Integration, Not Innovation: What Brokerages Actually Want From Their Tech
Brokerage leaders do not want more features. They want fewer tools that actually work together. Here is the survey proof.
We asked 92 brokerage leaders what they wished their technology could do. We expected a wish list full of shiny new features. AI assistants. Predictive analytics. Social media automation.
That is not what we got.
The dominant themes from the 2023 State of Real Estate Brokerage Technology Survey were integration, platform, and system. Brokerage leaders are not asking for more tools. They are asking for the tools they already have to actually work together.
The word cloud tells the real story
When we asked survey respondents (Q21) what they wish their technology could do, we expected scattered answers. Instead the responses clustered around a few clear themes: integrated, platform, system, one tool, transaction management. Words like “custom” and “integration” showed up repeatedly. So did “adding” and “help,” which tells you something about where these leaders feel stuck.
The wish list was not about adding capabilities. It was about connecting the ones that already exist.
This tracks with what we found across the rest of the survey. The average brokerage runs 20.4 tools. Most of those tools do not talk to each other. Data lives in silos. Reporting requires pulling numbers from five different places and reconciling them by hand. Commission calculations happen in spreadsheets that nobody trusts but everybody depends on.
When you run that many disconnected systems, the problem is not that your technology is missing features. The problem is that your technology is missing connections.
Biggest opportunities point the same direction
We also asked brokerage leaders about the biggest opportunities they see ahead (Q1). The themes here were agents, AI, market conditions, social media, and technology. But look at how they framed it: helping agents, providing tools, building something better. The language was operational, not aspirational.
Nobody said “we need a revolutionary new platform.” They said they need what they have to work better. That is a different conversation entirely.
The tools brokerages rely on most
When we asked which tools are most effective (Q5), the top answers were CRM, MLS, transaction management tools like DotLoop, e-signature tools like DocuSign, and marketing tools like Canva. These are mature categories. They are not going anywhere.
The takeaway is not that brokerages need to replace these tools. It is that brokerages need something that ties them together on the operational side. Your agents are going to keep using their CRM. Your marketing team is going to keep using Canva. Your transaction coordinators are going to keep using DotLoop.
The question is whether the data from all of those tools flows into a single place where you can actually see what your brokerage is producing, what it is spending, and where the gaps are. For most brokerages today, the answer is no.
Most technology is just checking a box
Here is maybe the most telling finding from the survey. When we asked brokerage leaders how they view their technology’s role (Q6):
- 39.13% said technology is integral to operating their business
- 28.26% said it drives productivity
- 16.30% said their technology simply checks a box
- 7.61% said it is a unique differentiator
Nearly one in five brokerages said their technology is either just checking a box or only a minor differentiator. And only about two in five said technology is truly integral to how they operate. That means most brokerages are paying for tools that are not fundamentally changing how they run.
This is what happens when you accumulate 20 tools without a strategy for how they connect. Each tool solves one problem in isolation. None of them give you visibility across the whole operation. You end up with a lot of software and very little clarity.
We wrote more about this pattern in The Budget-Friendly Advantage of All-in-One Brokerage Solutions.
The real problem is fragmentation
Think about what happens when a transaction closes at your brokerage today. The contract lives in one system. The commission calculation happens in a spreadsheet or a different system. The compliance review is tracked somewhere else. The accounting entry goes into QuickBooks manually. The reporting, if it happens at all, requires pulling data from three or four of those places.
Every handoff between systems is a place where data gets lost, errors creep in, and time gets wasted. Multiply that by hundreds or thousands of transactions a year and you start to understand why brokerage leaders are not asking for more features. They are asking for fewer seams.
This is the fragmented systems problem, and it is the single biggest operational drag on most brokerages. We break it down further in Why Use an All-in-One Back Office Platform.
What the industry is actually moving toward
The survey data points to a clear direction. The industry is moving toward consolidation, not more fragmentation. Brokerage leaders want:
- Fewer tools that handle more of the operational workflow
- Real integration between front office tools and back office systems
- A single place to see transactions, commissions, compliance, and financials
- Less time spent on data entry and reconciliation, more time running the business
This is not a technology trend. It is an operations trend. Brokerages are not excited about new software categories. They are tired of managing dozens of disconnected ones.
The brokerages that figure this out first will have a real advantage. Not because they have better technology, but because they have fewer gaps between their systems. That means faster closings, accurate commissions, clean compliance, and reporting you can actually trust.
Where TotalBrokerage fits
TotalBrokerage was built to be the connected back office platform that sits at the center of a brokerage’s operations. Transactions, commissions, compliance, reporting, e-signatures, and agent management all live in one system of record.
It does not replace your agents’ front office tools. It connects the operational layer underneath them. Your agents keep using the tools they already know. Your back office stops re-entering data, stops reconciling spreadsheets, and stops guessing at the numbers.
That is what the survey data says brokerages actually want. Not more software. A connected foundation that makes the software they already have work together.
If you are evaluating whether to build or buy that foundation, or just want a complete guide to what is available, those are good starting points.
For a deeper look at how brokerage leaders are rethinking their technology strategy based on these survey findings, read our companion piece: Brokerage Technology Strategy 2024: Survey Insights.
Or if you want to see what a connected back office actually looks like, book a demo.
About this survey
The 2023 State of Real Estate Brokerage Technology Survey was conducted by TotalBrokerage in collaboration with T3 Sixty. 92 brokerage leaders from over 100 of the top brokerages in the United States participated. The survey covered technology usage, spending, satisfaction, concerns, and wish lists across the residential real estate brokerage industry.
FAQ
What do brokerage leaders actually want from their technology?
According to the 2023 survey of 92 brokerage leaders, the top wish list themes were integration, platform consolidation, and connected systems. Respondents did not ask for more features or more tools. They asked for fewer tools that actually work together, with transaction management and back office consolidation coming up most frequently.
How many technology tools does the average brokerage use?
The average brokerage uses 20.4 technology tools, up from 12.4 in 2020. Most brokerages only pay for five or fewer of those tools directly. The rest come from agents, teams, and offices filling gaps with their own subscriptions and workarounds. That fragmentation is a major driver of the integration demand we see in the survey data.
Why is technology not driving productivity at most brokerages?
Only 28.26% of survey respondents said their technology drives productivity, and 16.30% said it simply checks a box. The gap comes from tool sprawl without integration. Adding a 21st tool to a stack of 20 disconnected systems does not make operations better. It makes them more complicated. The brokerages reporting the best outcomes focused on consolidation, not accumulation.
What is the difference between front office and back office technology for brokerages?
Front office tools are what agents use day to day: CRM, MLS, marketing platforms, lead generation. Back office tools handle the operational core of the brokerage: transaction management, commission calculations, compliance, accounting, and reporting. The survey found that most technology spending goes to front office tools, while the back office, where financial accuracy and operational control actually live, gets a fraction of the budget.
How does a connected back office platform help with brokerage technology consolidation?
A connected back office platform like TotalBrokerage replaces the patchwork of spreadsheets, disconnected transaction tools, and manual accounting workflows with a single system of record. Transactions, commissions, compliance, and reporting all happen in one place. It does not replace front office tools. It connects the operational layer underneath them so data flows through the brokerage without re-entry, reconciliation, or guesswork.
Is AI the most requested technology feature among brokerage leaders?
AI appeared in the survey responses, but it was not the dominant theme. Integration, platform consolidation, and connected systems ranked higher in the technology wish list. Brokerage leaders are more focused on making their existing tools work together than on adopting new AI capabilities. The operational basics of connected data and accurate reporting still come first.
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