Tim Russ Estate Agents

The Challenge

While Tim Russ boasted exceptional people with deep industry knowledge, the business was running on completely manual processes that severely limited growth potential. The agency operated entirely on paper-based systems with no automation at all.

"It was all stored in the teams heads, nothing was ever captured on any sort of system. It was all paper and a pretty slow way of doing business," explains Ben Steer, who recognised both the challenge and opportunity this presented.

The manual processes were especially problematic for the agency's lettings operations. Tenancy agreements took 25-30 minutes to create manually, with staff having to painstakingly input every detail by hand. All maintenance coordination was done through individual emails, requiring staff to manually add certificates and documents for each communication. 

Accounting was also completely manual, with payments processed individually and rental fees tracked by agents. On top of all of this, client communications were predominantly paper-based with no digital trail, making it difficult to track previous interactions and increasing the chances of missing messages.

Ben and Vince knew that to scale the business and serve clients effectively, they needed to transition from these traditional methods to modern technology—but the challenge was finding a solution that wouldn't overwhelm their experienced team who had never worked with digital systems.

"When we joined Street.co.uk, we went from zero to 100 in terms of paper to tech. If you can win over a team that has always been traditional in their process and has had almost no change in 15 years, then I think you can win anybody over."

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The Solution

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After evaluating multiple CRM options, Tim Russ Estate Agents selected Street.co.uk for its comprehensive lettings capabilities and user-friendly interface. The decision came down to Street.co.uk's responsiveness, approachability, and proven track record of listening to client feedback.

"The absolute beauty of what I've seen from Street.co.uk is the responsiveness of everyone in the company, be it your trainers, chat team or account managers. It’s not just approachability, but speed too.”

The agency implemented Street.co.uk's comprehensive Lettings platform, which included the core property and client management, Client Accounting for automated rent collection and financial oversight, advanced maintenance workflows with contractor management and commission tracking.

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“The real thing that I love about Street.co.uk is the fact that there is a tangible outcome from giving feedback on issues and recommendations."

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A key factor in the successful transition was Street.co.uk's intuitive design and comprehensive support system. The team particularly valued the in-system chat feature that provided instant guidance when needed.

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"The chat box at the bottom right corner is a great feature. For example, when we were getting to grips with the system someone needed to know how to change a landlord’s bank details. All we needed to do was type into the chat box and it told us exactly where to go. It is just brilliant."

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The Results

The transformation from manual to digital operations delivered immediate and measurable improvements across all areas of the business. Tenancy agreement creation was reduced from 25-30 minutes to just 6-7 minutes, representing a time saving of over 75% on one of the agency's most frequent tasks. 

Maintenance coordination became streamlined through automated workflows, eliminating the need for manual email management and document handling. Client accounting processes were dramatically simplified with bulk payment capabilities, removing the previous system of individual payment processing that had consumed hours of administrative time each month.

Alongside this, the modernisation had an immediate positive impact on client relationships and service delivery. Ben and the team at Tim Russ found that younger tenants adapted most readily to the new systems, while, naturally, their typically older demographic of landlords required more education but are beginning to embrace the digital transformation. 

Their tenants have quickly embraced the Consumer App for maintenance requests and account access, with approximately 25% of them now solely using the digital maintenance reporting feature rather than defaulting to phone calls. Landlords gained better visibility through digital statements and comprehensive reporting. Response times for all client enquiries and issues improved significantly due to the centralised workflow system.

Switching to Street.co.uk has also delivered substantial operational improvements beyond time savings. The agency has since centralised their maintenance team, creating clear workflow processes that improved both efficiency and client service. A comprehensive audit trail for all client interactions and transactions has also provided better oversight and accountability than the previous paper-based system ever could.

"After 6 months now, the guys are so pleased that we made the leap to Street.co.uk That's all you can really ask for when it's a change of CRM system. One, because there's always a reluctance when it comes to CRM switch simply because. And two, because fundamental changes to your day job can feel really daunting - and we didn’t experience any of that with Street.co.uk."

The lettings module, despite being newer than the sales CRM, has shown remarkable development and adaptation to client needs.

"My original perception of Street.co.uk was that it was a sales CRM with lettings bolted on, now I realise that’s really not the case. In just 6 months Lettings has already come so much further… just think what it can be in six months' time."

The agency particularly values Street.co.uk's commitment to continuous improvement, with regular feature updates based on user feedback making the system more effective over time.

Tim Russ Estate Agent's successful digital transformation demonstrates that even the most traditional operations can seamlessly adopt modern technology when supported by the right platform and team.

"It's intuitive, easy to use, segmented, compartmentalised, but in a really positive way. The ability for anyone to just pick it up and navigate it off the cuff is a great win for how simple the system really is. If there is an empty box on your page, just fill it in!"

Tim Russ’ experience proves that with proper support and an intuitive system, the transition from traditional to digital operations can be both smooth and highly beneficial.

Want to discover how Street.co.uk can help your agency modernise operations and boost efficiency? Speak to our team today.

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