Traditional aspects of agency practices are beginning to be questioned and alternative solutions based on new digital methodologies are emerging just like elsewhere. Many foresee that, just as the marketing of property has largely migrated to the Internet, agency services will appear in a new hybrid form using both new and old ways combined to varying degrees. The letting market particularly is becoming rapidly largely comprised of a younger element brought up in a new digital world where easy access to and sharing of information is the norm. People expect higher levels of both automated and personal services at a time and place to suit themselves.

Significant changes are taking place but foremost is the unstoppable migration of computing from the desktop to the Internet. After 20+ years of worldwide dominance Microsoft is now being challenged by visionary rivals such as Google and Apple. Microsoft is now paying the price for largely ignoring the Internet and defending the desktop for so long and is now considered by many as playing catchup. New hardware devices such as netbooks, the iPad and smart phones are effectively using the Internet as the "operating system" and rendering our dependence on powerful desktop computers increasingly redundant. People and businesses are realising that they don't need to play at being IT experts any longer and are leaving it to the professionals, focussing instead on their core areas of skill, interest or expertise.

As consumers our lives are being changed by the online experience. Whether it is banking, insurance, shopping, travel, government and council departments, whatever. We now expect to do everything online. Why should estate and letting agencies be any different? As sure as night follows day agencies must adapt or die. However, we are not just talking about filling in forms. The modern generation expects to be able to communicate more easily, share information and experiences, take charge of transactional processing and much, much more. Every aspect of agency work needs to be questioned to see if there is a better, more modern way of doing things.