Industry Interview: Louis Harwood of Invento Software.
Where did the idea come from to launch Invento Software?
As a tenant and as a software developer working closely with letting agents and landlords I’ve experienced the difficulties that both sides face on a weekly basis. Seeing this led to the creation of Invento Software, focussing on making letting agents lives easier through technology.
With similar companies in the market place already, how does your software solution offer a USP?
With a number of products under our belt, the most recent being LettingFix, we are doubling down on integration and opening up access to data. There are so many different solutions out there that a letting agent can easily end up with 20 separate pieces of software helping them run their business but none of which ‘talk’ to each other. 2015 will see us making integration problems a thing of the past both between our own apps, internal systems and other providers.
How do you feel the estate agency industry embraces new innovation and technology?
Surprisingly well! We’ve been amazed sometimes at the energy some of our customers have towards trying new technology and being genuinely excited about new features and products. The industry embraces technology so well the problem isn’t encouraging agents to use software but instead to ensure that we can provide for their needs, which we strive to do every day. Over the next 12-18 months I imagine the focus will move from “which new solution should we try” to “which solution will work with our existing software easily?”.
The importance of social media as a marketing tool is growing – Do you agree with that?
Social media is becoming more and more important and that is proven by nearly every company spending more on digital marketing rather than traditional. We focus heavily on social media as a marketing tool, not because it guarantees sales but because if a company doesn’t have a strong social media presence it can put potential customers off.
What are your thoughts on Estate Agent Networking?
For Invento Software to do well, every member of staff has to become experts in the letting industry. Estate Agent Networking is the best resource for seeing what other industry leaders think, I make sure all my staff from our team of developers to the new apprentice, use the site to make sure they know what is happening in the industry. It helps us understand our customer’s needs and it is important to do so.
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