Exceptional customer service ‘key to winning instructions’

Customer service has been identified as one of the most important attributes when using an estate agent.

A poll of 600 consumers who have sold a property in the UK over past two years showed 

89% believe exceptional customer service is the most important thing to them when choosing any brand or service provider in all areas of their lives. 

When it comes to selecting an agent, more than half based their decision on past experiences of working with them and customer service.

The research, released by iamproperty, asked respondents what exceptional customer service looked like to them, with 87% highlighting clear, responsive and transparent communication, while 76% said that companies giving a realistic expectation of timeframes was the most important thing. 

What respondents valued most from their experience of working with an agent was a friendly attitude (62%), followed by their local knowledge and expertise (55%). 

Ben Ridgway, co-founder of iamproperty, said: "In our recent surveys of UK estate agents, they discussed the growing expectations and heighted emotional involvement consumers have, with speed and communication high on the agenda. As a follow on to our agent discussions, we went out to the UK consumer to find out more. It’s a really interesting topic within our latest Tech of a Life magazine, which is all about visionary thinking and looking to the future.

“Whether housing stock is high or low, one thing remains constant for agents – competition for instructions. This latest research confirms that understanding today’s consumers’ needs and investing in delivering the five-star customer service they are accustomed to in other areas of their lives is key, with a focus not just on getting great results for clients, but also giving them a great experience of working with you. 

“Consumer priorities are always evolving, so we hope these fresh insights support agents with staying ahead. It’s an opportunity to find out what buyers and sellers really want in today’s market and think strategically about how to deliver this and attract new clients. 

“Automation is going to become even more key to enabling the level of customer service that people are coming to expect across all areas of their lives, and it is a big focus for us in our innovation roadmap within new solutions we’re working on bringing to the market, and existing solutions in our iamproperty ecosystem.”

Read the latest Tech of a Life on iamproperty’s website here.