FAST a Digital Sales Transformation Software for the Real Estate Industry

1. Introduction

The rapidly increasing production of data across a variety of social domains has created an pressing need for efficient tools that can precisely analyze and manage this information in a clear and understandable manner.^1,2 At present, the manual handling of these operations has become intricate and prone to errors, necessitating a technological solution for centralised and real-time data control and visualisation.³ One solution is to develop a web-based system that enhances the efficiency of the sales process to a significant degree.⁴

This technology for business intelligence can integrate all data and intelige records of business transactions in a unified manner.^5,6 It also offers a thorough and current overview of sales behaviour.^7,8 Furthermore, the implementation of a system enables customised customer follow-up, resulting in heightened levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.⁹ On the contrary, the provision of real-time reports and statistics will enhance managers’ capability to evaluate sales performance and boost customer contentment.¹⁰

In this context, web-based tools or systems present an appealing option for enhancing sales management.¹¹ The approach aims to automate business processes, centralise information, and optimise customer service, with the goal of achieving substantial growth and success for the organisation.¹² Furthermore, the implementation of integrated automation has the potential to notably diminish the burden of manual labour, leading to a heightened optimisation of accessible resources and a decrease in errors.¹³

The adoption of a web-based system using Open Source distribution tools facilitates comprehensive information management for corporations.^14,15 It can offer swift, effortless, and gratifying services to enhance organizational sales.¹⁶ Furthermore, the company implemented a web-based system which enhanced the product registration process and subsequently boosted sales figures.⁵

Several case studies indicate that incorporating a web-based system for sales management within a company enhances sales process efficiency and decision-making.^17,18 Furthermore, there is robust, contemporary evidence concerning the particular correlation between this tool and its ability to enhance data visualisation and sales management within commercial projects.^19–21

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the web-based sales management system’s effectiveness upon implementation in Titanio SAC. This will lead to the optimization of commercial processes and contribute to the company’s sustainable growth within the market. Moreover, the article aims to examine the system’s efficiency, taking into account factors such as information search times and sales process duration.

This study enhances the construction and real estate sector’s knowledge and development by presenting crucial insights into the implementation of a web-based sales management system, and its impact on construction businesses. The study’s results and conclusions, which promote efficiency, productivity, and informed decision-making, could potentially expedite and enhance company growth.

This article is divided into five sections, with the first section serving as the Introduction, where issues encountered by companies regarding sales and systematisation are presented. Section 2, known as the Method, provides a detailed account of the hardware and step-by-step procedure employed in developing the web system, using the project methodology. Section 3, named Results, involves the production of infographics to illustrate the working of the system and its interfaces. Section 4 of this study compares and analyses the findings with existing research and relevant theoretical frameworks. Subsequently, in Section 5, the author presents their conclusions on the benefits of their research and their recommendations for future studies.

2. Methods

In this section, we describe the methods used in the development and operation of our software,²² a programme designed to improve decision making for micro and small enterprises in the real estate sector.

2.2 Operation

Extreme Programming (XP) was employed following 4 fundamental activities, which are carried out in accordance with the guidelines or stages (Figure 1).^23–25

Figure 1. Phases of XP methodology.

This figure has been reproduced with permission from Ref. 26.

2.2.1 Planning phase: The system requirements were extracted by detailing all user stories according to the customer’s demands. The first requirement allows for the login and registration of users, including both administrators and salespeople. The second requirement facilitated the projects and the lots assigned to them, while the third requirement enabled the allocation of sales to the lots assigned to the said projects. The fourth requirement facilitated the assignment of payments to the sold lots, and the fifth requirement generated a report of the sold lots and the accounts receivable. It is crucial to note that in this phase, the participants were assigned certain roles showing in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Roles according to the XP methodology.

2.2.2 Design phase: The most relevant user stories have been selected and simplified for convenience. Furthermore, CRC (Class-Responsibility-Collaboration) cards will be created to enhance the system analysis effectively. Refer to the Figure 3 for an illustration:

Figure 3. CRC’s targets.

2.2.3 Coding phase: Technical abbreviations will be explained when first used. The website structure was developed using HTML tags, CSS for style, color, and box layout, and JavaScript for HTML object manipulation as shown in Figure 4. Additionally, the site incorporates various technologies such as Materialize CSS, which is a design framework based on Google’s Material Design, DataTables for managing data in tables, Select2 for adding search functionality in combo-boxes, and PDFMake for exporting reports. The language will remain objective and value-neutral, with a passive and impersonal tone. The text will adhere to correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Regular author and institution formatting will be maintained, using clear and concise language with precise technical terms. The text will avoid colloquial language and unnecessary jargon. Sentences and paragraphs will have a logical flow of information with causal connections between statements. Common academic sections will be included, with factual and unambiguous titles and hedging to maintain a balanced view. The web system operates using PHP 8 programming language, with the implementation of the MVC (Model View - Controller) design pattern. Additionally, MySQL version 10.0 is utilized as the database management system and the eschema is on Figure 5, and REST APIs are employed to transfer data between the view and controller.

Figure 4. System coding.

Figure 5. Database.

2.2.4 Testing phase: The system underwent unit-level testing to identify any code faults and improve its quality, and these tests were incorporated into the development process, which can be seen in Figure 6. Following this, supervised acceptance testing was conducted with the client to grant final approval to the application.

Figure 6. Application development flowchart.

3. Use cases

Preface: Data Initialization Process

The system’s data initialization process is executed automatically, in accordance with the installation procedures outlined in the “Readme.md” file, which can be found in the relevant repository.²⁷

Use case 1: Sales Report

The developed user interface has the ability to create project-specific reports on lots sold which include graphical representations of both sold and unsold lots, along with sales dates (Figure 7).

Input:

Output:

Figure 7. Batch reporting interfaces per project.

Use case 2: Dues receivable report

The interface presents a comprehensive list of lots with outstanding fees. The information displayed includes the due date, amount payable, as well as the contact details and name of the owner (Figure 8).

Input:

Output:

Figure 8. Dues receivable interfaces.

Use case 3: Sales register

For the sales process there is a list of sales in which the information of the sale is indicated, likewise the sellers can register the sales, where the buyer, the location, the project, lot and price are indicated; which can take about 2 minutes to complete (Figure 9).

Input:

Output:

Figure 9. Recording of sales information.

Use case 4: Dashboard

After the application has been developed, the user logs in and the main interface displays their dashboard. The dashboard includes a graph of projects with remaining lots to be sold, sorted from highest to lowest, and another graph displaying owners and their respective accumulated balances, sorted from highest to lowest, as depicted in Figure 10.

Input:

Output:

Figure 10. Dashboard.

4. Discussion

Based on the system’s evaluation, there has been a substantial decrease of around 64% in the duration spent exploring details in the sales process. This decline showcases a distinctive effectiveness in sales proceedings, which is an exceptional advantage for real estate enterprises. Additionally, previous research has demonstrated that streamlining the information search process enables organisations to provide a responsive, uncomplicated and fulfilling service, ultimately leading to increased sales.¹⁶ It is noted that a web-based enterprise sales management system not only improves the efficiency of sales processes, but also contributes to more effective decision making.^17,18

The system design has been found to be extremely efficient in streamlining the process and considerably decreasing manual operations. Consequently, transaction recording time has been reduced by 62%. These findings are consistent with previous research,^3,5,6,13 which observes that the introduction of a sales system streamlines customer service. Additionally, the findings align with previous research,^4,9 indicating that utilizing the system results in enhanced processing times and an augmentation of sales.

One of the noteworthy features of our system is its sales interface, which allows for precise customer tracking and simplifies the recording and analysis of customer behaviour. This approach is in line with,^14,15 who affirmed that analogous systems aid in personalised tracking of consumers. What’s more, the systems automate business records^19–21 and ensure efficient control of information.¹⁰

The use of a dashboard has yielded dependable outcomes and enhanced supervision of process metrics and objectives, ensuring prompt delivery and efficient handling of tasks, transactions and documentation. Additionally, this tool features graphical interfaces to interact with databases, making it a vital component of business intelligence.^28,29 Furthermore, it streamlines the decision-making process by enabling companies to efficiently visualise sales, time and product data.^30–32

Therefore, a web-based system proves to be a dependable approach for real estate companies that seek enhanced efficiency in their sales process. The system has shown high adherence to the established objectives by optimising the process and improving usability via the Dashboard, thereby promoting informed decision-making in the company.

5. Conclusions

The implemented system has demonstrated its effectiveness in enhancing the sales process, reducing yearly tasks, and minimizing registration times.

Consistent with previous research, these findings provide evidence of the significance of sales systems in optimising customer service and diminishing processing delays, resulting in augmented sales.

The execution of the sales interface has facilitated precise customer tracking and enhanced information administration, aligning with research emphasising the value of systems in personalised customer tracking and automation of business records.

It is advisable that future researchers employ alternative methodologies to determine whether equivalent outcomes can be achieved. Such methodologies may include Waterfall, Scrum or V Methodology.