Traditional is a word which has long been associated with the property industry.
We’ve had landlords since the medieval times when wealthy landowners offered homes in return for labour, produce, or money.
I became a letting agent at the start of the 1990s and while there had naturally been changes since the 1500s (we’re a little more civilised about collecting rent these days, and few landlords will accept corn in exchange for accommodation), the essence of the job was very much the same.
Viewings were done in-person, appointments with plumbers and electricians made over the phone, and we advertised landlords’ properties in the local paper and our shopfront windows.
But during my 30-odd years as an agent, something quite astonishing has happened to the world around us. While 90s technology stretched as far as computers, landlines, fax machines and printers, we now truly live in the digital age – with pretty much our whole lives run from tiny pocket-sized machines that most of us (business owners or otherwise) would be lost without.
Cue the advent of a barrage of websites, apps and digital services – collectively known as PropTech – which have all been developed to reduce the time and effort involved with everything from booking repairs to building a database of landlord details.
Using PropTech for good
Using technology to enhance your service as a letting agent is an absolute clear win for many. Choosing the right kind of PropTech can save you time, leave you able to concentrate on those tasks which generate the most income, and even drive new business your way.
Click funnels can generate hundreds of leads a month, virtual assistants are able to answer run-of-the-mill questions leaving senior in-house staff to tackle the more challenging enquiries, and using apps and devices help simplify processes.
Tech has allowed us to automate applications, remotely inspect properties, and enable tenants to report maintenance issues online in over 100 languages.
Add in the benefits of effective marketing using social media, webinars and other digital events, and it’d be foolish to continue living in the Dark Ages.
And yet – it’s importance to ensure that the rise of reliance upon technology within the industry doesn’t result in it becoming faceless and impersonal.
Retaining the personality of property
Ease and efficiency are absolutely crucial factors when we consider how we’re running our businesses – not only to ensure the success of the agency, but also to give you the kind of work/life balance that you probably set out to achieve when you founded your own lettings company.
But what reliance on PropTech doesn’t mean is that we can take out all elements of personality, of human customer service, and of warmth. Because – as the old adage goes – people invest in people.
Landlords want to know that their portfolio is in safe hands, prospective landlords want to know that your team has the knowledge and capability to deal with any problems that might arise, and that mutual trust and respect has to be there to ensure a positive client/agency relationship going forward. One that’s built to last and prosper.
Hybrid’s the word of the day
‘Hybrid working’ has become something of a buzz word in the past year or so, as the business world undergoes one of the biggest shifts we’ve ever seen (certainly in terms of how much changed in such a short time). Many use the term hybrid working to refer to the location where their staff are based – but I believe we also ought to be thinking hybrid when we consider how our teams will work going forward.
In this sense, I mean that while there are certain tasks and processes for which Proptech can, and should, be relied upon, it’s also crucial to consider when your clients (or potential clients) want and need to interact with a real human being, face to face.
At Agent Rainmaker, we host webinars, post YouTube videos, share on social media, and pride ourselves on using the very latest digital technology in order to provide online training.
But we still host in-person events too.
Why?
Because no matter how good PropTech becomes, being able to sit in the same room as someone and interact with them fully brings a whole additional dimension to that relationship between us and the agents we work alongside.
And it’s the same for landlords. Sometimes they’ll be absolutely content to use an app, send an email, or interact with a third-party service.
But other times, they just need a good old fashioned face to face meeting: to resolve an issue, to reassure them, or to cement the relationship between service provider and customer.
Because while we’re all busy embracing the efficiency of 2022, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with bringing the best working practices from former decades (or even centuries) along with us too.
ENDS
