Can a people business be handled by robots? With new technology being brought out what seems like every day, it can all get a bit confusing.
What is right for your business, how much it will cost and, crucially, will it actually add any value for you and your customers? More importantly still, will customer service and buyer experience be enhanced through technology on its own?
Slick marketing campaigns by the leading technology brands create a desire and need for their products and services and we may panic buy, thinking we are missing out – without giving due thought to what the latest gizmos can bring to our businesses and how we will use them effectively.
Property businesses can provide 3D virtual tours for people who cannot make viewings, we can speak to our customers via video clips on websites, YouTube and Periscope. We can put codes on our sales boards that people can scan using their mobiles to get information instantly.
Properties can be filmed by drones to get a bird’s eye view and to give a feeling of “walking through” the building – a good way to build commitment to purchase.
Property sourcing and customer relationship management systems can also help us to determine who our customers are, where they can be found and how we get in front of them.
The more we find out about them – what type of property they are looking for, their budget, best locations and whether they are landlords or private buyers – the better opportunity we have of building longer-term relationships with clients.
I love technology. I love the fact that we can compare so many properties so quickly, that we can look at what is on offer and narrow down our choices within minutes. I love the fact that we can gain so much knowledge in one hit.
Of course, we need to move with the times and ensure we are being competitive. The youth of today are only likely to purchase via mobiles, or maybe televisions, or even their watches in the future.
We need to ensure that we are present on these devices, that the property business is just as accessible as online clothing and music stores.
And as customers are becoming more familiar with the online environment, we are beginning to see full online property sales services, such as Phillip Arnold Auctions has now launched, where people can register, bid and pay online for property all over the UK, at any time, and sellers can sell without having to wait for a set auction date.
There is no doubt that the rise of the smart phone, the tablet and higher-speed WiFi has helped us all to communicate more quickly, and to a wider audience – but I am still holding back on saying “better”.
A constant stream of unsolicited e-mails, texts and mobile calls can turn as many people away from you as towards you, especially if the information is out of date – and with things moving so quickly, it rapidly becomes so.
And clients still need reassurance. Buying a property is still, for most people, one of the most expensive investments they are likely to make in their lifetime, and in my opinion this level of purchase will always need a higher level of expert input, confidence and reassurance. That, to me, means a more personal touch.
At its heart, property is a people business, and eventually, having looked online, looked at photos, seen the videos and compared the market, people will still want to pick up the telephone and have a final chat about it, especially if they are an end-user rather than a developer.
I believe that people will still want to walk into an estate agent’s office and see the person they are dealing with, and walk around that property with them, and address questions directly to them.
I am also confident that traditional auction sales will still be packed, because no virtual sale can match that buzz you get when you buy and sell in the room.
Perhaps with the rise of online shopping and the decline of the high street, property auctions will become the meeting place of the future for property people, and small pop-up outlets will appear around auction days, like old market times, so that we can see the face behind the e-mail – and the cycle will begin all over again.
Julie Gooding is director of operations at Phillip Arnold Auctions
