Goadsby is a 26 branch agent in the South of England that provides both sales and lettings services. The rollout of Aspasia started in the latter half of 2002.  Prior to implementing Aspasia, some of their branches were using Solex with the remainder operating manual systems.  With all 26 branches now using the residential sales system, they have now had time to reflect on the impact Aspasia has had.

John Tofield, Senior Director for Goadsby was the driver behind the change.  His main concern in the early days was the migration of offices from Solex to Aspasia – but the anticipated hurdles never appeared.  "We assumed there would be problems because Solex is very user friendly, but Aspasia was very well received.  In fact, the problems came due to the fact we did a phased roll out and those offices that were later in the schedule felt isolated and were keen to get on board!"

Goadsby were uncommon in that they had their own IT department which gave them additional resources during the roll out.  They also managed the training themselves which allowed them to support the different rates at which people learned.  A user group was set up to review progress and address issues both internally and with SPA Microsystems when programming enhancements were required.

In terms of performance, the main difference the company has seen is the improvement in their ability to deliver customer service.  "We soon stopped receiving calls from people saying that they had not received particulars or asking if they were on the mailing list.  I now have confidence in the fact that people are being mailed regularly as it is a fully automated process" said John.  This has been endorsed at branch level where one office has seen a two-fold increase in viewings since launching Aspasia.  Branch Manager Jim Doer added, "Viewings levels have increased because we can match more effectively and get details in front of more people quicker.  Analysis has shown that approximately 30% of customers are on e-mail with a high percentage also using SMS messaging.  About 50% of customers now receive details via post which has cut down significantly on overheads, especially as e-mailing is free." 

As with all new systems though, there is a learning curve to go through.  "Initially there were some complaints regarding text messaging but now our negotiators are asking permission to use SMS and many customers are responding that no other competitors can provide such a service."  They have also noticed that anyone giving a home e-mail address is less responsive as they tend to log on less frequently compared to a work-based address. This can now be discussed with customers too.

At branch level, the increase in viewings can also partly be attributed to the fact that there is a common database across the business.  Some of Goadsbys' branches are in locations which people tend to relocate to.  For such people, the ability to look at properties registered with other offices means that they can easily consider a wider geographical spread of houses. This has again had an impact of the viewings that have been secured.

In addition, Aspasia has helped Jim when talking to prospects during valuations.  The fact the systems allows them to market a property the same day that they are instructed impresses customers.  The main issue they have had to deal with is contacting  previous agents who 3-4 days later, are still showing the property on their website.  "We can be assured that our site is always up to date," said Jim.  "The best that most agents can offer is a daily update."

And on those instances where a valuation does not lead to an instruction, the branches can now track activity and have implemented a monthly newsletter to such properties.  "Whilst this was something we could do before, it is now much easier as it is automated and we have definitely seen an increase in conversion rates," Jim added.

From a business management perspective, John has praise for the accessibility of Aspasia.  "I can be at any branch, or indeed working from home, and be able to discuss with a customer exactly how many people have been sent details, had viewings and what they said.  We have never been able to do that before and it is very powerful," he said.  This is due to Aspasia being a browser based system.  Wherever you are, if you have a machine with a browser on it and a phone line, you can access Aspasia.

Similarly for the Branch Managers, the wide visibility that the system gives them, means that they can view activity levels and enquiries at other branches and match against their own performance.  Any diversity can then be questioned and addressed promptly.

As for the future, John is looking to roll out the lettings functionality to the 8 offices that support lettings.  "We are looking forward to using the lettings system.  It will make it easier to move staff around within the business as they will be using the same system and will understand how it works."

When asked about their views on Aspasia, both John and Jim were fairly succinct!  John's comment was, "It has lived up to our high expectations, it is superb, everyone wins."  Jim simply said, "I wouldn't be without it!"