Ziggu Thoughts: No need for customer experience in real estate?

Homebuyers expect a tool as user-friendly as a smartphone to follow-up on their home

He was actually on sabbatical, not at all looking for a new job, when the opportunity to work for Ziggu came knocking on his door this spring. Pascal Deseure didn’t hesitate to accept the role of International Sales Executive, though. “I had a lot of plans during my time off”, he laughs. “But as someone who has spent his career trying to give people the best customer journey in different sectors, I knew that I could put my heart and soul into selling Ziggu’s customer experience platform to real estate developers. I believed in the mission right away because I can really see it improving people’s lives, so yeah, I jumped.” Then, adding jokingly: “I’ll make my home improvements some other time.”

Pascal has known Ziggu for some time before working here. “I was at an event hosted by my previous employer a few years ago and Ziggu’s CEO Yannick Bontinckx was giving a speech. I heard him say something that I’ll never forget”, Pascal remembers. “He said: ‘For most people, a house is the most important purchase of their lives, yet these homebuyers often get a better online experience when buying a pizza than when they buy a house’. He gave examples and showed results of a survey where people stated that although they were happy with their home, they were much less pleased with the after-sales service they received. It really struck a chord with me.”

Not your typical scale-up

Fast forward a few years and Pascal is now Ziggu’s International Sales Executive. “I was actually a little afraid that Ziggu would be this typical scale-up. You know; a ping pong table in one corner, beanbags in the other, and all the other clichés. But my fears were ungrounded. There’s not a single beanbag in our offices”, he jokes. “No, seriously, what I quickly realised is that this is a very mature, ambitious company with really good people. This group works well together, whether we’re sitting next to each other or miles apart.”

Product-wise, Pascal says he was “pleased to see that Ziggu was still the platform it promised to be all those years ago”. “It really does offer a customer experience at the level that homebuyers deserve”, he says. “Ziggu’s platform is capable of increasing the developer’s efficiency, leaving their customer care employees time to guide homebuyers. You can improve the way you communicate, you can decrease the margin of error and in the end, you’ll please homebuyers more, which we desperately need to do in real estate.”

"Ziggu offers the customer experience that homebuyers deserve. Besides this, it gives you the possibility to improve the way you communicate, and decrease the margin of error."

Pascal Deseure
International, Sales Executive Ziggu

Consumers compare experiences

Even though it seems like the obvious choice to pay more attention to customer experiences, Pascal realises there’s still a lot of work to do in real estate. “Look, some companies aren’t there yet. I can explain the return on investment or the advantages for their team, but I can’t push them. What I will do, is promise to call them back in a year to have another chat about the importance of customer experiences ”, Pascal winks.

But the international sales exec is certain these companies will quickly have to change their minds. “You see it happening more and more: consumers compare the services and tools they use daily. Even when those products have nothing to do with each other, people are still inclined to compare the experiences.” They will compare the customer service of a telecommunication company to that of a hotel chain, for example. Be prepared when your homebuyers expect a tool as user-friendly as a smartphone to follow up on their home, Pascal warns. “They’ll want nothing less than a smooth-sailing experience, just like their iPhone offers. So yeah, you might want me to call you back a little sooner”, Pascal laughs.