Grosvenor Billinghurst’s IT provider change perfectly illustrates how estate agents’ traditional fears around switching IT provider can be a thing of the past with the right business partner.
Duwayne Lake, Head of Service Desk & IT at EvolutionIT, says: “Many estate agents would rather put up with poor service than risk the unknown, but this case study demonstrates how a provider switch project can be managed and run smoothly without the fear of data loss, down time or worse.”
Increasingly poor service standards from his IT support service provider of 10 years gave Ian Davies, managing director of Surrey-based Grosvenor Billinghurst, no choice but to consider his options.
This was a tough call for a man who, by his own admission, is fiercely loyal to the third parties with which he works. “I tend to only move away from somebody if I’m really unhappy with them,” he says. But he adds: “Our previous provider seemed to us to have become much more reactive than proactive.”
The provider had also developed an over-reliance on IT jargon when attempting to explain any IT issues that the estate agency encountered, making it increasingly difficult for staff to understand its approach and possible solutions. This prompted Davies to initiate a conversation with EvolutionIT.
Clear Prerequisites
Davies had clear prerequisites for his new IT support service provider. “We wanted a provider that understood our business and that was able to respond swiftly to our issues with a helpful attitude, technical capability and inter-personal rapport,” he explains.
EvolutionIT immediately set about making beneficial changes to the IT infrastructure, including setup of a cloud based business email platform, to replace an in-house email server and setup a virtual private network to enable staff to share data between offices, as well as disposing of unnecessary server cables and tidying client files to optimise ease of access and, ultimately, to boost system efficiency.
The business of estate agency is communication intensive, so our email system is vital along with real time data feed to our chosen internet portals,” says Davies.
The project was underpinned by a comprehensive communications strategy, which is central to EvolutionIT’s service proposition. This fully briefed staff on all changes made and how to optimise the efficiency of their new IT set up as the project was rolled out. “We explain changes in great detail and share best practice ideas” says Duwayne.
Unrivalled Service
The seamless support that EvolutionIT provided Davies and his team during the refit of his Cobham office, which involved providing staff with access to IT data from their temporary relocations, was the icing on the cake for Davies by way of service excellence. He says: “EvolutionIT really have gone the extra mile for us and frankly could not have been more helpful, from supervising our exit and overseeing resettlement through to making sure our new screens and keyboards were installed and functioning. And all that with cheery good humour, they really have been superstars.” He adds: “The support team are always available and will visit branches at short notice if required, and they never take the easy route if there is a better, but more demanding solution.”
But Davies particularly likes EvolutionIT’s personalised service offering. “I like the fact that when a problem does arise, we invariably deal with the person who is going to fix it and not a faceless telephone assistant,” he says.
This explains why he has no hesitation in recommending EvolutionIT as a preferred supplier when advising industry peers also considering provider switch. “Deal with someone who understands your business function and business needs, but also a provider that understands service attention and is pleasant to deal with.”
