New ‘tech solutions group’ for agents unveils high-profile suppliers

The Innovative Collaboration Group - a collection of high-profile tech suppliers to the agency industry - has unveiled a raft of new members.

The ICG was set up in March, consisting of a number of well known PropTech and other suppliers, all of which could have their key services integrated with Reapit CRM software. 

The aim was to have these suppliers showcase how they could help agents with ‘best in class’ solutions to optimise business processes and workflow.

Now ICG - which is co-ordinated by industry consultant Iain White, who runs Agency Mentors - has given Estate Agent Today the names of several new supplier members.

These include data resource platform Sprift; the home moving platform GOTO Group; modern method of auction provider IAMSold; telecoms and broadband operator Global4; property marketing group FocalAgent; and repairs and maintenance software provider Fixflow. 

These new members of ICG are on top of existing members which include Hello Again; Spectre; Prospect Engine; Active Pipe; CCT; The Land and New Homes Network; Viewber; OneDome, Let Alliance; Crux Careers; Dataloft; Agency Mentors, Gazeal and Yomdel.

New and existing suppliers are in the group with the aim of assisting agents, according to White.

“We’re trying to provide a one-stop solution for agents who are pretty much up against it at the moment with the market, portal costs and so on” he has told EAT.

A number of free seminars, first revealed in March, are to take place shortly in Birmingham, Bristol, Camberley and Leeds: White says these are full but he expects some delegates to drop out so suggests agents who are interested in attending to make contact with him via the ICG section of the Reposit website here.

“The training will be suitable for business owners, directors, managers and anyone responsible for the performance of other team members” White says. “With regard to the new suppliers who’ve come on board, we’ve had to turn down more than we’ve accepted - but that’s because we want absolutely high quality. It may well be that we take on more in the future” he adds.

The ICG is the latest of a number of collaborative groups that have sprung up in recent months, including Graham Lock’s Federation of Independent Agents and Simon Whale’s Kerfuffle buying collective; all appear to aim to give individual agencies the choice of products and leverage over costs that would normally be restricted to large-scale corporate agencies.

Iain White says these groups are complementary rather than competitive and reflect the recognition within the industry that smaller agencies and independents need help to thrive in today’s market and to combat high costs such as portals.

White adds that his Innovative Collaboration Group may, subject to its members agreeing, move to eventually offer a ‘seal of approval’ kitemark-style service so that individual agents know that if they buy a product from a member company they are safely purchasing a tried and tested high quality package.

“There are plenty of agents who know they need to improve their PropTech but don’t know how to go about it or with whom. That, or else they’ve already bought into a service they don’t use much or at all, but are paying for it. We’re trying to avoid all that” he says.