Conveyancing providers who don’t embrace the future and technology may not be around in the not too distant future according to Doug Crawford, former CEO of Simplify and now in the host seat at Simply Conveyancing after four years away.
Doug shares his thoughts on technology, people, opportunity and private equity in an exclusive interview on the latest Today’s Conveyancer podcast. You can listen in to the full discussion below and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast providers. Subscribe to hear all the latest from around the conveyancing and home moving community.
The conveyancing profession is constantly changing due to technology and consumer demand. However, Doug, comparing his return to the industry like the “battered boxer” coming back for more, emphasises the fact that the profession is about people and the unique culture.
When asked by podcast host David Opie, Managing Director of Today’s Media, what pulled Doug Back into the industry and into Simply Conveyancing, he said:
“In terms of re-joining the industry and joining simply, I guess there are those two aspects to it – there’s the attraction of the industry and then of course it’s got to be the right company, the right business within that industry.
Conveyancers are our superheroes who help the young first time buyer, the second stepper, the person buying their dream home, the downsizer, the bereaved, the separating and everybody in between. So, it’s a sector I really liked and admired. It does good stuff. You know, there’s emotion involved in the house buying process, and this industry helps people with that so it’s an industry I was always proud to be a part of.”
Doug went on to explain that, in this profession, conveyancers need to have people to manage the growth:
“For me, it’s all about people. It always is about people. This industry is about people and therefore the culture is just hugely, hugely important.
Does it feel like a family? It does feel like a community where we’re successful, but there’s loads of energy, loads of desire and quite honestly, we’ll have a load of fun along the way.”
Although the industry will not endure without people, Doug states that “technology will play a huge part in the strategy and the future success of Simply.” After taking a break from the profession for four years, he believes that conveyancers are closer to technology transforming the industry then they have ever been before.
However, he also stated that a lot of companies are “doing exactly the same thing as they were eleven years ago” and that does not strike him as having a “huge appetite to change something”.
When asked whether the profession needs government intervention in order to improve it, Doug said:
“I don’t think it does need government intervention. I think the industry is capable of solving the challenges itself. However, I think it’s taken a long time to get to where we are today, and, arguably, we’re on the edge of digital transformation rather than in the heart of it.
Those who don’t embrace change and those who don’t embrace the future, quite frankly, just won’t be here.”
More on this, Doug suggested that consumers will drive the change to the industry and said that that is how most industries work – “the consumer decides how they want whatever it is”.
When asked whether the role of the conveyancer will change or is changing, Doug said:
“Our conveyancers need to be better communicators. And it’s almost like pushing your arms around that client and just walking them through a process that they have little or limited knowledge of and you know, as a legal professional, you get to share all of that legal knowledge with that client.
You get to explain why things are important, so you use your legal knowledge, but you use it in a way that gives that client comfort and reassurance and just confidence that you know what you’re doing because you’re a legal professional. You’re walking them through that journey, which is why I see conveyancers and people remaining an absolutely fundamental part of this industry. It’s a people industry and I think it, it always will be a people industry.
I don’t see technology taking over from people entirely. I think people want that human interaction and that confidence that somebody who knows their stuff legally.”
Listen in to the full interview below:
