PHPD’s Kieran Nee speaks to Nick Taylor, Business Development Manager at Housebuilder Pro, about the company and why housebuilders and developers should consider a third party management software package.
Hi Nick, can you tell us about Housebuilder Pro?
Housebuilder Pro is an exciting joint venture between software development experts Shoothill and Shropshire-based housebuilders Shingler Homes.
Leveraging Shingler Homes’ 20 years as premier home builders and Shoothill’s stellar 16 years’ software development pedigree, the two companies have forces on Housebuilder Pro. Jeremy Shingler, Managing Director of Shingler Homes, approached Shoothill to develop a software product to manage his own internal property sales and it is from this original requirement that Housebuilder has developed into the comprehensive product it is today
Sounds interesting. What exactly can the software offer housebuilders and developers?
HBP offers housebuilders and developers a full, end to end, property and construction management software package that enables users to fully track the progress of their sites from a build and sales point of view. Plot build progress is logged through the system whilst sales are being made, chased and completed through the software’s comprehensive sales and customer management package. Customer reservations, legal progress, choice selection and handovers are all managed seamlessly and once sales are completed, properties are automatically moved into the aftercare section for management of customer service for the warranty period.
The system also has a customer-facing portal which enables home buyers to log in to view all property details, track build and legal progress as well as letting them make all the choices of fixtures and fittings.
Isn’t this something housebuilders can do in-house?
We do not manage the system for the customers (that is done by them) but in a nutshell, Housebuilder pro is a complete ‘off-the-shelf’ software suite that was developed by housebuilders, for housebuilders. Hosted on the cloud, the product is used by the housebuilders themselves, and accessed via any web browser. Not only that, but new features are being continually developed for the product and these updates are shared amongst all HBP customers. The package can be set up for customers in 24 hours.
Going forward, how different do you think the industry be in 2021 compared to 2019? Will there be particular challenges for Housebuilder Pro
Even though house sales are booming at the moment, there may be uncertain economic times ahead and it is vital that housebuilders prepare. The success of any business is almost entirely dependent on the people it employs and the systems and procedures it uses to manage production. The housebuilding industry is no different to any other in this respect and the implementation of HBP within your business will ensure that, no matter what the economic climate, you can be confident that you (and your buyers) will have accurate, efficient data to enable you to continue to professionally manage builds, sales and aftercare.
So the software is easy to use and streamlines the processes between customers and developers, but how easy is it to implement in the first place? Is there any help for companies struggling with it?
The team at Housebuilder Pro are very hands on with the implementation, offering unparalleled customer support and service throughout. Onboarding is made very simple for the end user and the client can be up and running within 24 hours. The system can be made bespoke or adapted to their individual business needs. We understand the industry works in many ways from small, medium to larger companies and we understand we need to adapt according to their wants and needs. The whole team at Housebuilder Pro wants the end user to have an exceptional experience ultimately becoming their loyal, trusted one-stop provider and collaborative partner for years to come. They certainly will not be left alone in their journey, building strong business relationships is key to our success.
What do the builders say?
Caryl Russell, Sales Manager, at Macbryde
“We’ve been looking for the best software solution that could fulfil our specific needs for quite a while now and we have had time to compare many of the products on the market. When we saw Housebuilder Pro and its capabilities, we knew we had found the right software for our business. For us, one of the biggest attractions was that it has obviously been designed from the ground up by housebuilders and the fact that it’s always evolving with new features, making this decision pretty much a no-brainer”.
Richard Shackleton MD at Shropshire Homes
“We are always on the lookout for new ways to further improve our business, both for our employees and customers alike. Housebuilder Pro is an excellent tool to help ensure we are working as efficiently as possible, enabling us to enhance our sales process for customers and to be able to provide them with an online portal for all documentation and guarantees associated with their property for 10 years after the sale. We’re also excited to be working with a local software developer like Shoothill as we bring this digital transformation to life inside our business.”
