Up close and personal SearchFlow is one of a few search providers who have an in-house nationwide personal search agency – PSA. In the last year, PSA has experienced significant growth and the popularity of personal searches shows no signs of slowing. We spoke to Louise Robinson who recently joined the team as Personal Search Operations Manager, to find out more about her and to discuss how the team is scaled for future growth to maintain its position in the personal search market. Modern Law: When did you join SearchFlow? Louise: In July 2018; I’d previously been a client services director for an Outsourced CX Solution provider and was excited at moving into the fast-paced world of property. Outside of my work life I spend time renovating properties in both the UK and Europe, so I fully appreciate the role of search providers and how their assistance is pivotal when it comes to purchasing properties. ML: Personal search volumes are continuing to increase – can you talk us through the trends you are seeing? Louise: PSA is going through a massive growth curve currently as the popularity of our searches continues to grow. Both the Local Authority Search and the Drainage and Water searches are produced in such a way that all the information that is key for our clients – and the buyer is in an easy to read report, which clearly demonstrates the areas that are of the upmost importance. PSA has seen a 32% uplift in order volumes in the last 12-months alone and I’m enjoying supporting the team in managing further expansion. Since I joined PSA SearchFlow, I’ve already increased capacity both with the internal team and those working out in the field at the local authorities with an additional 15 new starters joining our department across a variety of roles. ML: What does a typical day look like for you? Louise: My time is split between the office and being out in the field to support our Searchers who are visiting the local authorities. The past few months’ focus has been on evolving the technology within the department, so we have slicker processes and systems to manage future volumes and ensure the team has the tools to become even more effective. Innovation and data for me are the key areas where we can start to lift the great foundation of PSA and take it to the next level to handle more bespoke solutions for our clients.
12
| SearchFlow Supplement
Another area that I’ve been working on is around employee engagement; managing any large remote team requires hard work to create a culture that supports both the needs of the business but also our staff. We’ve increased capacity and we’re recruiting more over the next few months, so for me I’m working on managing that growth to ensure we increase resources at the right time and in the right places to manage demands. ML: What do you think is driving the growth in personal searches? Louise: I think there are a number of factors: we have a nationwide team of personal search agents meaning our extensive coverage allows us to offer excellent turnaround times – without compromising high standards, consistency or accuracy of search content.