“One thing that stands out about EstatePro is that it’s bespoke. If I need to phone Anton and ask it to do this instead of that, I can do that. Anton will usually come back and say give me some time and then he does it […]”
We’ve sat down and chatted to Lyndon - one of the directors at Hearnes - plenty of times over recent years, and we even got together once in his kitchen to discuss websites. We sat down with him once again this week to discuss his experiences working with our team to showcase how we work and what to expect when partnering with WEBPRO.
The early days
Lyndon’s relationship with WEBPRO goes back further than the existence of WEBPRO itself, having worked in an office opposite to Anton, who would later launch the WEBPRO brand. Lyndon recalls sitting in an office with Anton looking at website flow charts around 20 years ago when the internet was new, often misunderstood and slow.
The fact that Anton managed to sway Lyndon to the digital future of an estate agency so early was quite an achievement. Lyndon himself describes himself as a man who “was not pro computerisation – and I still resist a lot of it today”.
The first website Anton built for Lyndon was to help his clients search for properties in specific regions. It was a time when Rightmove had hit the market and Lyndon realised he needed something to keep up with the new trend of searching online. Some years down the track, another Hearnes director wished to utilise a connection within the marketing space and got this company to design a brand-new website. However, the website wasn’t a success and didn’t function as Hearnes had hoped, which is where WEBPRO re-joined the story.
Creating a new website
WEBPRO was tasked with trying to fix the issues left by the other website developer and ended up essentially creating a new website for Hearnes. Lyndon stresses that the development of a website requires a great deal of input from himself as the client because so much detail and thought needs to go into it, often referring to the process as a partnership rather than a business and client relationship. He even went as far as to say:
“I’m not a control freak, but I do like things to be done right. If it’s not right in the end and I wasn’t engaged with the process - then it’s my fault”.
It certainly helps our team when business owners stay engaged with the website process and are able to provide key information and their preferences efficiently.
However, our team is also happy to work with clients who want a hands-off approach, or as a client featuring in one of our other case studies recently called it – an “arm’s length approach”. Yet this client did say he could only take this attitude because he had complete trust in the WEBPRO team’s understanding of his business and website requirements.
Lyndon states that the new website is a monumental success. He believes this not because people tell him, but rather, because nobody ever complains about the website like they once did. He eloquently compares it to how the service in a restaurant is usually impeccable if you don’t notice it and is usually bad if you do. He knows the website is doing a great job – not just in the numbers – but because nobody is ever questioning it or suggesting ways to improve.
Bespoke estate agency functionality
WEBPRO offers a bespoke website solution specifically for estate agencies. It’s called EstatePro and was built from scratch by Anton with input from Lyndon along the journey.
EstatePro is essentially a CRM system that allows estate agents to manage every aspect of their business, including buyers, sellers and all properties. The feed of properties connects with external property portals and automatically updates them, conveniently saving businesses scores of hours each week.
There are lots of options like this available, but the difference is that when an estate agency needs the software to work for them, they’re often met with radio silence from the developer or a “thanks for your feedback” attitude. This isn’t the same with EstatePro which receives continual updates and can be tweaked to each client’s needs. This is a USP for the software and something our clients love:
“One thing that stands out about EstatePro is that it’s bespoke. If I need to phone Anton and ask it to do this instead of that, I can do that. Anton will usually come back and say give me some time and then he does it […]”
Lyndon continued to explain that when he looks around his estate agency office, everything he sees needs to be a tool that helps him run his business. EstatePro does that for him because it adapts to his ways of working, whereas other options on the market requires his business to adapt to the software and its rigid functionality.
Click here to see our Hearnes portfolio.
