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With nearly three decades of experience in the property industry, Bernadette “Bernie” Sheridan has seen the inner workings of estate agencies from just about every angle.
Now serving as the CEO of Brinkleys Estate Agents – an established agency of more than 20 years in South West London – she oversees a full-service operation spanning sales, lettings, property management, rent collection, tenant find, block management and bespoke landlord solutions.
But while running the full scope of estate agency services might be a challenge for some businesses, Bernie has Reapit in her corner.
With seamlessly integrated solutions that cover every stage of sales, lettings, property management and automated client accounting, Reapit offers agencies one place to get a full 360° view and understanding of their businesses. This gives Bernie the confidence that her team at Brinkleys has the best technology for the job, whatever needs, opportunities or challenges arise.
“We like to give all our clients the very, very best attention that they can get, which is one of the reasons we use Reapit and PayProp."
A need for transparency and a better way of working
Before Reapit, Brinkleys was struggling with the limitations of their previous CRM. Senior operators and stakeholders couldn’t easily see how the business was performing until the very end of each process, and by then, it was too late to take action.
What the team at Brinkley’s needed was visibility into their pipeline, what was stuck, and how each branch and department was performing. Getting greater insight from their data was key, as was finding a PropTech platform that could help bridge the gap between Brinkley’s branch staff and their team of remote employees who support them.
Bernie saw the risk of daily inefficiencies developing within the agency and potentially causing friction, and she knew the solution immediately: Reapit.
Smooth sailing from day one
If Bernie has one message for agencies that worry about onboarding, it is this: don’t be.
In her own words, Reapit made the transition remarkably easy. The platform is intuitive, the data migration was straightforward and Reapit’s support team were there at every turn.
Even when Brinkleys acquired a brand-new portfolio during onboarding, adding those properties, clients and historical data was no trouble at all, she says.
Reapit is designed to scale, and Bernie is already eyeing their next acquisition, knowing the system can handle it.
One CRM, total visibility
Today, Brinkleys uses Reapit across both sales and lettings. Housing the entire operation on one platform has fully solved the transparency issue that frustrated senior operators and stakeholders in the past.
One of Bernie’s favourite features is Power Reports. Whether she needs a high-level overview of the company or a deep dive by branch, employee, client or property, Reapit’s Power Reports gives her precise and reliable insight.
"I love the fact that Reapit works for both sales and lettings because we can see all aspects of the business in a snapshot.”
More opportunities delivered faster
Uniting different parts of their business in one place has also been a game-changer for cross- and upselling.
For example, if a landlord casually enquires what their rental property might fetch on the sales market, that information now flows instantly to the sales team.
A team member can then pull up the landlord’s contact details in seconds and send a desktop valuation on the spot.
Opportunities that once slipped through the cracks now convert quickly. And in this way alone, Bernie says, Reapit practically pays for itself.
Supporting a mobile and remote workforce
For Brinkleys’ full-time remote team and agents who are constantly on the road, Reapit’s mobile-first solution, Reapit Go, has become indispensable.
Agents can update viewings, log follow-ups and create new entries in real time, all without storing sensitive data on personal devices. Everything syncs securely back into Reapit’s ecosystem, meaning agents don’t have to redo any admin later – what they log on the road is visible to the whole team right away.
A better, faster, more transparent client accounting experience
For client accounting, Brinkleys relies on PayProp, complemented by what Bernie calls a “phenomenal integration” with Xero, which the business uses for accounts.
Before PayProp, the accounting team was “pulling their hair out” over a clunky rent collection, reconciliation and distribution system that slowed them down.
Now rent moves seamlessly and faster than ever before, meaning landlords get paid faster too. This improved cash flow is a major benefit Brinkleys can sell to new landlords and also helps keep current clients happy. Bernie says according to the PayProp support team, Brinkleys is one of the fastest processors of rent money on the platform.
Besides speed, landlords also value the transparency the system gives them into every transaction related to their properties. They can see every payment, arrears position and communication sent in real time, and they receive detailed statements every month.
Behind the scenes, Reapit guards Brinkleys’ data with powerful encryption, ISO27001 certification, multi-factor authentication, secure audit logs, robust user permissions, and more across their products. Brinkleys’ customers can trust that their information and, in the case of landlords and tenants, their money is protected at every step.
Not your average support line
One element Bernie consistently praises is Reapit’s customer service. It feels like a real partnership, she says.
Reapit’s team is full of former estate and letting agents, so they are quick to respond, proactive with advice on growth, and uniquely equipped to keep Brinkleys informed about important industry updates.
“What you find with a lot of PropTech is that they have mostly tech people with no industry experience. The difference with Reapit is that they have customer service people that do have industry experience, and that means they speak the same language as us. Our experience is their experience, and their experience is our experience. That's what makes it a great collaboration.”
More time for people, property and purpose
Within just three months of adopting Reapit, Brinkleys saw a visible improvement in staff and client satisfaction, reporting quality, operational efficiency and overall growth.
But at the end of the day, what Reapit has really delivered is time that Bernie and her team can now reinvest back into the client experience:
- Time for meaningful face-to-face interactions.
- Time to be fully present at open houses.
- Time to run charitable initiatives like Brinkleys’ annual winter coat collection.
- Time to create that dream home experience Brinkleys is known for.
“Estate agents love people, and they love property. It's quite simple, really. They’re not often experts at admin, which is why having a great CRM and a great accounting system is so priceless. It lets them get back to doing what they’re good at, and what they love doing.”
