Learn how Alto helped Brook Gamble estate agents save 38 hours of admin a week, speed up everyday tasks and give its team more time to focus on clients and deals.
Brook Gamble at a glance
- Agency: Brook Gamble estate agents, Eastbourne (sales and lettings)
- Previous CRM: Dezrez
- Time saved: 38 hours of admin a week, the same as a full-time admin hire worth around £30K a year
- Window cards: around 30 seconds each in Alto
- Sales memorandums: sent in under a minute, including straight to the solicitor, saving £60 to £70 a month on franking
- New listings: about 40 minutes from start to finish
- Data migration: no issues bringing data across from Dezrez
When the technology you use to run your agency isn’t right, everyday work can feel a bit like wading through treacle.
Simple jobs become time-consuming and frustrating. People find workarounds, then end up needing workarounds for the workarounds.
Sometimes, it’s difficult for busy teams to truly see the impact that clunky tech is having on the business and it takes someone new joining the team to act as a wake-up call.
That’s exactly what happened at Brook Gamble estate agents, based in Eastbourne.
When Steve Youldon-Piercy joined as branch manager, he saw the issue straight away.
The business was using Dezrez as its CRM, but instead of helping, it was making simple jobs harder and costing the business time and money.
With around 30 years in estate agency and experience of several different CRMs, Steve knew this wasn’t something the team simply had to put up with. And he knew exactly what the fix was: they needed to switch to Alto.
Why did Brook Gamble switch from Dezrez to Alto?
He says: “Dezrez never really seemed to be a finished product. What we saw in demos was completely different to what we were actually using day to day. It was constant hassle and always needing updates.
“I’d used Alto in my previous role so I knew it was exactly what we needed.
“Implementation was quick and simple. The big worry is always whether all your data comes across, but we had no issues at all.”
Most customers go live on Alto in around four weeks, with some multi-branch agencies fully onboarded in as little as 16 days. The entire process is fully supported by a dedicated migration team, with no additional data migration charges and data accuracy of up to 99.9 percent.
With Alto up and running at Brook Gamble, it didn’t take long for the day-to-day workload to feel easier.
As the UK’s leading CRM for estate agents, Alto runs sales, lettings and property management all in one place.
With AI built in from the ground up, Alto can handle a range of tasks from start to finish. Skills can prepare appraisal reports, match properties with suitable applicants, write listings, chase sales progression and draft client messages.
As someone already used to doing everything in Alto, Steve quickly introduced his team to much simpler and quicker ways of working.
How much time does Alto save Brook Gamble?
He says: “There were lots of little things that really add up. We switched to creating all our window cards in Alto, which only takes about 30 seconds. The team couldn’t believe how much easier it was.
“We moved from sending sales memorandums in the post to doing it in less than a minute via Alto, including sending them straight to the solicitor. It instantly meant we weren’t spending £60 or £70 a month on the franking machine sitting in the corner or manually stuffing envelopes.
“New listings only take about 40 minutes now from start to finish, which is a big improvement. Alto’s AI is really helpful for getting the descriptions right.
“We also use saved email responses now, so if I’m doing a price reduction, Alto generates the letter, I just add the client’s name and send it. I’m not writing the same thing out every time.
“After 30 years in the industry, I’ve learned that success comes down to time and money. Alto means we’re saving both.”
Steve estimates that Alto saves the business 38 hours of admin a week, the same as a full-time admin hire worth around £30K a year.
Does Alto pay for itself?
He adds: “The savings mean Alto pays for itself.
“Now our agents are freed up to focus on building relationships and doing deals, which is what we all got into this for in the first place!”
How does Alto help Brook Gamble with lettings compliance?
As well as sales, Brook Gamble runs a busy lettings business, where staying on top of compliance is becoming an even bigger part of the job.
The Renters’ Rights Act has brought a fresh layer of regulation, adding to an already long list of checks, documents and renewal dates that teams need to keep on top of.
Alto helps manage that work in one place and keep agents protected, with property records, documents and activity held against each property.
AutoCert can take care of certificate renewals automatically, from spotting when Gas Safety, EICR, EPC and PAT certificates are due to arranging the work, uploading the new certificate and updating the renewal date.
It means there’s less for the team to remember or chase manually at a time when the compliance workload is only getting heavier.
How does Alto help Brook Gamble win more business?
Alto also gives Brook Gamble tools to help find new business and keep a much closer eye on performance.
Alto Prospecting uses whole-of-market data to identify landlords and sellers who may be getting ready to move, helping agents focus their efforts on the best opportunities.
With Alto IQ built in, Steve can ask a question about the business in plain English and get an instant answer based on the live data inside Alto. It could be anything from how the sales pipeline is looking to which negotiator performed best last quarter.
It means the team at Brook Gamble can stay on top of change and act quickly when opportunities come up.
Steve adds: “The market is extremely tough in Eastbourne at the moment. We can’t control the market, but we can do everything possible to make the most of every buyer that comes our way. With Alto, that’s a lot easier.
“If a buyer registers with us to view one property, within 30 seconds I can send them five other properties that might suit them. It’s the same in lettings. Someone might come to us about one property, but we can quickly get several others in front of them.
“I’ve used a lot of different systems over the years and, for me, Alto is the best CRM around. We’re very happy with it and I wouldn’t want to go back to working the way we did before.
“We’re very, very happy with Alto. There’s no going back!”
Brook Gamble and Alto: FAQs
Which CRM did Brook Gamble use before Alto?
Brook Gamble used Dezrez. Branch manager Steve Youldon-Piercy, who had used Alto in a previous role, led the switch to Alto because Dezrez was making simple jobs harder and costing the business time and money.
How long does it take to move to Alto?
Most customers go live on Alto in around four weeks, and some multi-branch agencies are fully set up in as little as 16 days. A dedicated migration team supports the whole process, with no extra data migration charges and data accuracy of up to 99.9 percent. Brook Gamble had no issues bringing its data across from Dezrez.
How much admin time can an estate agent save with Alto?
Steve estimates Alto saves Brook Gamble 38 hours of admin a week, the same as a full-time admin hire worth around £30K a year. Window cards take about 30 seconds, sales memorandums go out in under a minute and new listings take about 40 minutes from start to finish.
How does Alto help letting agents with compliance?
Alto holds property records, documents and activity against each property. AutoCert handles certificate renewals automatically, spotting when Gas Safety, EICR, EPC and PAT certificates are due, arranging the work, uploading the new certificate and updating the renewal date.
Is Alto a good alternative to Dezrez?
Steve Youldon-Piercy has used several CRMs in around 30 years in estate agency. Since moving Brook Gamble from Dezrez to Alto, he says Alto is “the best CRM around” and the team wouldn’t want to go back to working the way they did before.
Wondering if Alto should be your next move? Book your free, no-obligation demo now.
