Q&A with Moneypenny Team Manager Nicola Jackson

21 September 2017 6331 Views

What does your role involve?

As team manager for the property team, I make sure PAs and clients are happy and ensure the smooth running of our day-to-day work.

How does your property management experience help your clients?

I’ve been involved in property lettings for as long as I can remember. My grandfather bought a number of houses a long time ago and rented them out, and my mother carried this on. I bought my first house about five years ago and my second shortly after, so I’ve always been around tenants and properties.

As a result of this, I’ve got a lot of patience and empathy when tenants call with a problem. I understand that, to them, their situation is the most important thing in their world, and therefore highly important to our clients. In these instances, people want reassurance that someone will call them back and help them.

Why do you think good telephone answering is important to estate agents?

A real person answering a customer’s calls instils a lot of confidence in that agent. If you were to call a taxi firm and they didn’t pick up, you’d assume they’re too busy for your business and you wouldn’t hesitate to call another. The same goes for estate agents.

As a landlord, I found using a telephone answering service invaluable as I can’t always answer my phone when a tenant calls, and having someone in place to take their calls is reassuring for both them and me. Also, it takes a lot of pressure off knowing I’ll receive an email with the issue and can properly prepare to take care of it before I call them back.

How do you think Live Chat can help estate agents?

It’s fantastic for providing out-of-hours customer service. There’s a reason why internet use soars in the evening, everyone gets home from work and checks out what’s on the market. This is a key time for agents to think about their customer service. People want to make enquiries regardless of whether an office is closed. Using Live Chat lets agents strike while the iron is hot. 

What customer service advice would you give an estate agent?

You’ve got to move with the times. Just because a business model has worked for a number of years, don’t think it will always be this way as the changes in online property marketing have demonstrated in recent times. Also, pay close attention to how staff treat clients. For most people, a house is the biggest thing they will ever purchase, and this should be reflected in how the agent treats them. If you bought a car from Bentley, you can guarantee you’d be treated like royalty. This is how homebuyers should be treated too.