TAYLORS BEDFORD

Taylors Bedford are part of the part of Countrywide PLC, the largest Estate Agency group in the UK. The Taylors division had tried passive window displays in the past but were not impressed with the image quality, particularly in bright ambient light conditions. They were therefore quite sceptical when we approached them with the Touch247 proposition.

However, after an initial discussion outlining the differences between the Touch 247 solution and many of the competing systems, an office based demonstration was agreed as the best way forward.

On the day of the demonstration, it was clear from the outset, the Taylors management team were impressed with the image quality and therefore the first major hurdle had been overcome. Next came a discussion about Taylors individual needs both in terms of what was needed for this particular branch location and also in the broader sense of what any agent would be looking for from such a system. Apart from the obvious requirement of helping to sell more houses, there were two fundamental business considerations:

Firstly, the system must help in the generation of new instructions from sellers. In today's competitive market, everything and agent does is geared around winning new instructions.

Secondly, the system must not result in any additional work for the hard pushed agency staff. The data needs to be imported directly from existing Estate Agency Management software. No re-keying of data would be acceptable.

THE SOLUTION

A site survey was carried out at the Bedford branch and the most suitable position chosen for the installation. Once agreed, the Taylors IT department were contacted to provide a network connected access point to their branch network.

Physical installation was relatively straight forward and took half a day. The Sanyo projector was fixed to the ceiling and the DNP optical screen and touchscreen being taped directly to the window.

A stand alone PC with the Touch247 software installed was then connected to the branch network. The Taylors division uses Reapit Branch Management Software to run their business and this has the ability to export a .blm formatted file (rightmove.co.uk format). The Touch247 software has been built with a utility to import a .blm file and this was used to import all the property details, including photos, for the Bedford branch. The system also allows one to add and edit individual properties, should the need arise.

To enhance the brand, a Taylors skin was specifically designed for the installation. This was further enhanced by the addition of a screensaver movie with "10 reasons for using Taylors" which kicks in after a period of screen inactivity.

With the PC connected and the property details loaded, all that remained was for the system to be launched to the unsuspecting public and the curiosity of the surrounding agents.

THE RESULTS

• In a highly competitive environment, it enables the estate agent to stand out amongst others on the high street as offering something unique

• It offers an additional channel through which to market and sell property

• The high quality screen enhances the window display in the branch

• It enhances the estate agent brand

• Research indicates that vendors may be willing to pay a slightly higher commission fee to an agent offering this additional channel

• It enables the passers-by to browse property and leave contact details when the branch is closed, and hence provides more potential sales leads

• It could potentially replace the window card system, which is expensive and time consuming to keep up to date

• Seamless integration into existing estate agency software means no re-keying of data necessary. Also screen content can be updated quickly and as often as required

• Agent can view statistics taken from the system to assess the level of browsing activity and number of messages left

• Market research has shown that potential vendors are more likely to instruct an agent with a screen to sell their house

• It can help the agent to understand the level of commitment of potential buyers, e.g. by assessing the variety and number of properties they search for

• Screen acts as a buffer for busy agents against people who are ‘just browsing’ (n.b. this is only a benefit for those who are that way inclined!)