Capturing the CRM Trend in Real Estate: The Style of Jiradis Suksangiam, Right-Hand Man of BUILKONE Behind PLOY by BUILK

In the new era of real estate, the name “Boat” Phait Phadungthin is well-known for revolutionizing the history of online construction business in Asia with the establishment of BUILK, a free cost control software for SME construction contractors.

As the world transitions into the Digital Transformation era, it has become the heart of business development. Collecting Big Data has become a valuable asset paving the way for success. In the fiercely competitive real estate sector, business tools are increasingly essential. One of the key strategies at this time is CRM (Customer Relationship Management), which both small and large companies prioritize. BUILK is well aware of the power of using CRM, as seen in many programs developed by BUILK, some of which were created to address this strategy, providing support for small real estate projects to compete with larger ones.

It’s no surprise that today BUILK has come a long way from its first steps, with a goal to enhance work efficiency by integrating new technologies. It is now recognized as an organization that develops programs and software covering all sectors of the construction industry, from contractors and material manufacturers to real estate developers.

This is evidenced by programs like POJJAMAN, an ERP system specifically for the construction business, JUBILI, a sales management program for construction material stores, KWANJAI, a coordination system for post-sale repairs in housing projects and condominiums, and Ploy by BUILK, another CRM program that helps manage real estate sales. Recently, “Dis” Jiradis Suksangiam, a former young and dynamic engineer, has taken on the role of right-hand man as the Product Owner of “Ploy App” at BUILKONE Group Co., Ltd.

From Engineer to Problem Solver

The question is, who is this person? Trusted by the action-oriented CEO Boat, if we compare Boat to Steve Jobs, Dis would be somewhat like Tim Cook. Today, we will get to know this right-hand man better.

Jiradis Suksangiam, affectionately called “P’Dis” by his colleagues, initially lived a typical engineer's life. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Chulalongkorn University, he spent over 10 years in construction, managing high-rise building projects. Eventually, he questioned whether he would continue doing this forever. Feeling saturated and wanting to explore new challenges but unsure where to start, he decided to pursue a master's degree in business administration at Thammasat University, hoping to spark new inspiration.

Eventually, he truly found it when the faculty invited “Boat” Phait as a guest speaker. It felt like meeting a kindred spirit with a matching attitude. This led to him working with BUILKONE without even applying (how surprising!). Initially, Dis managed the KWANJAI program before fully developing Ploy, overseeing everything from production to marketing.

Having transitioned from a large organization to a startup, Dis admitted that he not only had to adjust his work style from managing construction workers but also adapt to a different work culture. Interestingly, he felt no pressure but enjoyed the work, especially learning from Boat, whom he regards as an older brother.

“I used to be in the construction industry, which utilized relatively low technology. When I first started working here, I wondered if I would manage. It felt like I had been in a comfort zone for a while. Once I joined, I had to adapt a lot, but the seniors taught me like older brothers teaching younger siblings. Boat taught me a lot; I think he is sharp and discusses every issue. However, he cuts out unnecessary details, focusing on the essentials. Working with him is about getting to the point without fluff (laughs).” Dis shared about what he learned from his brother Boat.

CRM Trend Invades the Real Estate Sector

After thriving in the startup world and having a good mentor, Dis sees the overall picture of the startup landscape in real estate, where the CRM trend is increasingly undeniable.

“In fact, the real estate sector has been aware of CRM for over 5 years, but they still don’t know much about the programs that address this issue. In an era where startups are booming in our country, many operators are trying to develop this area. However, I believe that no matter who develops what, we must look back at the needs of the users.”

“Previously, there may have been large real estate developers interested in CRM, but now both small and medium-sized companies are increasingly interested in implementing CRM because they realize that it’s essential to collect data using programs or software. I see that for medium or small companies, if they continue using old methods, they will eventually fall behind their peers. This group of entrepreneurs is therefore trying to find tools to assist them more than they did 4-5 years ago.”

Ploy: A Sales Management Assistant Enhancing Competitive Power for Small Players

With a broader vision and the unconventional approach of BUILKONE, the development of Ploy by BUILK emerged to address sales management issues and assist in customer data management (Pre-Sales Process), aiming to empower small developers to compete with larger ones.

“As we engage more with developers, we find that most medium to small developers lack tools to collect data or assist in sales. Sometimes, when a salesperson leaves, they don’t update customer information. Therefore, we strive to create tools to help real estate developers manage their data and sales. Ultimately, we need to ensure that the features we develop truly assist them; if they don’t, it’s pointless and will just become an app that exists in the system but is not used.”

Thus, the highlight of Ploy is its REAL ESTATE SOLUTION, which not only addresses specific issues but also reduces costs, saves time, and enhances efficiency across six dimensions simultaneously, including:

1. Executive Overview: Provides executives with an overall view.

2. Transfer Management: Accelerates home transfer rates.

3. Construction Management: Updates construction status for all parties more quickly.

4. Sales Management : Consolidates information in one place, systematically capturing the Customer Journey.

5. Marketing Management: Enables immediate analysis for the marketing team.

6. Financial Management: Provides an overview of borrower qualifications, helping project developers plan finances better.

“What we aim to highlight about Ploy is that it can be set up quickly within 3 days because we understand that small to medium companies cannot wait long to implement systems. Their workforce is not large, so we designed the program to be user-friendly. Just input the data, and with a Database and Master Base, it can be used right away.”

Even More Challenging: Changing User Behavior

Many may think that the challenging part of program development is creating features or technical issues, but Dis argues that the real challenge is getting people to use the program. Therefore, Ploy has a teamwork workshop and training for companies using its services regularly, regardless of how far the clients are. Especially with a User Care team checking for any user issues to provide continuous assistance, often, customer usage problems become the spark for system development, leading to new features that help customers.

“Executives are happy with using these programs, but the sales team feels it complicates their work. What we do is create understanding about how these programs can assist them. I believe the hardest part is changing behavior, and importantly, the executives of each company must push their employees to actually use it.”

“Initially, we viewed Ploy as a tool to manage sales, helping executives monitor the sales side only. However, after some time, clients commented that they wanted to know about construction data too, wanting to know how far the transfer process had gone. So we made it address all aspects: sales, construction, and transfer, allowing us to have options for reporting construction progress and loan applications for homeowners easily, ensuring that on the day of transfer or sale, there are no issues. We are currently working on enhancing this feature.” Dis shared about user feedback that became a significant turning point for Ploy.

The Formula for Successful Apps: They Must Solve Real Problems

For over 3 years, Ploy has served as a sales management assistant for developers, with those who tried it in their first projects returning for subsequent projects, proving small successes that motivate the team.

“I believe this is my intention and that of BUILKONE as well, to develop software to be a friend or assistant for real estate developers. If today you need a tool or a friend to help think and collect data, think of Ploy. Setting sales targets may be one thing, but we see it as secondary.”

“I think today BUILKONE has grown larger, with over a hundred employees, becoming a startup that is starting to grow but still not like typical large companies. We can still move quickly, and if we develop a program that doesn’t meet the needs, we stop and look for new challenges to solve real user problems instead.” The young executive reflects on the organization's working style that does not cling to success metrics.

Before concluding, Dis also predicts the trend of the real estate sector, stating that CRM programs will become essential for organizations in the real estate industry, depending on how they will branch out in different directions.

“Look at how online condo bookings are increasing instead of having to queue up early like before. I believe this trend will continue to grow. Those looking for homes no longer need to go to Sales Galleries. Today we have VR for photography on websites and AR for 360-degree images. I think developers with modern minds will want to adapt.”

Wrapping Up

“Where does the name “Ploy” come from?

It can be observed that under the roof of BUILKONE, all programs have sweet names, reminiscent of women's names. This is attributed to the organization's sense of humor, viewing that those involved in this business are quite strong, facing numerous challenges in managing materials, labor, machinery, sales, etc. They must showcase toughness and masculinity, akin to the character of resilient men, while sometimes needing a caring partner to look after their back, possessing qualities of delicacy, orderliness, intelligence, and friendliness, which align with the characteristics of women. This is why every program from BUILKONE is named to reflect femininity, just like the app Ploy.