See how Jigsaw left its frustrating legacy software behind and moved to Alto, saving around 40 hours a week and giving the team an easier way to keep deals moving.
Jigsaw at a glance
- Who: Jigsaw, a family-run estate and letting agent in Selby, North Yorkshire
- Challenge: a dated legacy CRM full of glitches, with no AI, that made simple jobs take twice as long
- Solution: Alto’s estate agency CRM, bringing sales, lettings, property management and compliance together
- Result: around 40 hours a week saved, faster deal progression and a clearer compliance record
- Most-used features: task manager, Property Writer, compliance timeline and client portal
Why Jigsaw needed a new estate agency CRM
Running an estate agency is challenging enough without having to battle the technology that’s supposed to make life easier.
But for the team at Jigsaw, a family-run letting and estate agent based in Selby, North Yorkshire, wrestling with its CRM had become part of the working day.
Its old legacy-style software was so dated that even trying to complete basic tasks, like adding notes on a deal, was a complete nightmare. Workflows were riddled with glitches, AI was non-existent and staff were spending twice as long as they should have to get simple jobs ticked off.
“Quite often we’d end up cursing at our screens out of sheer frustration,” says Sharon Northcott, Jigsaw’s owner.
“The system consistently failed to function as expected. Actions didn’t deliver the outcomes users anticipated, and this issue was pervasive across the platform.”
Enough was enough. Jigsaw needed an estate agency CRM that made the working day easier and could keep pace with where the industry was heading.
After carefully considering options for the best CRM for estate agents, Sharon decided Alto was the missing piece they were searching for.
Switching to Alto from a legacy CRM
Making the switch was relatively straightforward. Alto has a dedicated onboarding team so most agents go live in four weeks or less. The onboarding specialists made sure Jigsaw’s years of valuable historical data were brought safely across, while helping staff get to grips with a new way of working.
Sharon says: “We’re friendly with other estate agents in the area, so we asked around to see what everyone else was using. We also did our own research and looked at which property CRMs had the best reviews. Alto came out on top time and time again.
“Onboarding presented some initial challenges due to limitations with our previous system, but the Alto team guided us through the process. Once everything was in place, we wondered why we hadn’t made the switch sooner.”
“Alto itself was so easy to get to grips with. Even without any of the training, you can work it out very quickly and easily.”
With the move complete, Jigsaw had a CRM designed to support its agents and the way they work today.
As the UK’s leading CRM for estate agents, Alto brings sales, lettings, property management and compliance together, with tools for managing everything from applicants and appraisals to deal progression and reporting.
For Jigsaw, the impact of the switch was immediate. Suddenly, everyday jobs that had become unnecessarily complicated in its old CRM were much easier to get done.
The team estimates the business now saves around 40 hours a week since making the switch.
How Alto saves Jigsaw around 40 hours a week
She says: “Alto means we can just do one step in comparison to three or four steps that we would have been doing before. The workflows are just a lot easier and more simple. It’s all more streamlined, and everything is in one place. And it really helps with visibility across the team.
“The task manager is one of my most-used features. I can set key dates and receive reminders for upcoming tasks, making it much easier to stay organised and on top of priorities.
“It’s also extremely valuable for follow-ups. After an appraisal, we can schedule follow-ups at the right time, ensuring opportunities aren’t missed in our fast-paced environment.”
Alto is bringing AI into the heart of estate agency, with intelligence built directly into workflows to help agents work faster and get more done.
With a rapidly expanding range of Alto skills, agents like Jigsaw can prepare appraisals, match properties with applicants, write listings, chase sales progression, draft client communications and get instant insights on agency performance.
Jigsaw is already seeing the benefits of having AI built directly into its CRM. Because it can draw on the data and context already held in Alto, agents don’t have to start from scratch or go back and forth with prompts.
Sharon says: “We use Property Writer regularly. By simply adding keywords and key details we want to highlight, Alto generates the property listing for us, saving us a significant amount of time.
“We’re also looking forward to exploring more of Alto’s AI features. AI is becoming an increasingly important part of the industry, and we’re keen to embrace its potential to support our agency.”
Peace of mind on lettings compliance
For a busy letting agency, staying on top of compliance is more important than ever. With the Renters’ Rights Act bringing new responsibilities, having a clear record of what has been done and when is vital.
Alto gives letting agents a clear view of what’s happening across their portfolio, bringing everything from tenancy progression and maintenance to rent collection and compliance into one place.
From the property management dashboard, teams can see what needs actioning, what’s overdue and what’s coming up, with reminders helping them stay on top of inspections and compliance dates.
The AutoCert tool takes some of that work a step further by managing certificate renewals automatically. It can spot when Gas Safety, EICR, EPC and PAT certificates are due, arrange the work and file the new certificate against the property once it’s complete.
For Jigsaw, it all means the team has a much clearer record of what’s been done across each property and what needs attention next.
Sharon explains: “Alto makes managing compliance much easier. The timeline gives us a clear overview of completed checks, making it simple to see that everything is in order.”
“We also connect Alto with a few of the other lettings tools we use, and it all works really well together.”
Happier team, happier clients
The benefits of using Alto have reached beyond the Jigsaw team and are being felt by clients, too. Sales move forward faster, while the agency’s client portal gives landlords and vendors an easy way to keep track of what’s happening.
For Sharon, that has helped Jigsaw provide a more professional experience and give clients better visibility without creating more work for the team.
She says: “Alto saves us a huge amount of time every week. Deal progression is definitely faster which ultimately means we can get deals over the line and fees into the business sooner.
“But our clients are impressed with Alto, too.
“Our clients really like having a portal where they can see everything in one place. It looks professional, it’s easy for them to use and I think it’s improved how we come across to clients.
“Now we’ve seen what’s possible with the right CRM, we’d never go back to the old way of doing things!”
Frequently asked questions
Which CRM does Jigsaw use?
Jigsaw, a family-run estate and letting agent in Selby, North Yorkshire, uses Alto as its estate agency CRM for sales, lettings, property management and compliance, after moving away from a dated legacy system.
How much time has Jigsaw saved by switching to Alto?
The team estimates it saves around 40 hours a week since switching to Alto. Jobs that used to take three or four steps now take one, and everything is in one place.
How long does it take to switch to Alto?
Alto has a dedicated onboarding team, and most agents go live in four weeks or less. The team brings historical data across safely and helps staff get used to the new system.
Which Alto features does Jigsaw use most?
Jigsaw relies on the task manager for key dates, reminders and appraisal follow-ups, Property Writer to create AI property listings from keywords, the compliance timeline, and the client portal for landlords and vendors.
How does Alto help letting agents with compliance?
The property management dashboard shows what needs actioning, what’s overdue and what’s coming up, with reminders for inspections and compliance dates. AutoCert can also manage Gas Safety, EICR, EPC and PAT certificate renewals automatically.
Why did Jigsaw choose Alto?
Jigsaw asked other local estate agents what they used and researched which property CRMs had the best reviews. Alto came out on top time and time again.
Wondering if Alto should be your next move? Book your free, no-obligation demo now.
