Best of British
Best of British Peter Heron Chartered Surveyors & Estate Agents of Sunderland are Britain's best estate agents - and that's official. Sunderland-based company Peter Heron won the Grand Prix Best Estate Agent of the Year Award for receiving the highest scores for customer service and a Gold Award in the 2005 Estate Agent of the Year Awards, sponsored by The Property Search Group (PSG) and supported by the Daily Express and the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).
The awards were presented by TV personality Phil Spencer from Channel 4's Location, Location, Location, at a glittering awards ceremony held recently at The Dorchester in London.
The Estate Agent of the Year Awards are unique and winning an award has real value because they are voted for by the people who really are best qualified to say - the estate agent's own customers. Tweedie Brown CBE, managing director of PSG said: "The awards focus on the one factor which can make the difference between a satisfied customer and a dissatisfied one; customer service, and the standard of customer care the estate agent provides, before, during and after the moving process."
At the beginning of the year, customers were asked to measure the estate agent's individual company performance using 13 key service criteria. Once completed, the questionnaire forms were returned by the agent's customers directly to the competition organisers.
Tweedie Brown concluded: "The awards highlight the excellent customer service so many estate agents are providing. I'd like to congratulate Peter Heron on their win. It is commendable to see the industry as a whole striving towards reaching the same goal of building reputation and maintaining high levels of service."
Ashley O'Carroll, partner at Peter Heron said: "To scoop the Gold award in the Regional category was a great achievement in itself but to also win the Gold in the National category was just astonishing.
"What makes it all so special though is that our clients obviously value our extreme efforts in selling their home and their kind support in this competition is very much appreciated. On behalf of the company I would like to wholeheartedly thank them all for their comments which have ultimately helped us to achieve this prestigious award.
"Peter Heron and I would like to dedicate these awards to our excellent, hardworking and loyal staff who have gone above and beyond their call of duty on many occasions to ensure that our high level of service is maintained. A special mention also goes to our two outstanding office managers, Rebecca Boyd at Fawcett Street and Kim Coulson at Sea Road."
So why did Peter Heron win such a high profile award? Commenting on the secret behind the company's success, Ashley O'Carroll said: "A willingness to listen to your clients is key to providing the best service.
"Although we sell over a third of the properties in Sunderland we have never rested on our laurels. The most important factor in our success is listening. Listening to what our clients like and listening to what our clients don't like. Its not rocket science, just simple customer service.
"It amazes me when people tell me about bad experiences they've had with other estate agents. The one common complaint is communication.
"By listening to our clients all of the time we have been able to pin point areas in which improvements could be made and as a result are very proud of where we are today. It is because of those very same clients that we are owners of these two Gold Awards and we will dedicate them both to those clients."