This year, property management company FirstPort split its business operations into four UK regions. This shift wasn’t just about structure – it was about creating stronger and more connected teams who could work closer with each other to improve the local service it delivers to customers. One of FirstPort’s regional Customer Excellence Managers, Rebekah Barwell, explains how the regionalisation has improved work on the ground.
As the Customer Excellence Manager for our Birmingham office, I’ve seen firsthand how aligning our team structure with the new regional model has improved the way we work, how we collaborate with property managers, and ultimately, how we better serve our customers.
Aligning for impact
One of the first priorities for our team was ensuring that our customer service structure mirrored the new operational model. Historically, our customer service team in the Birmingham office supported Property Managers at developments across the country — which meant our focus was spread nationwide.
Now, every specialist in our Birmingham-based team exclusively supports our regional Property Managers. That’s meant reassigning accounts and altering how we allocate our workload. This realignment wasn’t instant. It took a few months to bring everything into sync, but the results have been clear. We’ve created a seamless structure where each team member knows exactly which Property Managers they support and can build stronger, more informed relationships with them.
Closer connections, better collaboration
One of the most rewarding outcomes has been the boost in collaboration. With Property Managers now more local to our team, many are visiting our office regularly. They’ll come in, sit with their assigned customer service team member, and go through live cases together. They update each other on what’s happening on site, they problem-solve, and they build genuine working relationships.
Tools like Microsoft Teams are brilliant and still an important part of how we work, but it is important that we have these face-to-face conversations. You build rapport faster. You work more efficiently. And that filters down to better service for our customers.
An improved customer experience
The driver for this change was so that we can serve our customers better – and we are absolutely seeing that happen. When a customer contacts us, we want to get it right first time. The regional approach has enabled our customer service team to have the knowledge, confidence, and tools to answer the query there and then – and not have to pass it on or go back and check later. When our customer service team has a close relationship with their property manager and has even been on site with them, their understanding is so much deeper. Which makes a real difference for our customers.
We’re seeing fewer handoffs, faster resolution times, and higher-quality responses — all of which contribute to a better overall customer experience.
Expanding a regional approach
Another exciting change has been the gradual introduction of our regional service charge accountant team. Having them in the same office has been a real benefit. We’re learning from each other, sharing advice and building a stronger team culture.
The service charge team is still relatively new, but in six months’ time, I’m confident this will only get better. The early signs are already so positive.
The regionalisation of the business made a tangible and lasting impact across our regional team. It has brought our office closer together, made our day-to-day collaboration easier, and most importantly, helped us deliver a better experience to our customers.
Looking for a property management partner you can rely on? Get in touch today to find out how FirstPort can support you.
firstport.co.uk | 01582 393756
