I have seen the future…. And it’s yesterday

There are many #PropTech companies out there bringing us lots of different products that they say we need. So, when the company that brought us Spectre (A product I have not only recommended to clients but one that I use on my day to day estate agency life) told me about their new product “Hello Again”, I was keen to see what it had to offer.

We estate agents are great at knowing what’s going on in our market right now. Who has listed that? How do we get that listing? We are also great at looking forward, telling potential vendors, through various marketing channels, that we are the best agent to choose IF they are coming to the market.
If you were to ask the CEO of almost any business to give you a list their top three thoughts on how to grow a business, they will tell you “Repeat Business”. Yet, I find that agents, in general, don’t work with their database of past sales and purchases. Why?

Oh, don’t get me wrong. On a training session on this subject agents will tell me –
We contact our purchasers 12 months after completion to see if they want to find out how much the house has increased in value.

We show them how the market has performed in that time.
We do this every year they are in the property to keep that relationship going.
There is one question I ask them that gets most agents in a series of “uhmms”, “Wells” and “You Sees”. I ask them “How?” (They do this). What I then find is that the switched on agents know they should keep in contact with past success stories but they don’t.

Then I ask why?
The answer is usually “We have more pressing things to do”. What this shows is that the day to day “Stuff” is getting in the way of solid business strategy and process.

Well, I have just had a “Test Drive” of Hello Again, the new #PropTech product from the team that brought us Spectre.

Designed to allow the forward thinking agent to keep in contact with its previous success stories, build that relationship and secure repeat business.
Once the data transfer is complete the system can run itself but does allow agent interaction to personalise content.
Having been involved in Data Transfer previously, the process is as simple as it gets, simply uploading from a CSV file or spreadsheet.
I have always said that any #PropTech product MUST release the agent from doing “Stuff” so that they can concentrate on customer engagement. Hello Again, not only does that but also manages the engagement for you.
Let’s not forget the customer in all this. How would you feel if on the anniversary of buying your largest ever purchase you received a free report on how that investment, along with the market in general, is preforming? Pretty good, right!

To finish, I’d like to respond to an agency CEO I met recently to said “Let’s be honest Nigel, Service levels are all well and good but they don’t pay the bills”. Hello Again might just be the product that ensures that they do.

Nigel Stephens

You May Also Enjoy

labour party scam mansion tax
Breaking News

Labour to enforce entry to your home for Property Mansion Tax?

As Labour take a tighter control on UK citizens and further explore taxes to impose – The latest trending topic discussed is the suggestion that they wish to send officials out to homes they serve in order to value and impose the mansion tax. If the group of unprofessional leaders in charge couldn’t slip any…
Read More
small house bird box
Breaking News

Public Sentiment Favours Social Infrastructure Over Housing Resistance

Britain is more YIMBY than NIMBY, as social housing tops consumers’ housing policy priorities   More than two in five UK adults support new homes being built within three miles of where they live (43 per cent), nearly twice the proportion who oppose local development (22 per cent) Building social or affordable housing is the…
Read More
Breaking News

Homebuyers are Prioritising Wi-Fi Over Good Schools

One in four Brits would reject a home over potential slow broadband Almost half (45%) of recent and prospective home movers rank broadband among their considerations when choosing a home, much more so than local schools (26%) Over 1 in 3 (37%) don’t feel settled into a new home until their Wi-Fi is working. Of…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

Landlord returns reach almost 7% in some areas

Landlord returns reach almost 7% in strongest rental markets, but protecting those returns is just as important as generating them   The latest analysis by The Letting Partnership has revealed that rental yields are reaching almost 7% in England’s strongest-performing markets, but the firm has warned landlords that generating a healthy return is only half the equation,…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

Portfolio landlords now control almost half of England’s private rentals

A changing landlord landscape is being shaped by wealth creation, lifestyle flexibility and a more professional approach to property investment. A new generation of investors are entering the market driven by long-term wealth creation, lifestyle flexibility and a more business-minded approach to property ownership, according to John Minnis estate agents. While the latest English Private…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Commuter growth peaks in the north as Manchester and Glasgow lead the way

New analysis from the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove, reveals the commuter hotspots around six major cities where average asking prices are rising the fastest Affordable commuter locations around Glasgow and Manchester lead house price growth Falkirk, Stirlingshire, has the highest price growth at +13.5%, with an average asking price of £183,596 While asking prices…
Read More