Brokerage Technology Demo Checklist: Five Tasks to Try Before You Join

A brokerage technology presentation can introduce the tools you might use. A practical demonstration helps you understand the steps involved in using them.

If you are comparing California brokerages, bring a short list of everyday tasks to the conversation. Ask whether someone can demonstrate them in a test environment, or let you try them with guidance. You are looking for a workable routine, not the longest feature list.

The exercises below are vendor-neutral. They are not a description of Ashby & Graff’s current systems or a promise that any brokerage offers a particular feature.

Before you start

Use fictional names, invented notes, and clearly labeled sample documents. Do not upload client information, real transaction files, or your existing contact database. Before creating any sample records, have the presenter confirm that the test environment will not send messages, notify real users, or change a live calendar. Keep all messaging and automated outreach disabled during these exercises.

Ask which tools and account permissions the demonstration represents. An administrator’s screen may differ from the access available to an associate. If a task cannot be demonstrated, record it as unverified rather than assuming it works or does not work.

1. Find a resource from the starting screen

Try this: Begin at the normal sign-in landing page. Find a sample instruction page explaining how to update your profile. Return to the starting screen, then find it again without following the presenter’s clicks.

Notice whether the resource has a clear title, a useful search result, and an identifiable place in the menu. Ask how someone distinguishes current instructions from an older copy.

Record: Where you started, the route you took, and whether you could repeat it independently.

This tests a basic question: when you need an instruction, can you locate it without already knowing where it lives?

2. Add and correct a fictional contact

Try this: In a demonstration contact tool, create “Jordan Sample” with the note “Asked about a future introductory conversation.” Use only presenter-approved dummy contact details. Then correct the name to “Jordan Example” and search for the updated record.

Ask the presenter to show what happens if the same sample contact is entered again. Does the system flag a possible duplicate, create another record, or require a manual check?

Record: How you corrected the entry and how you would recognize duplicate information.

3. Reschedule a reminder and find the next action

Try this: Create a sample reminder called “Review practice notes” for a fictional future appointment. Move it to another day, then open the view you would normally use to plan your work.

Can you see the revised reminder? Is the original date still visible somewhere that could cause confusion? Ask whether any connected calendar updates automatically or requires another step.

Record: Where the change appeared and any manual action required.

The goal is to understand the sequence, including work that happens outside the main screen.

4. Prepare a sample template without publishing it

Try this: If a template tool is available, open a blank practice template and add “Demonstration Only” as its heading. Preview it on a phone-sized screen, save the draft, leave the page, and reopen it.

Look for text that wraps awkwardly, fields that remain blank, or edits that did not save. Ask where the draft ends and the publishing or sending action begins. Do not publish or send anything.

Record: Whether you found the saved version and could identify the final review step.

A preview is useful only if you know which version you are reviewing.

5. Inspect a permitted sample export

Try this: Ask whether the tool can export the fictional contact created earlier. If permitted, inspect the sample output with the presenter. Check whether the corrected name and note appear in understandable fields.

If exporting is unavailable, ask how an authorized user retrieves that information. Separately, request clarification about applicable access and data-use terms. A visible export button does not answer those questions.

Record: What the sample output contained, what was missing, and what remains unanswered.

Copyable demo worksheet

Brokerage and demonstration date:

Tools and account access shown:

For each task, record:

• Task:
• Result: demonstrated / tried independently / unverified
• Extra steps or separate tools:
• Question still open:
• Importance to my routine: essential / useful / optional

Afterward, identify the unresolved question that matters most to your daily work. A missing feature may be manageable; an unclear essential workflow deserves another look.

Considering Ashby & Graff? Explore our California brokerage overview as your next step.