Franchised estate agency giant Hunters has appointed rival Foxtons’ former Chief Information Officer Dan Rafferty to be its Chief Operating Officer.
Rafferty left Foxtons in July 2018 after a 14-year stint at the company. Before that he was a programme manager at IT giant Logica.
Hunters says Rafferty’s appointment is part of its drive to become a more tech-led company.
Most recently it backed a spatial tech firm called Pupil that uses 3D camera technology to deliver millimetre-accurate floorplans, a service that it also uses.
“As a key component of any successful customer service offering, technological innovation will define the industry battleground for the foreseeable future and Dan will play a vital role in the continued growth of our strategy in this area,” says CEO Glynis Frew.
Customer service
Rafferty will lead a team tasked with enhancing the productivity of the 200-branch company’s customer service operation, and also shaping its ongoing digital marketing strategy. He will report directly to Glynis Frew.
One technology Rafferty is likely may be considering is virtual viewings. At Foxtons Rafferty oversaw the adoption of the VR tech across all of the estate agency’s offices. It was initially offered to customers as an in-branch service.
“I really look forward to a new series of challenges and opportunities at Hunters,” says Rafferty.
“The company continues to build upon its excellent reputation within the industry and has an ambitious growth plan in place, which I look forward to contributing towards. The industry is undergoing changes and Hunters is a brand which understands that.”
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