Tag Archives: #proptech

News

Symple ramps up its nationwide expansion

Proptech business Symple is ramping up its expansion by doubling its pool of specialist contractors to 2,000 and investing £600,000 in technology to meet increasing demand for its services.

Symple is seeking to recruit 1,000 accredited and strictly vetted service providers – gas safety engineers, electricians and energy assessors – across the UK over the next 12 months.

The company, which was launched in May 2021, is an online platform for residential landlords, estate and letting agents and homeowners.

Symple, which operates nationwide from headquarters in Swinton, Greater Manchester and an office in north London, manages property certificates for single and multiple residential sites, including those for gas and electrical safety, boiler servicing, PAT testing and energy performance.

Its cloud-based platform is a one-stop shop which manages bookings for inspections and arranges for service providers to carry them out.

The recruitment drive for service providers follows continued strong growth for Symple, which now has a portfolio of 5,000 properties.

The company has also earmarked £600,000 for a software upgrade as it launches new services such as repairs and maintenance, taking the total investment in technology since its inception to £1.3m.

Founder and chief executive Simon Dresdner said: “Symple has seen continuous strong growth and now we are delighted to announce further significant investment across the business in line with our rapid expansion.

“We need to recruit 1,000 additional service providers to meet increasing demand and ensure inspections are picked up and completed quickly in all areas of the country.

“Our system is based on an Uber model, whereby service providers receive a text message or email about an inspection which has been booked with us, and can then respond if they are in the area and wish to attend.

“Our ease of operation, straightforward administrative process and prompt payment means it’s a very appealing proposition for those looking for an additional source of revenue.

“There is no sign-on fee, and contractors are free to make their own decisions about whether or not to carry out an inspection when it is notified to them.

“They love the model because they know exactly what they will be paid when they see the job come up, and that they will receive payment within seven days directly into their bank account.

“We support them throughout the process, ensuring they have all the information they need to get the job done quickly, with no need to raise invoices.”

He added: “Landlords, agents and homeowners also love the platform because it’s a one-click order system, there is no registration fee, and Symple manages the entire renewal process for certifications, including sending reminders when they are due and arranging inspections with key holders and service providers.

“We have a long list of services which they require, such as repairs and maintenance, cleaning, pest control and property valuations, which we are looking to add in the future.

“As the platform develops, it will be one that landlords will rely on to take care of any property-related service they need.

“To facilitate this expansion, we are developing our technology with a further investment of £600,000 as we increase the number of properties and contractors, and roll out new services to a growing client base.”

Symple is part of Kingsbury Holdings, the parent company of several service providers in the property and facilities management sectors.

The Kingsbury group includes Merco Facilities Services, a commercial cleaning business, and FCS Management Services, a business rates management company.

Charity & CSR, News

Trio of businesses boost Purple Heart Wishes

A charity which enables adults with a terminal illness to fulfil special wishes with their family and friends is in line for a cash boost from proptech business Symple and two sister companies.

Symple has chosen Purple Heart Wishes as its charity of the year for 2022.

Merco Facilities Services, a commercial cleaning business, and FCS Management Services, a business rates management company, have followed suit to provide a triple boost to the charity. The businesses are all part of Kingsbury Holdings and are headquartered in Swinton, Greater Manchester.

Purple Heart Wishes was founded by Symple’s chief operating officer Susan Roughton in 2016 following the passing of her daughter Lyndsey from a brain tumour at the age of 29.

Lyndsey was diagnosed in 2009 after suffering from headaches and blurred vision. Initially, her treatment was successful, but the tumour recurred more aggressively and was diagnosed as incurable in 2012. She passed away in 2014 at St Ann’s Hospice, Greater Manchester.

During her illness, Lyndsey’s family and friends raised over £25,000 for her to fulfil a lifelong dream to visit Thailand and Vietnam. She went for three weeks with a friend who was training to become a doctor.

Susan wanted Lyndsey’s final months to be filled with laughter, love and excitement with her family and friends.

“We tried to arrange for her to do as much as possible to ensure she had the best days of her short life,” said Susan, who lives in Denton, Greater Manchester.

“Thanks to the generosity of individuals and organisations, she did a host of amazing things, including horse riding, going to Premier League football matches, riding on a motorbike and going to the Creamfields music festival where her older sister Leigh was a DJ.

“After she passed away, I felt I wanted to help grant wishes to other adults with terminal illnesses, just as we had done for Lyndsey.

“That led to setting up Purple Heart Wishes, catering for people aged 18 to 55 and even older. There are similar organisations for children, but not many like this for adults.

“Currently we are receiving 12 requests for wishes a month, which is more than we’ve ever had. We receive wishes from the patients themselves, their friends, hospices, Macmillan Cancer Support, The Brain Tumour Charity and elsewhere.

“We are fortunate to receive support from people doing sponsored activities such as parachute jumps, and from Manchester City FC, where we work in the kiosks at matches and concerts and get a percentage of the sales through the catering company Fabulous Fan Fayre.

“However, with the number of requests for wishes now at such a high level, we need to raise more money, and I’m delighted that Symple, Merco and FCS have chosen us as their charity of the year.

“Their support will make a huge difference to people who are very poorly and want to fulfil dreams and create memories for their families and friends by spending precious quality time with them or doing something special. Some of the people who request a wish simply cannot afford to do these things themselves.

“They include hotel stays and breaks at holiday parks with their families, sightseeing in London, having a photo shoot or even providing a pendant gift from a terminally ill husband to his wife. They are all tremendously appreciated. They create lasting memories, and give people the strength to continue fighting.”

Susan said Purple Heart Wishes is also seeking ambassadors and fundraisers as well as sponsors for wishes and for donors of wishes themselves.

“We want to do as much as we can to help families in such tragic situations. It’s great to be able to do this in Lyndsey’s memory, and to bring some joy into people’s lives at a very difficult time. The feedback we receive is always fantastic,” she said.

The charity’s logo is a heart which Lyndsey drew in a birthday card to Susan which was found after she passed away. The Purple Heart medal is awarded to service people in the US who have been injured in conflict, as a way of celebrating their heroism.

“Lyndsey was a hero to us, so it seemed a fitting name for the charity,” said her mum.

Kingsbury founder and chief executive Simon Dresdner said: “We are deeply moved by the story of how Purple Heart Wishes came to be.

“Susan has created something really special in memory of Lyndsey, enabling her legacy to live on. It is our great honour and privilege to be able to support the wonderful work the charity does, knowing what a difference it makes to people in need. I hope we can be a supporting partner of Purple Heart Wishes for many years to come.”

 

News

Five reasons why employee ownership can re-energise and unify your workforce post-Covid

In a year that has witnessed huge change for organisations, employee ownership – offering employees a stake in the business – has come to the fore as a way to re energise and unify the workforce. The Employee Ownership Association reports year on year growth in EO companies in the UK, with over 450, contributing in excess of £30 billion to UK GDP in 2020. It offers a compelling option for improving staff retention, putting employees at the heart of the organisation whilst delivering a persuasive point of difference to customers.

Trace Solutions has been employee owned since 2007 – it was ahead of its time when its founder Richard Wolfe bought the company back from being a Plc. Fourteen years on, it has identified the top five reasons why it believes the EO model can deliver benefit to organisations post-Covid.

 

  1. Stand out from the competition

With under 500 companies in the UK having EO status, it’s a point of difference to prospects and customers that’s tangible during the sales process and beyond. As a PropTech IT company, Trace has discovered that being EO in an industry where its competitors are largely investor-backed, high-growth organisations make it unique among its peers and provides another reason to consider doing business with the company beyond just its product offering. There is a greater feeling of partnership where a ‘service’ is being delivered and promise of a long-term fruitful relationship for both organisations. In some cases, it has been an important reason for customers choosing to do business. An organisation that’s not simply driven by profit but has customer service central to its strategy is clear to those who engage with it.

 

  1. Provide greater wellbeing for employees

In a post-Covid workplace where organisations have been largely working remotely and have struggled to create a culture that helps with recruitment and retention, offering EO to new employees is a benefit that that attracts candidates, and differentiates a job offer from others. Higher employee engagement, motivation, wellbeing, retention and recruitment are all benefits of EO. Trace’s employees often refer to being part of a close family unit where openness internally means there is a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility and involvement within the communities it operates in. Everyone has a collective responsibility for the delivery of good service and software to customers – pulling in the same direction to achieve it. Around 20% of Trace employees have over twenty years’ service with the company, with the average length of service of the workforce being twelve years.

 

  1. Deliver a superior product

The fastest way to an extensive product portfolio is often via company acquisition, however it can be difficult to glue together the component parts of two or more organisations’ products and services into something that has the customer at the heart of it. By contrast, as an EO company building a product from the ground up, testing it with the customer base and continuously updating it to suit the needs of the market means the product is built with the customer in mind and is supported by the people who built and understand it best.

 

  1. Put your customers before profit

Putting customers first means that the needs and requirements of clients comes ahead of anything and everything else – even profit. Trace is clear that if its PropTech software isn’t right for a prospect, it will flag up its concerns rather than sell a square peg for a round hole. Long term customer partnerships are the primary objective, and they are nurtured by providing excellent customer experience via product experts. Building trust and understanding within the customer base, such that clients know they have a supplier that is concerned with their challenges and is working hard to address them – above all else.

 

  1. Deliver stability for all

In an EO company the threat of acquisition is eliminated. Employees care more because they own it, have a vested interest in remaining in its employment and doing the right thing for their customers. Trace’s longest serving customer is over forty years and having ridden a wave of instability in its flotation on the stock market in the early 2000’s, and its subsequent buy-back in 2007, the company is in an enviable position to promise and deliver on longevity and quality of service for its customers.

 

June 25, 2021 is Employee Ownership Day