Jeffries & Dibbens Case Study
RezX's AI-Powered Solution Saves £30,000/year and Boosts Tenant Satisfaction
Jeffries & Dibbens are a well-established independent estate and letting agency with a portfolio of over a thousand managed units, comprising houses, flats and HMOs across South East Hampshire. Jeffries & Dibbens pride themselves on providing excellent service to both landlords and tenants.
The Challenge
Jeffries & Dibbens' property management team of six found that dealing with maintenance issues was their most time-consuming activity. Key challenges included:
- Excessive time spent on troubleshooting and communication: 92% of issues raised by tenants over phone and email; property managers spent time gathering information from tenants, chasing them for photos, and scheduling contractors.
- Communication bottlenecks: Relying on email led to delays in responses and protracted back-and-forth with tenants, slowing down the resolution process.
- Inefficient out-of-hours service: The existing out-of-hours process using a generic pre-recorded message was frustrating and time-consuming for tenants, leading to dissatisfaction.
- Pressure to increase headcount: To maintain service levels, Jeffries & Dibbens were facing the prospect of hiring additional staff, increasing overhead costs.
The Solution
Jeffries & Dibbens partnered with RezX to implement its innovative AI-powered solution for managing property maintenance. RezX offered a powerful combination of:
- Voice AI: An AI-powered voice assistant to handle inbound tenant calls, troubleshoot issues, and gather essential information. Jeffries & Dibbens updated their IVR to direct tenants to RezX Voice AI.
- WhatsApp AI: An AI-powered chatbot to enable tenants to report issues and communicate via WhatsApp. RezX provisioned a branded WhatsApp Business Account for Jeffries & Dibbens, which they promoted to tenants.
- Automated Troubleshooting: RezX's AI triages and troubleshoots issues, guiding tenants step-by-step to safely attempt self-resolution before escalating complex issues to property managers.
- Superior Out-Of-Hours Service: RezX is available 24/7, offers a far better experience for tenants and recognises genuine emergencies, gating access to expensive out-of-hours contractors.
The Results
Since implementing RezX, Jeffries has experienced substantial improvements across their maintenance management operations.
- 88% of new issues intercepted by AI over phone or WhatsApp.
- 64% of all troubleshooting and Work Request generation fully automated, saving the team 17 hours per week.
- 89% reduction in time taken to schedule a contractor*
- 81% reduction in out-of-hours contractor engagement and tenant NPS increase from -29 to +15
- RezX enabled Jeffries & Dibbens to avoid hiring an additional full-time employee, saving £30,000 per year in salary and NICs.
*Comparison against maintenance issues raised over email
Client Quotes
"We had an 81 year old tenant call up and chat with our bot about a hot water issue; it did troubleshooting with her before asking all the details needed to raise a Work Request; if she can use it then anyone can."
"RezX has been the biggest cost saving for Jeffries & Dibbens since centralising our property management. The team at RezX have responded fast to our feedback and at the rate of improvement I expect to double our cost saving to £60,000 a year."
Conclusion
By implementing RezX's AI-powered solution, Jeffries & Dibbens has transformed its property maintenance processes. The agency has achieved significant efficiency gains, reduced the burden on its property management team, improved tenant satisfaction, and realised annual cost savings of £30,000. RezX has proven to be a valuable partner, enabling Jeffries & Dibbens to provide a modern, efficient, and tenant-centric service.