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Interview of Eric Woodhams
Written by the Estate Agent Today team
Eric Woodhams, Account Manager of mio

Who are you and what does it say on your business card?

Eric Woodhams F.N.A.E.A. mio Account Manager

What is mio and what does it do?

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mio is an online data driven sales progression and communication tool for estate agents. It has a clever little app for vendors and buyers who can track their home move and keep in contact with their agent using instant messaging, which seems to be the method of choice these days –over telephone and email.

mio is a game changer for the property sector and for estate agents. It has proven to help them win more business, reduce fall through rates and speed up the overall process – by creating transparency across the chain and removing agents from the information silos that they operate within day to day.

With over 600 agents (and growing) now using mio since we launched nationally in May, the feedback from both agents and their customers has been fantastic. It saves a lot of time for everyone across the chain and is the best sales chasing software on the market today, because it does things that CRM systems don’t do – including providing a single version of the truth. I hasten to add however, that it’s not designed to completely replace a CRM system.

What services do you offer and in what ways do you work with estate and letting agents?

Fact – mio is just for sales, not lettings management.

mio is bringing sales progression into the digital world and joining up the dots across a chain all on one platform. Intuitive by design, agents can register and start using mio straightaway for free.

Sales chasing is a burden for lots of agents and a task that gets left until last in a busy office. mio changes all of that with a whole of market set of progress milestones and SLAs, so it tells you when sales chasing is beginning to slip. This makes busy agents more organised and effective – that’s another fact. Say goodbye to paper-based sale progress files and remove an area of risk overnight.

What makes your product different and how does it benefit agents?

mio is the latest addition to the tmgroup product suite, who have been providing conveyancing searches and panel management solutions to the industry for 20 years. We have the experience and scale to deliver whole of market solutions that benefit everyone in the home moving process. Based in Swindon, we develop technology to deliver streamline the buying and selling process for agents and conveyancer, as well as consumers.

Lots of estate agents wear several hats these days; negotiator, valuer, sales progressor, and manager, and mio creates more time to sell more homes; it’s a tough market and you need all the help you can get.

A big advantage to mio is the shared chain view and progress updates that all parties can see, instead of the all too common ‘silos of information’, which are the root cause of delays and miscommunication that often lead to collapsed chains.

I cover the South Central area of England, but our national mio team onboard new agents up and down the country every week – and the benefits are immediate.
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What is your greatest achievement in your current role and what made it so special?

I’m proud to be working at tmgroup in the mio team. It feels like an achievement in itself to work at such a great company with such a fab group of colleagues!

It has been so special to be part of the pilot leading into the national launch in May this year. Seeing what a difference mio is making to agents and their clients is special too. It’s good to see mio helping to relieve some of the stress of home moving for agents and their clients, and make the headache of sales chasing easier and less time consuming for agents.

Our latest stats show that our agents are updating on average 70% of the milestones per transaction, with the remaining 30% fed from automated data inputs from third parties, such valuers and financial services.

Why do 100% of the work when you don’t have to?

What is the most satisfying part of your job?

All of it! Although, hearing one of my agents say “mio has changed my life!” was particularly satisfying.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing estate and letting agents at the moment?

It’s hard to narrow it down to one. 

The Tenant Fee ban, increased competition, lower transaction volumes, increasing Rightmove subscriptions, the downward spiral of fees, finding (and keeping) good quality staff, exit strategies, and poor sales chasing techniques are all causing headaches.

Fortunately, mio can help with a few!

What is your property prediction for the remainder of 2019?

I believe it is going to be a tough year for most and a rewarding year for some. There will be those agents who are looking to exit the business, probably on the back of selling their lettings book.

The agents that thrive will be the ones adopting technology to enhance and improve their customer ‘delight’. Estate agency is a local business and a people business, and that comes first before all else. Any technology must not replace, but dovetail seamlessly with the human interactions between well-trained, professional staff and their clients.

“When selling property, it’s not about the bricks & mortar, but the flesh & blood within it”.

Country house or city apartment?

Country House – so I can have space for multiple garages for all the cars I’d like to have!

Trendy roof terrace or traditional English garden?

Traditional English garden, as I love to watch the sun go down when it’s quiet all around and there’s a cold alcoholic beverage in my hand!

Would you rather be a free-moving tenant or settled owner-occupier?

Settled owner-occupier every time. I need that control and stability in my life!

What is your favourite room in your home?

The living room. A place to fully relax after a hard day’s work.

Homes under the Hammer or Location, Location, Location?

It’s got to be Phil & Kirsty!

Want to find out more about mio?

Contact us today and try mio FREE for 6 months!

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