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Ordering searches against New Build properties is notoriously trickier (and more time-consuming) than working with second-hand homes – from having to work without a postcode point of reference, to managing endless queries from data suppliers. 

Outsourcing helps firms boost their workload capacity and win more business

Yet, spurred on by the Government’s push, more and more New Build cases are making their way to property teams across the country; forcing firms to re-evaluate how they manage their workload – without draining their limited resources. For many, including Braddon Snow Solicitors, outsourcing has been the answer. 

By managing New Build properties on a firm’s behalf, tmgroup help property departments create new efficiencies and better meet tight developer timeframes. All of which helps to boost their workload capacity, as well as their reputation, so they can win more New Build work in their area.

Managed Services take the hassle out of New Build search ordering

tmgroup are working at the forefront of delivering an efficient approach to managing New Build properties – with solutions including their ‘Managed Development’ service, which makes it easier for property teams to manage multiple plots on the same development site.

This service is tailored to firms named as the “appointed conveyancer” on a development, as tmgroup hold all relevant information about the development, enabling firms to issue a quick and simple instruction as and when the next plot is in progress. All the firm has to do then is wait for the results to come back and pass them onto their client; giving them more capacity to take on additional cases.

Jane Blackett, New Homes Conveyancing Team Leader at Braddon Snow Solicitors comments:

“We’ve been using tmgroup’s service for a number of years but found we needed a different approach for New Build given the number of plots we act on.  tmgroup worked with us on what we needed and now, for just over a year, we have worked with a bespoke system that we find much easier – especially when managing multiple plots on the same development. Once the site is set up confirming how many plots we expect to act on, all we have to do is fill in an order form and send across the plot plan. We then just ping an email over with the plot number as and when we want searches ordered against the individual plots. It’s just a much more effective use of our time.”

Firms using the ‘Managed Development’ service also benefit from agreeing search bundle costs in advance (making it easier to advise their clients), query and supplier management to minimise turnaround times, as well as Management Information (MI) reporting to make it easier for them to keep track of long-term development projects.

tmgroup work as an extension of the in-house team to get the job done quickly

Working as an extension of the in-house property department, the tmgroup team deliver against conveyancing search requirements from initial instruction through to returned results – using bespoke processes and systems to project manage. All the while giving firms the peace of mind of working with a knowledgeable team, with over 10 years’ experience in managing portfolios.

As Jane continues: 

“The Managed Services team are brilliant! Any queries, we just give them a call. If something has come up and we’re desperate to exchange, they’ll always make that extra call to chase the search – and 9 times out of 10 they’re successful too! They’re always on hand and we can’t fault the service.”

Outsourcing isn’t just for large-scale development projects – it can also help firms better manage one-off New Build transactions

Challenges around New Build don’t just slow down portfolio projects, they can also hinder the productivity of teams handling individual plots. That’s why tmgroup have extended their Managed Service to support these cases too. 

As and when the service is required, property teams can simply log into the tmconvey platform, add basic instructions to a dedicated form (accessible from a button on the tmconvey homepage) – and leave the tm team to take care of the rest. 

As with the ‘Managed Development’ service, the team will then create and map the property, order the required searches and liaise with data providers – all to support an efficient process right through to the returning of results.

Firms save time with fewer calls and interruptions across the working day

Fielding queries from data providers is one of the biggest headaches with managing New Build properties, but it often can’t be avoided as data providers require a certain level of information (that they don’t always get first time) in order to process the search. 

By letting the tmgroup team take care of any queries, firms benefit from fewer calls and interruptions across the working day. Why does it make such a difference? Drawing on years of experience, the team liaise with data providers and developers, as well as fill in any gaps in information – utilising their industry knowledge and relationships to help the transaction progress smoothly for all parties.

Want to find out more? 

tmgroup don’t operate on a one size fits all approach. We can develop processes within our service to help meet your needs and save you time. 

Talk to your Account Manager today, or get in touch with our friendly Helpdesk team on 0800 840 5571 or email helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk 

Lawyer Checker have advised that the price of their Account and Entity Screen (AES) will be increasing by £2 + VAT, from 1st September 2019. 

AES provides comprehensive, real-time reporting on the legitimacy of law firms and their bank accounts. The price of the report will increase from £10 to £12 on tmconvey for any orders placed on or after 1st September. 

If you have any questions, please get in touch with your Account Manager or our friendly Helpdesk team on 0800 840 5571 or helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk

BT Property Search will soon be available to order on tmconvey.

Priced at £59 +VAT, the report will allow conveyancers to check if proposals, including demolition or construction, might affect BT plc (BT) assets in the UK. BT assets consist of various types of property, including Telephone Exchanges and cable connections to and from them, above and below ground. 

Of particular benefit to residential and commercial developers, BT Property Search will help conveyancers to support their clients in mitigating the risk of damage to BT assets and their own, as well as limit unnecessary costs and delay.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with your Account Manager or our friendly Helpdesk team on 0800 840 5571 or helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk

On Monday 12th August 2019, Groundsure’s relaunched Agricultural Report will be available to order on tmconvey - with new and updated pricing (see more details in the table below). 

Following an extensive research programme with Property Lawyers and PSLs from leading law firms across the UK, the report has been redeveloped with new data, features, improved layout and a new design – including:

• Law Society compliant contaminated land assessment, including confirmation of any high risk features by experts

• *NEW* Full flood risk assessment covering river, coastal, surface water and groundwater - compliant with Law Society guidance

• Manual review of high detail historical Ordnance Survey mapping

• In-depth contaminated land database dating back to the 1840s (including 27,000+ land use classifications)

• *NEW* Energy includes current and proposed oil and gas exploration areas and wells, wind farms, solar farms, power stations and large energy infrastructure

• *NEW* Transportation includes Crossrail 1 and 2, HS2, active railways, underground and DLR

• *NEW* Planning constraints inform about environmental and cultural designations in the area that could impact on planning proposals

• *NEW* Planning applications will inform on small and large developments on or near the Agricultural Land

• Ground stability covers natural and non-natural subsidence potential, including coal mining screening

• Property specific radon assessment

• *NEW* Crop map of England (provides a detailed description of the specific agricultural uses at a farm)

• *NEW* Enhanced guidance on Section B8 of the Law Society Conveyancing Handbook (25th ed.)

o Environmental stewardship schemes

o Agricultural land classification

o Timber felling licenses

o Open access land

o Waste exemptions

o Current and historical rights of way assessment

o Abstraction licences

o Discharge consents

o Environmental designations

These enhancements are also accompanied by price changes. 

You can see the new and updated pricing in the table below:

If you have any questions, please get in touch with your Account Manager or our friendly Helpdesk team on 0800 840 5571 or helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk

Want to improve the customer journey, but don’t know where to start? Here, John Mackenzie, Business Development Manager at tmgroup shares his top tips on getting to grips with your client’s expectations – and making sure you’re meeting them.

Property professionals operate lean businesses due to pressure on fees

Estate agents and lawyers operate lean businesses, in terms of staffing. This is due to the pressure on fees, increased competition and lack of perceived value by the consumer. If the consumer has a frustrating experience littered with delays, they will simply begrudge paying higher fees – the vicious circle. 

Unfortunately, the lower the fees coming in, the more estate agents and lawyers can struggle to invest in their businesses and provide better service – but oftentimes, it’s more resistance to change that holds these businesses back. 

The most dangerous phrase is “that’s the way we’ve always done it”

I worked for a 2 branch independent estate agent for nearly 6 years and the 2 most frustrating situations I would find myself in were being told by the business owner “That’s the way we’ve always done it” and “I don’t see what the problem is, I think it’s great!”.  

Why is there such a resistance to change? Firstly, a fear of being wrong and secondly a fear of it being expensive. It doesn’t have to be this way… Taking a step back from the business is key to overcoming these fears and can be quite liberating – and clear up a lot of misunderstanding about what your clients really want.

Here are some simple steps that can help you break away from “the way we’ve always done it” and better meet your customers’ expectations:

1. Gather “proper” customer feedback

Talk to your customers and gather “proper” feedback – not just a list of questions asking “how good were we?”. This should be treated as an opportunity to ask some useful questions, better understand their experience and frustrations, and to help you identify areas for improvement. 

For example, did they find that closing at 5pm, or for lunch, caused them issues? Did they feel like a priority – or an after-thought? Would they use your services again? If not, why?

2. Engage your team 

…And then make sure you discuss these findings with your team and do what you can to adapt your services around your customers’ expectations.

By engaging your team in development plans and projects, you will be able to make the most of their combined expertise and experience – and may very well be surprised at what they come up with!

3. Engage experts in their field

Law firms are great at dealing with the law and estate agents are great at selling property… right? Then you pay accountants to look after your finances, as that’s what they are good at. 

So why not engage professional marketing services to help them better understand your customers’ expectations? Marketing is more than just media advertising and may provide a fresh perspective on your business.

4. Stay up to date with the latest products, services and developments

Not all products and services are going to be relevant, but if you do identify poor areas of service, then it’s important to understand if there is a service or product that may be able to help. 

For example, if you do find that calling the office results in a number of calls not being handled, it may be worth engaging a call minding service. Likewise, considering new ways of communicating to free up the phones.

5. Be open to new ways of delivering customer service

Technology is never meant to replace customer service, but it can enhance it. For example, if 25% of consumers want to communicate via secure messaging, that’s 25% less phone calls and therefore fewer missed calls!

It won’t replace the phone, but it offers those that want to communicate in that way the option, whilst allowing estate agents and law firms to use resources and time more effectively.

Is it time you took a step back to better understand your customers’ expectations? Get in touch with John on John.Mackenzie@tmgroup.co.uk 

Joe Pepper, CEO of tmgroup explains how tm are helping law firms and estate agents offer a truly digital consumer experience.

It is a myth that all business have gone digital.  Whilst consumers are used to instant online purchasing and interacting with a multitude of apps that manage everything from holidays to finances, many businesses are only at the start of becoming truly digital.  They may have digitised paper into pdfs, converted mail into email and embraced digital workflows to create an impression of a seamless consumer journey, but look underneath the bonnet and you’ll find that most firms are peddling frenetically to maintain the façade.

Truly digitising processes creates challenges for any business

Truly digitising an end to end process creates a challenge for any business, and that challenge is exacerbated where a complex process, for example a property transaction, involves multiple parties operating across numerous platforms which are rarely integrated. The challenge is heightened where the process, itself, is urgently in need of re-designing.

A recent report identified that the average UK Property Transaction involved the exchange of over 300 emails between the various parties, including the sharing of 120 versions of document. There’s a clear and obvious impact on efficiency, with the average property transaction reported to take anything between 18 and 24 weeks. Ten years ago it used to take 12 weeks.

“Time kills deals”

The impact of this inefficiency on the consumer is significant. There’s an old saying in business: “time kills deals”; and this is absolutely the case with consumers wanting to buy a home. Once the excitement of choosing a house has worn off, being left in the dark for no obvious reason starts to leave the consumer vulnerable to a change of heart. 

Between 30-33% of UK Property Transactions fall-through between the point of an agreement to purchase, and the exchange of contracts. This wastes money and places a huge strain on consumers, neither of which benefits the UK economy. 

Putting the consumer at the heart of the transaction

In a property transaction, the consumer is everybody’s customer but they currently sit on the periphery of the transaction, often receiving different messages from each party they communicate with.  It’s unsurprising that The Property Ombudsman ranks poor communication as one of the leading causes of complaints.

To provide the seamless consumer experience that embracing digital should deliver, the consumer must sit at the heart of an efficient, transparent process that provides accurate, relevant information and certainty.  To achieve that we need to create a digital space which allows the consumer to access accurate updates on the progress of their transactions, removes duplication in the process and facilitates data sharing between multiple parties irrespective of the operating systems being used.

As a consumer, I should only have to complete one Anti-Money Laundering process and I should not have to provide the same information to several different parties at various stages. I should be able to share the details of the property I am buying with my mortgage broker or lender, who in turn should be able to see when I am likely to complete.  I should be able to book a surveyor and see and share their report with all relevant parties.  I should be able to complete any forms that are required by the estate agent or the conveyancer – including the recently proposed Property Information Questionnaire with information that’s sourced from third parties being automatically populated via data feeds. I should be able to demonstrate that I’ve completed required tasks, such as arranging insurance on the property, and crucially I should be able to send questions to the various parties involved and receive a response quickly, because everybody is working in the same digital space. I should, I should, I should… but I can’t!

What are tmgroup doing to turn ‘I can’t’ into ‘I can’?

At tmgroup, we are focusing on bringing the consumer into a digital space, and then developing the integration points to streamline the property transaction for the benefit of all.  We’ve been helping consumers digitally interact with conveyancers for several years now through the tmconnect platform, from completing forms and sharing documents, to providing all parties with an accurate and up to date data portal. 

Similarly, our new mio app allows the consumer to communicate directly with their estate agent, providing transparency around not just the progress of their own property transaction, but crucially how other parties in the chain are progressing with their own transactions.

For more information on how tmgroup are turning 'I can't' into 'I can' and how this could benefit your firm, please get in touch with your Account Manager.

The good, the bad and the ugly. The process of handling new business enquiries comes in all shapes and sizes. To help you better understand what happens in your firm and where there might be room for improvement, Clare Yates, Senior Business Development Manager at tmgroup shares 5 questions that every firm should know the answer to… 

1. What happens when potential clients ring through to your firm? 

Do they get straight through to a dedicated team, trained and responsible for handling new business enquiries? Or do they have to speak to a Receptionist first and negotiate their way to the right department, navigate a complex call answering service, or wait on hold hoping someone will eventually pick up the phone?

If you don’t know the answer, why not try ringing the number displayed on your website and experiencing it first-hand? After all, speed kills the competition – and it’s critical that a potential new client gets through to the right person quickly. 

2. Is every call being handled by the best person for the job?

If you aren’t fortunate enough to have a dedicated new business team, your calls are most likely making their way to your Fee Earners’ office… and the start of a make or break situation. 

If your team is ready and willing to take the call, there’s plenty of opportunity for the caller to be nurtured into a happy client. However, if you find yourself “drawing straws” before eventually picking up the phone with a sigh, the opportunity is at risk. 

According to research by Professor Ian Cooper:

• Over 85% of firms treat ‘residential conveyancing quotes’ as a purely ‘low level’ administrative task.

• 90% of call handlers admit that they don’t actively like handling quotes, or are not very good at it. Not exactly a recipe for conversion success!

What’s happening in your team? Is the best-skilled person picking up the phone with a smile? Or is the only available person clock-watching as they try to wrap up the call and get back to their other work?

Not sure? Well, the right person is probably really easy to spot as they clearly enjoy handling these sort of calls and are already proving successful in winning new business. If you don’t already record or listen to calls, this could be a great place to start to identify who has a natural affinity with customers.

3. Do you have a robust process in place for making the most of each call?

Even the most willing of call handlers risk falling flat without a proper process in place. Is everyone using the same checklist to help make the most of every opportunity?

Professor Ian Cooper also reports that “in over a third of all calls, the party did not know who they were talking to, as the caller’s name was not taken, and the call handler had not introduced themselves!”

If you don’t have a process in place (or think the one you do have needs refining), here’s a simple checklist of questions to ask:

• Name, email address and telephone number

• Why are they moving? New school catchment area? Downsizing? 

• Where are they moving to? Is it local?

• When do they need or expect to be in their new home? 

• Who is moving with them? Children? Parents? Pets? 

The latter questions are particularly important, as understanding the story behind each move can help to shape the call, as well as get every customer journey off to the best start.

4. Are you following up after every call?

It’s critical that you follow up with the caller if you want to convert the opportunity into new business – and not let your efforts go to waste. 

Sadly, not every firm is doing this well. Some simply assume that the caller will come back to them if they want to move things forward. However, this approach can prompt the caller to take their business elsewhere – assuming you just didn’t care enough to get back in touch.

Don’t be disheartened. There is business to be won and a quick follow-up call an hour after the original conversation can make all the difference to your conversion rates. You can even warm the caller up by saying “I’ll send you a quick email now and phone you back in an hour or so to see if you have any questions.” 

5. Are you measuring your conversion rates? 

Whatever approach you are taking to handling new business enquiries, you should have a good understanding of how well things are going. 

• Do you record your calls? 

• Do you know what your conversion rate is?

• Do you know who has the best call handling skills in your team and what sets them apart?

• Do you know where the call came from? Your website? A flyer drop? Recent social media campaign? 

Once you know the answers to these questions, you can look for patterns and see where there is room for improvement. You can also start making changes and monitoring overall success. 

If you would like to find out more about how to handle your new business enquiries more effectively, please get in touch with me: clare.yates@tmgroup.co.uk.

Please be aware that the following highways products – supplied by PlanVal – are increasing in price on 1st July 2019. The price of Landmark Homecheck Flood will also be changing from this date.

Details below:

The following highways reports will be increasing by £6 on 1st July 2019:

• Local Authority highways enquiry (HighwaysLA)

• Local Authority Highways Lite (HighwayRA)

• Highway search standard with opinion Commercial (PVHwayOC) 

• Highway search standard with opinion Residential (PVHwayOR)

The price of Landmark Homecheck Flood (FloodRisk) will be increasing in price from 1st July 2019:  

It was £20 plus VAT (£24) and will now be £25 plus VAT (£30) - an increase of £6. 

If you have any questions or queries, please contact your Account Manager, or get in touch with our friendly Helpdesk team on 0800 840 5571 or email helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk

Please be aware that from early June, RATI-M will no longer be available to order on tmconvey.

Moving forward, if you’d like to add a RATI product to your order, you’ll just need to search RATI-O and add it to your case. 

If you have any questions or queries, please contact your Account Manager, or get in touch with our friendly Helpdesk team on 0800 840 5571 or email helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk

From early June, you’ll be able to order the following Legalinx reports on tmconvey - in addition to the CourtChex (winding Up Search), which is already available.

The following reports will be available to order via the tmconvey platform:

• Comprehensive Bankruptcy Search (Search of Land Registry and Bankruptcy Court)

Checks are carried out at the Insolvency Service England and Wales which identifies any current bankruptcy orders. An additional check is then carried out at the Land Registry which identifies any pending bankruptcy orders.

• Gazette Report

This report will provide details of any insolvency notices published in the London, Edinburgh or Belfast Gazettes.

• Individual Pending Bankruptcy Searches

Our Individual Bankruptcy Searches offer compliance and minimise risk through ascertaining whether there are any pending bankruptcy petitions lodged against an individual within the jurisdiction of the RCJ. Legalinx physically visit, and search, at the Royal Courts of Justice and Central London County Court to determine whether any previous bankruptcy petitions have been issued in the last 5 years against a debtor.

The following additional reports will be available on request, by contacting our Helpdesk team on 0800 840 5571 or email helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk 

• Foreign Insolvency Plus Report

• Insolvency Plus

• Northern Ireland Court of Justice & EJO Check