Simply Conveyancing Property Lawyers have become the first UK property law firm in legal history to integrate with virtual personal assistant, Alexa, into their system.
Launched last week, Simply Conveyancing customers can now ask Alexa, questions and queries about their conveyancing transaction, plus information on the conveyancing process, a new quote on a sale or purchase, for help on their paperwork and contracts – and for the latest updates on their transaction.
With technology continually evolving and firmly embedded in our lives, East Midlands and London based law firm, Simply Conveyancing have kept abreast of Proptech and utilised it to its full potential to help revolutionise the property industry.
In a Q&A, Ian Strickley, IT Director of Simply Conveyancing talks about how the innovative product will impact on the house buying/selling process; how it will improve communication between a conveyancer and its client; in what ways technology can revolutionise the UK property moving process and how Proptech will evolve over the next five years.
How does this product help improve/support the home buying/selling process for customers?
This new product will have a significant impact on improving the process and reducing the stress associated with buying and selling a property. Life can be very busy and not everyone has the time to make calls or log in to our portal. By introducing Alexa at Simply, we have used technology to provide the latest information in the fastest and most convenient format for our clients.
How does it tie into the consumer habits of 21st century home buyers?
The use of technology has become second nature for most of us and there is an expectation that information can be accessed 24/7 through all of our connected devices; not just laptops and phones. Simply are further extending this by giving the client access to our eConvey platform through their voice via Alexa.
How will the innovative software improve communications between the conveyancer and home buyer/seller?
It can only improve this relationship – we are providing more and more ways for our clients to find out the latest information about their transaction. Between calling our dedicated lawyers, our online portal, mobile app, and now Alexa, our clients have multiple channels to choose from when communicating with us.
Can it be integrated with Google Home and other digital virtual assistants?
Not yet, however Alexa is by far the market leader in voice-enabled devices in the home or when out and about and so it made perfect sense to provide our skill to this device first.
In what ways does technology improve the property moving process?
Simply believe in using technology to assist but not replace the Lawyer. All clients have direct dial telephone numbers and email addresses for their lawyer which means they will be on hand at the end of the phone should a client want to speak to someone. The use of technology simply provides choice and gives the client the ability to obtain the information they need when they want it.
As we live in a technically driven generation, do you think the industry is embracing Proptech quickly enough to adapt to the needs of the consumers?
Overall change in the conveyancing industry seems to be slow and there are very few firms adopting the technology required by consumers. Part of the problem is that Proptech isn’t available to purchase in the marketplace for the average conveyancing company. We have developed our systems in house with our own team of IT developers, which is a real advantage. Our systems are not aiming to replace a Lawyer with a computer, instead we focus on providing our lawyers, clients and estate agents with the tools to make a difference, reducing transaction times and providing a superior service in the market.
How do you think Proptech will evolve over the next 5 years?
We think the change is going to be evolutionary not revolutionary, but the process of change has started and will only gain momentum. Simply Conveyancing will be at the forefront of this transformation.
Artificial Intelligence is the next big step and we are working on some really exciting projects which we hope to unveil soon!
One Response
No matter how much technology there is, it does not remove the need for the job to be done quickly, efficiently and correctly by proper professionals. Asking Alexa what is going on is no different from ringing up. Interesting that this article states that Alexa usage is the first time in history! Fantastic! Alexa was launched about 4 1/2 years ago….