A Norfolk estate agency is ditching paper files and manual administration after its lettings portfolio grew from just 10 properties to 180.
King & Partners, an independent agency based in Downham Market, has moved its CRM from Dezrez to Alto as it looks to automate more of its back-office lettings operation.
Founded in 2018, the agency operates across a 20-mile radius of west Norfolk and has seven staff, including four directors.
While sales and lettings account for broadly equal parts of the business, rapid growth in its managed portfolio has increased the administrative burden on the agency.
LETTINGS GROWTH
Chris Tonroe, Director at King & Partners, says: “We didn’t do text messages, and we still kept paper files. That was fine when it was just the four of us.
“But the legislation and the changes coming into the industry mean we need to be more automated, and our lettings department has grown to 180 units.
“We need a lot more help with the back-office work now, and that meant looking at a system that could keep up.”
King & Partners had used Dezrez for eight years but decided to look for an alternative following what Tonroe describes as disruption after moving onto its newer system.
AI SEARCH
The agency also used AI to research CRM providers alongside online reviews before selecting Alto.
Tonroe says: “I asked AI to do some research for me. Where other platforms sit, where Alto sits, what each one can offer that the other can’t.
“It came back very positive, and the reviews backed it up.”
He adds that AI functionality formed part of the agency’s decision but says the business remains a traditional agency rather than adopting technology for its own sake.
, Chief Revenue Officer at Alto, says: “King & Partners is a great example of an agency whose lettings book has grown faster than the technology behind it.
“Chris and the team wanted the fundamentals done properly, with the compliance and the admin automated around them.”
Main picture: (Left to right ) Adam King, Partner; Richard Carter, Founding Partner; Chris Tonroe, Director, Sales & Lettings and Founding Partner with Paul Millar, Founding Partner and Mortgage Consultant.
