Welcome to another update from McRae’s Sales, Lettings & Management. As we’re all aware these are challenging times – and changing times.
We are all wondering what the “new normal” might turn out to be. Possibly it is something to be embraced. After all, you don’t have to look back too many years to recognise enormous change in so many aspects of our lives.
With lockdowns and Tier 1, 2 and 3 enforcement, online shopping has been an asset that more of us have had to use. The existence of this McRae’s website acknowledges the importance of the online world. Part of all that is the rise of online reviews. It is sometimes easy to forget that, only a decade or two ago, we existed without them. Word of mouth, guide-books or advertising could make a business. However, many companies could get by with relatively low standards.
POWER TO CONSUMERS
This all changed with the advent of the likes of TripAdvisor. Then, poor takeaways could not hide in the shadows and vendors selling online had to perform well when it came to Amazon reviews. In its purest form, the technology that compiled individual perspectives did more for raising standards through competition than anything else had managed in years, giving the power back to individual consumers.
Naturally, this didn’t just stop at dinner and online shopping. Real estate, an industry plagued with negative connotations, was a sector that had a huge amount to gain from the implementation of a review system. This change helped weed out the frauds in the field, but also allowed those who had been quietly and consistently dedicating themselves to improvement to step into the limelight – such as McRae’s.
Our Managing Director Craig McRae has been operating in the property industry for decades. Not only was he a fan of review systems being introduced to the sector; he helped bring it to the industry.
PIONEER
He says: “In helping to pioneer the independent customer review scheme we use from The Property Ombudsman and ReferenceLine, we put our neck on the line. However, McRae’s small team and dedication to customer service has seen us score at 98 per cent satisfaction in sales, and 98 per cent in lettings.”
We all faced challenges in the 2008 financial crash and now Brexit and COVID bring a new set. Craig says: “We have faced challenges before. I see McRae’s as a cottage industry. We can tailor our approach and adapt quickly to change. Our local knowledge and local ties help give us the edge. We are in a strong position to face the New Normal – whatever it may be – and come through for our clients as much as for ourselves.”
More from us soon. In the meantime, take care and keep safe.