that it’s even more important for subscribers to keep their SentriCard® updated by using their RAD.
Report Improvements
When the SentriLock integration is released, subscribers may also notice a few improvements to reports on RMLSweb. Print buttons will now be available on all tabs in detail view.
We’re also adding two new unabbreviated reports to the list of available reports: Agent Unabbreviated and Client Unabbreviated. These reports are self-explanatory: no abbreviations to look up or need to cross-reference the RMLSweb Listing Abbreviations document! Keep in mind these unabbreviated reports will require more room and pages to print out—we’ll hope you’ll keep the environment in mind. An Agent Unabbreviated tab will also be available for easy onscreen viewing.
RMLS™ hopes this latest batch of improvements to RMLSweb will help subscribers execute their business. As always, feedback about this latest round of improvements is welcome. If you have ideas or suggestions to make RMLSweb even better, contact the RMLS™ Help Desk at (503) 872-8002.
The RMLS™ board voted to adjust the RMLS™ default SentriLock hours earlier this year based on feedback received from subscribers after the last change. Default lockbox hours are now 8am-10pm Pacific.
Subscribers will need to take action for these default lockbox hours to be in effect. First, update your SentriCard® using the SentriCard® reader (this is not required if you’ve been keeping your card in your RAD). Then simply insert the card into each lockbox and wait until the series of beeps is finished.
We know that some of you prefer to set your own lockbox hours based on your clients’ needs or your own preferences. We’ve produced a short video about how to set your own lockbox hours:
(Our trainers say that the later steps in this video, neglecting to use the SentriCard to log in to the SentriLock website after inserting a card into the lockbox, is the most frequent mistake users make in this process.)
RMLS™ has amended its Rules and Regulations to make sure that brokers know how to properly use codes generated using the SentriSmart™ app.
RMLS™ is pleased so many subscribers are discovering the convenience and ease of using the SentriSmart™ app to open SentriLock lockboxes. SentriSmart™ Mobile Access Codes (SMACs) may be generated for brokers who wish to show a listing, but those codes cannot be distributed to any other party by those brokers, such as clients who wish to access a property without their agent present. Providing a code is the same as providing a SentriCard® to enter a property, and is subject to the same rules and sanctions.
Note that SMACs are different from one day codes and contractor codes which are a separate feature of the SentriLock system. One day and contractor codes can only be used by the listing broker who owns the lockbox.
These changes to the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations have been approved by the Board of Directors and take effect Monday, June 30th. If you have any questions about the changes, contact RMLS™.
Did you know that SentriLock offers an app for your smartphone that allows you to access a lockbox without the use of your SentriCard® or RAD? What if we told you that your RAD doesn’t even need to be charged, nor does your SentriCard® need to be updated in order to use it?
This app is called SentriSmart™, and it is available in the Apple app store and on Google Play. You will need iOS 6 or higher on an Apple device or Android 2.2 or higher for use. As part of the RMLS™ contract with SentriLock, SentriSmart™ is available for free for RMLS™ subscribers who have key service.
SentriSmart™ is a mobile application, allowing access to a lockbox key compartment with the use of a mobile access code instead of a SentriCard®. It also provides immediate showing notifications as soon as the showing agent generates a code. SentriSmart™ will still work if your card is expired, and if your RAD doesn’t have a charge. As long as your cell phone has a signal, the SentriSmart™ app can generate a mobile access code so that you can access the key compartment of a SentriLock lockbox.
When using SentriSmart™, please be aware that a showing notification is sent to the listing agent as soon as you generate a code. If you generate a code just to see how it works, please use one of your own lockboxes to avoid falsely generating a showing notice.
Did you know that SentriLock offers an app for your smartphone that allows you to access a lockbox without the use of your SentriCard® or RAD? What if we told you that your RAD doesn’t even need to be charged, nor does your SentriCard® need to be updated in order to use it?
This app is called SentriSmart™, and it is available in the Apple app store and on Google Play. You will need iOS 6 or higher on an Apple device or Android 2.2 or higher for use. As part of the RMLS™ contract with SentriLock, SentriSmart™ is available for free for RMLS™ subscribers who have key service.
SentriSmart™ is a mobile application, allowing access to a lockbox key compartment with the use of a mobile access code instead of a SentriCard®. It also provides immediate showing notifications as soon as the showing agent generates a code. SentriSmart™ will still work if your card is expired, and if your RAD doesn’t have a charge. As long as your cell phone has a signal, the SentriSmart™ app can generate a mobile access code so that you can access the key compartment of a SentriLock lockbox.
When using SentriSmart™, please be aware that a showing notification is sent to the listing agent as soon as you generate a code. If you generate a code just to see how it works, please use one of your own lockboxes to avoid falsely generating a showing notice.
RMLS™ has amended its Rules and Regulations to make sure that brokers know how to properly use codes generated using the SentriSmart™ app.
