Are Your Tools Strengthening Your Service, or Just Adding Layers?
A decade ago, technology within estate agency was often framed as innovation - but today it is framed as necessity. Agencies are expected to demonstrate automation, integration and responsiveness as baseline capability rather than competitive edge. AI generated property descriptions, automated tenant communication, digital maintenance routing and outsourced twenty four hour coverage are now embedded within the operational fabric of the sector.
It would be reasonable to assume that this saturation of tools has produced a uniform uplift in tenant experience and operational resilience. The evidence suggests otherwise.
Annual reporting from industry bodies (such as The Property Ombudsman) continues to show variability in complaint volumes and service outcomes, particularly in situations where communication quality deteriorates under pressure. The tools are present. The outcomes are inconsistent.
The explanation is less technical than cultural: technology does not generate clarity, it just magnifies whatever level of clarity already exists.
Edward Williams, Founder of Foxbrush Property, approaches growth from a position that many agencies articulate but fewer operationalise. He says, "We set the business up to be service led from day one. Everything comes back to how the tenant feels at the end of that interaction."
To treat that statement seriously is to accept that service must be defined before it can be systemised. It requires agencies to determine what good judgement looks like, what appropriate reassurance sounds like, and how escalation decisions are made when information is incomplete - because when a tenant reports a leak late in the evening, the interaction is not about software architecture, it is about competence, tone and ownership. A prompt automated acknowledgement may demonstrate efficiency, but it does not necessarily communicate understanding.
Out of hours handling is therefore not merely a logistical extension of office operations. It is an exposure of operating values. Where emergency thresholds are poorly defined, systems can drive cost inflation through over escalation or erode trust through under response. Both outcomes are expensive, albeit in different currencies.
"If you layer systems in so you do not have to properly engage, you become just another provider. Tenants can tell the difference straight away."
The agencies experiencing more consistent performance are rarely those chasing every new feature. They are those that have taken the time to articulate service architecture with precision. They audit not only response times but decision quality. They select partners who understand property nuance rather than relying solely on scripted triage. They treat technology as infrastructure in service of judgement rather than as a substitute for it.
"The tools work best when the values are clear. Service first. Everything else follows."
For agency leaders reviewing their operational stack this quarter, the more consequential question may not concern which system to procure next, but whether the current service model is sufficiently robust to withstand scrutiny when pressure rises.
PropCall supports estate and letting agents with experienced, property informed out of hours handling designed to reinforce clearly defined service standards. By aligning people, process and technology around articulated expectations, agencies can protect margin, reduce unnecessary contractor deployment and strengthen tenant trust in moments that matter most.
If you would value a structured review of how your current out of hours approach performs under real world conditions, we would love to have a chat!