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The age of digital transformation
Our reliance on technology during lockdown has helped accelerate a major change within the lettings industry.
Although the move away from a traditional business model towards digital transformation has been steadily advancing for a number of years, Covid has fundamentally changed the way we work.
Covid19 has accelerated the pace of digital transformation by seven years
Global management consulting firm McKinsey reports that the pandemic has accelerated the pace of digital transformation by seven years, and the lettings industry is no exception.
At a time when face-to-face interactions were fraught with difficulty, organisations had to react quickly to enable remote working whilst continuing to meet the specific needs of agents and their customers. Two years on and investment into digital solutions means we’re now seeing a surge in lettings software development.
The fourth industrial revolution
We should embrace what’s often referred to as the fourth industrial revolution. After all, the journey towards a digital model gives business the chance to assess, evaluate and improve their processes. Smart technology provides new revenue and value-producing opportunities, and what agent doesn’t want to save time and money where they can?
The key challenge, in relation to customer service, lies in retaining legacy and remaining true to core values that have been an integral part of a brand’s identity and ethos. For those of us with a people-first business, it’s essential to maintain meaningful engagement with our customers while remaining at the forefront of change and development in the market.
Customers shouldn’t feel isolated within a digital bubble
As a specialist in software lettings, Rent4sure has utilised smart technology for well for over a decade while simultaneously working hard to create sustainable and trusted partnerships. Digitalisation mustn’t get in the way and it’s our job to make sure that in 2022 customers don’t feel isolated within a digital bubble.
Our processes require multiple interactions with customers throughout their journey. Every connection is important whether it’s purely informative, or there to provide support when it’s required. If an issue arises, the aim is to communicate quickly and clearly so that all parties understand the situation and know steps will be taken to resolve things as speedily as possible. It’s a genuine collaboration that ensures oversight and reassurance at every stage.
Fostering a culture of helpfulness within an organisation is one of the key foundations to good customer relationships. When this is in place across the entire workforce, everyone understands that the aim is to work together in order to fulfil the company’s objectives and provide best-in-class levels of service. In other words, all your staff should care - and not just solely about their customers but about each other as well.
Teamwork helps build great partnerships
It’s this teamwork that enables great partnerships to be built. With offices at three central locations in England, our staff have a company-wide perspective and understand the bigger picture, whether it’s our Contact Centre team in Kent answering an agent’s question about a self-employed applicant, or a Senior Developer briefing the IT team in Norwich about our platform’s latest feature.
In a business that has carried out well over 2 million references, reviewed more than 2,289,721 documents, and identified over 308,524 high risk tenants, customers trust us to get it right.
Staff have to be experienced, knowledgeable and perform at the highest level and it’s the details that make the difference. Our eagle-eyed referencing experts are trained to spot fraudulent documents and will search out red flags such as net payments on a payslip not matching payment on the bank statement, or a company name on a payslip spelt differently to that on the bank statements.
However smart the technology, one size doesn’t fit all
Building trusted relationships takes time of course, and creating personal connection is extremely important when so much is now being done remotely. Every Rent4sure agent is assigned their own dedicated account manager, which gives that vital one-to-one engagement. Customers should feel secure in the knowledge that they have a genuine relationship with a specialist who knows their business and can provide all the support, training, information and guidance that’s needed.
In our industry, as in so many others, one size doesn’t fit all - however smart the technology. Delivering exceptional service relies on strong customer relationships and that’s something we should never lose sight of, regardless of technological advances.
Lee Rudkin-Stevens is Rent4sure’s National Sales Manager. To book an appointment with Lee and discuss the needs of your business, phone 0330 088 3774 today, or click here.
Although the move away from a traditional business model towards digital transformation has been steadily advancing for a number of years, Covid has fundamentally changed the way we work.
Covid19 has accelerated the pace of digital transformation by seven years
Global management consulting firm McKinsey reports that the pandemic has accelerated the pace of digital transformation by seven years, and the lettings industry is no exception.
At a time when face-to-face interactions were fraught with difficulty, organisations had to react quickly to enable remote working whilst continuing to meet the specific needs of agents and their customers. Two years on and investment into digital solutions means we’re now seeing a surge in lettings software development.
The fourth industrial revolution
We should embrace what’s often referred to as the fourth industrial revolution. After all, the journey towards a digital model gives business the chance to assess, evaluate and improve their processes. Smart technology provides new revenue and value-producing opportunities, and what agent doesn’t want to save time and money where they can?
The key challenge, in relation to customer service, lies in retaining legacy and remaining true to core values that have been an integral part of a brand’s identity and ethos. For those of us with a people-first business, it’s essential to maintain meaningful engagement with our customers while remaining at the forefront of change and development in the market.
Customers shouldn’t feel isolated within a digital bubble
As a specialist in software lettings, Rent4sure has utilised smart technology for well for over a decade while simultaneously working hard to create sustainable and trusted partnerships. Digitalisation mustn’t get in the way and it’s our job to make sure that in 2022 customers don’t feel isolated within a digital bubble.
Our processes require multiple interactions with customers throughout their journey. Every connection is important whether it’s purely informative, or there to provide support when it’s required. If an issue arises, the aim is to communicate quickly and clearly so that all parties understand the situation and know steps will be taken to resolve things as speedily as possible. It’s a genuine collaboration that ensures oversight and reassurance at every stage.
Fostering a culture of helpfulness within an organisation is one of the key foundations to good customer relationships. When this is in place across the entire workforce, everyone understands that the aim is to work together in order to fulfil the company’s objectives and provide best-in-class levels of service. In other words, all your staff should care - and not just solely about their customers but about each other as well.
Teamwork helps build great partnerships
It’s this teamwork that enables great partnerships to be built. With offices at three central locations in England, our staff have a company-wide perspective and understand the bigger picture, whether it’s our Contact Centre team in Kent answering an agent’s question about a self-employed applicant, or a Senior Developer briefing the IT team in Norwich about our platform’s latest feature.
In a business that has carried out well over 2 million references, reviewed more than 2,289,721 documents, and identified over 308,524 high risk tenants, customers trust us to get it right.
Staff have to be experienced, knowledgeable and perform at the highest level and it’s the details that make the difference. Our eagle-eyed referencing experts are trained to spot fraudulent documents and will search out red flags such as net payments on a payslip not matching payment on the bank statement, or a company name on a payslip spelt differently to that on the bank statements.
However smart the technology, one size doesn’t fit all
Building trusted relationships takes time of course, and creating personal connection is extremely important when so much is now being done remotely. Every Rent4sure agent is assigned their own dedicated account manager, which gives that vital one-to-one engagement. Customers should feel secure in the knowledge that they have a genuine relationship with a specialist who knows their business and can provide all the support, training, information and guidance that’s needed.
In our industry, as in so many others, one size doesn’t fit all - however smart the technology. Delivering exceptional service relies on strong customer relationships and that’s something we should never lose sight of, regardless of technological advances.
Lee Rudkin-Stevens is Rent4sure’s National Sales Manager. To book an appointment with Lee and discuss the needs of your business, phone 0330 088 3774 today, or click here.