CUSTOMER STORY

The Real Estate Board of NY: 130 Years of Excellence, Modernizing with Salesforce, Agentforce and Data 360

No other organization in New York City matches REBNY’s reach and impact.

For 130 years, REBNY has served as the premier association for New York City’s real estate industry. Driving real solutions requires bold leadership—and they deliver, working with the full spectrum of the industry, including commercial and residential owners, developers, brokers, agents, attorneys, and management firms.

They advocate for members by engaging with government leaders and key stakeholders to advance smart, forward-thinking policies that strengthen the city’s economy and support a vibrant business environment.
They equip members with real-time data, resources and a comprehensive suite of services designed to help you and your organization thrive in New York City’s dynamic real estate landscape.
They work to convene members through active working groups, committees, and high-impact industry events, cultivating powerful networks and fostering meaningful collaboration.

Simplifying Processes and Addressing Disjointed Data

Don Laughlin, REBNY’s Director of Technology, has been a key force in modernizing the organization since he joined. His role is to lead every bit of technology REBNY uses or plans to use, with a clear focus on advancing all things digital. When Don joined REBNY, the company had already started to make leaps in the business as well as technology but he accelerated that momentum – identifying opportunities to streamline how the organization managed and accessed its data. By simplifying processes and reducing reliance on disconnected systems, REBNY has been able to improve transparency, accelerate reporting, and gain a more complete view of the member journey. This transformation has allowed the organization to measure performance and impact more effectively, ensuring data-driven decisions that strengthen member services and operational efficiency.

“One of the key challenges when I first started here at REBNY was the journey to get to the data itself… it would take days for us to get this information when it should be available at the snap of a finger.”
–Don Laughlin, Director of Technology

Planning and Executing a Long-Term Roadmap

Recognizing the need for a comprehensive change, Don began looking for a partner, not just a vendor, to help with the transition. What set Plative apart was their “Innovation as a Program” approach, which was a stark contrast to the project-focused models offered by other companies. Plative Innovate is an agile engagement model that creates a strategic technology roadmap aligned with business objectives, then executes that roadmap through sprint-based development. The goal is to quickly deliver ongoing value across front and back-office technology. This approach provides several key benefits:

Accelerated Time to Value: The program is designed to deliver high-impact results quickly.
Release Optimization: Plative helps optimize releases, particularly for platforms like Salesforce and NetSuite.
Cross-platform Support: The service offers support across multiple platforms.
Flexibility: The program is flexible, allowing it to evolve with a business’s changing needs.

Don understood the importance of building long-term relationships with vendors he could trust, who would offer clear and transparent communication. The people he met at Plative ultimately sealed the deal for a long-term partnership.

“It wasn’t just the program itself that convinced me. The people that I met, people that I talked with and got to know, definitely helped sell this for a long-term partnership.”
– Don Laughlin, Director of Technology

This new partnership began with a full migration to Salesforce, getting rid of a fragmented system that included Fonteva, Zendesk, SAP Business One and others. With Plative’s help, REBNY moved to a single, central location to track member communications and interactions. This new platform gave leadership the ability to finally measure performance metrics and start building KPIs. The success of this initial migration built trust, leading Don to expand the partnership with Plative to implement NetSuite as their new ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system integrated to their technology stack via Mulesoft.

“It’s definitely been a rewarding experience to be with people who are like-minded to ensure that not only are these projects successful, but our partnership is successful.”
– Don Laughlin, Director of Technology

A key innovation was the implementation of a no-password policy for members. Instead of calling in to reset forgotten passwords, members now receive a login code via email, providing a much more seamless and convenient experience. This has provided a notable improvement in member engagement. The organization also implemented a new payment system through Blackthorn, which offers members one-click payment options on their desktop or Apple Pay on their phones. This change has made renewals significantly easier for members and has reduced the manual work for REBNY’s staff, who previously spent a lot of time managing overdue payments.

Leveraging Data Cloud to Modernize and Index Over a Century of Files

For over a century, REBNY has been collecting paper copies of membership applications and membership renewals. Originally stored in physical files at REBNY’s Midtown office, the data was later digitized into a computerized vault. Now, with the help of Data 360’s advanced vector database, these files have been stored, indexed, and made fully searchable. This technological leap unlocks unprecedented capabilities through Agentforce, significantly improving how this historic data is accessed and utilized.

Bringing on a New Agentic Team Member

Providing exceptional support to over 14,000 members, at a lower cost, is no small task. That’s why REBNY partnered with Plative to develop an advanced member services agent, powered by Agentforce. This digital teammate is always online, ready to assist the member services team by offering quick, reliable answers. Powered by a database of past member inquiries and REBNY’s most frequently requested topics, the agent enables representatives to deliver faster, more personalized support.

The next step for REBNY will be to integrate this agent directly into their Experience Cloud portal. This will allow members to access self-service support like renewing memberships, freeing up valuable time for the member services team to focus on what they do best: enhancing member services and providing significant value to New York City’s real estate community.

The Future of a Modern Association

Looking ahead, REBNY is focused on leveraging technology to strengthen its foundation of innovation. Don has emphasized the importance of fully utilizing Salesforce to build a comprehensive Member360 view, enabling deeper insights into the membership that will enhance engagement and the delivery of services. He also sees artificial intelligence as a powerful opportunity for REBNY to improve member experiences, drive operational efficiency, and support future growth.

The partnership with Plative will continue to drive this progress with new projects on the horizon, including Agentforce, Tableau, and Tableau Next. These tools will help REBNY to continue to grow and modernize, giving its members the data and support they need. Don is optimistic about the potential of AI to enhance member support, making services more accessible and efficient through a member-facing AI agent.

Don views the partnership with Plative as a relationship built on trust, which has allowed them to continuously bring innovative ideas from a whiteboard to a final solution.

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