Our talented development team has been chained to their desks all summer, toiling away to add a bunch of new features and functionality to our product. They’ve recently emerged from their fog of programming with a great new release of our software in tow.

Technically, this release is an upgrade from version 3.0 to 3.8, but it encompasses more than a bump in the number to the right of the decimal point. We realized our software doeesn’t just create Virtual Tours and Websites. It includes high definition virtual tours (an industry first); distribution to major real estate sites like Google Base, Trulia, and Realtor.com; integration with existing MLS and IDX systems; printable fliers; tour and website statistics; support for multiple languages; online video training and seminars; and more. Given all that, we decided to christen it with a new name: the Premier Online Marketing System.

But enough about the new name. I’m sure what you really want to know is “What’s new?”. Some of the features and enhancements in this release are described in more detail below.

Multilingual Virtual Tours & Websites

With our business expanding into Spanish-speaking markets in the Caribbean, Mexico, and parts of the United States, we recognized many brokers and agents need to display their tours in multiple languages in order to reach all their customers. We’re proud to have built the industry’s first multilingual system for creating and displaying virtual tours & websites. Visitors to your tours and website can switch between languages by simply clicking a link, and our entire administration interface is available in both English and Spanish. We plan to extend the multilingual capabilities in the future, as well as as add other languages (”Parlez-vous le français?”, anyone?).

New, Easier-to-Use Interface

Once you sign in, the first thing you’ll notice is that the administration interface has a completely new look. We took this upgrade as an opportunity to put a fresher, more colorful face on our application. More importantly though, we made the application quicker and easier to use, so you could spend less time creating and editing tours and more time on your business. For example, you can now edit multiple virtual tours at the same time or switch between tour and website editing on the fly (neither of these things were possible before). Built using Adobe’s Flex technology, the new interface which cuts down our development time and allows us add new functionality more quickly.

Support for Multiple Currencies

Many of our customers—and their listings—are outside the United States, so we added the ability to show prices in other currencies such as the Euro, Peso, and Canadian dollar.

Improved Photo Uploading

You can now select and upload multiple photos at the same time. The system recognizes the filename of your photos, so if you give your photos logical names, there’s no need to type in a separate display name. This is a real time saver!

Quick Tour Searching & Filtering

Start typing in the Search box and your list of tours filters automatically. By default, tour searches are constrained to the last 6 months, but that range can be adjusted. This feature is great for agents or offices with lots of tours. (Remember, we believe every listing should have a virtual tour…you DO have a tour for every listing, don’t you??)

Improved Website Manager

Our improved Website Manager makes it easier to add and arrange content on your website.

Upgrade for FREE

As is our tradition, this upgrade comes to you for free. That’s right. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

Eventually, we’ll switch all of our customers to the new system, but right now we’re upgrading on an invitation-only basis. Hundreds of users have already made the switch. Don’t miss your opportunity to upgrade to the new release! Requesting an invite is simple:

1. Sign In to your account.
2. Click the Learn More button in the announcement at the top of the Welcome page.
3. From the popup window, verify your email address and click the Request Invite button.

When we have invites available, we’ll send you an email confirming your upgrade to the new system. The upgrade process is seamless, so all of your existing tours and website information will remain exactly as it was; you’ll just have access to the new interface and features. We’d love to hear what you think of the new system, so after you have a chance to give it a spin, post a comment and let us know what you think.

If you’re not already a customer, now is a great time to become one. We’ll be showing off our new product at the National Association of Realtors Conference, November 13-16 in Las Vegas. If you’re there, stop by booth #2249 and say hello! You can also visit our website to learn more and sign up.

Posted by: Kurt on November 1st, 2007 | Filed under: Websites, Product Announcements, Virtual Tours