25 April 2025
The property management sector is experiencing its most significant transformation in decades, driven by changing legislation and evolving requirements. In an article originally published in Property Week, our Managing Director, Martin King, explains how FirstPort is professionalising its service, putting effective communication and transparency at the heart of its strategy.
What has been the biggest driver of change in the way you communicate with your residents?
The property management industry is under increasing pressure to improve communication and transparency, and we are fully committed to responding positively to this. Exactly what residential property managers do can be something of a mystery and we need to make it a lot clearer for all involved.
In some areas, that requires investment. For instance, we invested in a new customer portal last April and our telephone lines used to be offshore, but we have changed that so our customer service mirrors our regional operational teams. Along with redefining our customer strategy, this has led to a 48% year-on-year reduction in complaints as well as significantly improved response and resolution times.
I want FirstPort to lead by example in terms of training, attitude and culture, as well as the systems we use and the expertise we bring in from other industries
Ultimately, in light of the coming changes in the industry and the shift towards a much more consumer-led market, we are rebuilding a whole end-to-end customer journey to understand how we can improve, ask better questions and explain what we do more, and also how we can become much more ‘business to customer’ as a company and as an industry.
We are making sure that people understand what we do for them and what the service charge is – basically what they are paying us to do.
How are you improving communication on the ground?
We have invested in our operational colleagues who are on the ground and visible to our customers. They have a clearer brief and remit, which involves regular site visits using industry-leading inspection software to identify and communicate potential issues much earlier. This allows us to act more quickly for our customers.
We have also regionalised the business, ensuring a more localised service for our customers. We now have four separate regions that are headed up by dedicated directors of operations. As a result, there is a much greater sense of ownership and localised approach over the developments they manage, while being able to utilise and leverage our national scale when needed. Since the reorganisation, we have seen a 20% reduction in customers reporting a poor service.
What role does technology play in improving customer experience and operational efficiency?
It is absolutely central. Our biggest recent technological advance has been a comprehensive refresh of our My Home online portal. Around a year ago, we brought in an expert in retail and the customer journey. They have led the project to produce a portal that is far more customer focused. That has been a real game-changer for us.
We now have around 8,000 people logging on every day and that has led to a 20% fall in telephone calls. It is a much more sensible and modern way of communicating with customers to ensure they have immediate access to us with questions they have.
We are also looking to the future. We are looking at how artificial intelligence (AI) can improve communication and almost anticipate the questions that customers may have. It may be that we can resolve any problems before customers even realise there is an issue.
How is FirstPort demonstrating its expertise to customers and clients?
The industry is going through a great deal of change at the moment, not least when it comes to the focus on energy efficiency. We’re using AI-powered smart building technology so that we can measure the performance of our buildings.
Gas and electricity prices have risen alarmingly in recent years, so running buildings efficiently is really important for our customers. The AI is able to spot inefficiencies and communicate them to our building managers, who can then take action. The technology is able to monitor the entire system, continuously.
We are also aware that AI is developing all the time. As a result, we have got a team assessing how any advances in AI can be utilised to make improvements to the way we run the business and how we can best serve our customers. It is not just about how AI can help today; it is about thinking two, three or five years in advance.
Property management – and the property industry more broadly – is not known for being quick to embrace new technology, but I want to change that. I want FirstPort to lead by example in terms of training, attitude and culture, as well as the systems we use and the expertise we bring in from other industries.
How are you supporting your staff to ensure they are equipped to handle industry changes?
There is no point setting out a strategy and briefing the board if it does not bring our staff and our people along with us. They need to be briefed and trained. We have created a whole new associate director level within the business who are there to mentor the property managers. And when new people enter the business, we put them through a strong training programme.
One of the things I have insisted on is that everyone goes through a training programme accredited by The Property Institute and equates to their level-two qualification. More than 1,000 people have completed that course already. Everyone needs to understand the pressures that come with property management and the responsibilities it entails. We are also launching structured career pathways for customer service and operations staff to help them grow and develop in their roles.
It as about being responsible and taking our role seriously, not least when it comes to areas like building safety. But it is also about preparing our people for the future. Since I came in 12 months ago, I have been driving the company forward when it comes to skills and qualifications. It looks as though the government will bring in mandatory qualifications for property managers and, when that happens, I want us to have those qualifications in place rather than having to respond.
How do you work with clients and contractors to share and implement best practices?
We firmly believe that property managers should work with their developer clients far earlier in the development process. We need to be involved at the design stage, developing an approach that meets their needs, so that we can spot any potential management issues and opportunities in advance. We also need to be part of the conversation when it comes to requirements such as biodiversity net gain.
Most importantly, it is about building a community. We need to work to ensure people have not just a place to live but an actual home. We need to work with developers and contractors to build genuine communities that enrich lives. It comes back to communication: we are talking to our customers, clients and supply chains far more than we ever have done.
If you’d like to find out more about the range of residential property management services we provide to clients, click here to contact us.
