A forward-thinking Canberra real estate agency has introduced market-leading artificial intelligence to ensure 24/7 customer service and that no potential sales or property management lead is missed.
Since its inception in 1999, Luton has grown to encompass five offices across the nation’s capital with a clear focus on providing the best client experience in the most convenient, time-efficient manner.
Chief Executive Officer Nick Paine said this ethos was what prompted the agency to introduce Propic’s Concierge AI just before Christmas last year.
“From our point of view, we’re always looking at ways to improve what we have to offer for our clients as well as our staff,” he said.
“A tool that makes our job easier, faster or offers better service is a no-brainer.”
Mr Paine said the technology allowed the team to enjoy the festive break as well as service client enquiries at a time that was convenient to them.
“Whether it be with a person or a bot, it’s all about giving the client the ability to make an enquiry about a property at a time that is convenient for them,” he said.
“So that enquiry feels like it is more on the terms of the enquirer, the buyer or the potential tenant whereas they would normally have had to wait, say, two, three or four days to get a response.
“So just having that immediacy has been such a big thing.
“Seeing the conversations and how much more response we are getting from reacting quickly to enquiry has been really impressive,”
Mr Paine said Luton had also just enabled Propic Concierge to handle property management maintenance requests and follow up tenants behind on their rent payments.
Propic data shows the technology can remove about 80 per cent of human involvement in the coordination and management of maintenance tasks, as well as reduce payment arrears by 48 per cent in the first 90 days.
As well as those clear benefits, Mr Paine said he expected the AI to give Luton’s property managers back valuable time in their day.
“All property management teams across the industry are essentially just fighting a time battle,” he said.
“If we can buy back an hour a day for everyone, because they’re not having to get quotes and maintenance or chase people in arrears, it will have a compounding effect.
“So if I buy back an hour for 10 staff, over the course of a month we’re talking 40 hours.
“With that efficiency it might mean we can look after more properties, it might mean that we can give better service or it might mean we can be a bit more efficient from a business side as well where less people can do more work.”
Mr Paine said the process to set up the technology was simple and supportive, with Propic experts there every step of the way.
He said it was also important that the AI could be tailored to mimic Luton’s tone of voice and brand when it was fielding enquiries.
Most clients don’t even realise it has been AI they have been conversing with and not a real person.
Propic Industry Lead Jin Choong said they were delighted to have Luton come onboard with the technology.
“Our partnership with Luton will provide their agents in the Canberra region with valuable insights, improved customer experiences, and a competitive edge in the market,” he said.
“Luton is a breath of fresh air in the industry and they understand that as more and more consumers expect a high-tech, seamless experience when buying or selling a property, adopting proptech tools can help agents to meet these expectations and differentiate themselves from their competitors.
“We are incredibly excited to embark on this journey with Luton and hit the ground running with cutting edge technology.”
