Millerson
MILLERSON
Introducing Millerson
Founded in 1936 and serving Cornwall and West Devon, estate agents Millerson provide industry expertise and local knowledge to clients buying, selling or letting property.
Their success lies in a personable and attentive approach. Beyond the bricks and mortar are the hopes and dreams (and occasional dramas) of their clients. Exceptional and trusted service has become a key selling point for the business – as they say in their own marketing, their approach is about ‘valuing people as well as property’.
Outdated IT systems and a fragmented multi-vendor approach made delivering that high-level service harder than it should have been. They were, in the memorable words of Pom Miller, ‘probably loitering in the Eighties and needing to enter the 21st century – fast’.
- Optimised IT infrastructure, ensuring a high level of service delivery.
- Installed ultrafast fibre broadband with LTE failover for reliable connectivity and business continuity.
- Deployed 3CX and business mobiles for seamless collaboration across regional offices.
- Strengthened network security to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance.
- Ongoing support and training for seamless adoption and long-term efficiency.
- A fully managed IT Support package to rapidly troubleshoot day-to-day IT challenges.
THE CHALLENGE
Millerson's Challenges
As a business with many regional offices and a focus on customer service, Millerson needed IT that would work seamlessly – anywhere. This wasn’t the case.
Problems stemmed from a fragmented IT environment. Different suppliers managed various aspects of their IT systems, connectivity and telephony, creating disconnects. Ageing infrastructure also made it increasingly challenging to deliver exceptional service – or recruit high-calibre employees. Phone systems were insecure. Connectivity urgently needed upgrading. Additionally, third-party tools such as Sage operated in isolation rather than integrating smoothly with daily operations. To support a growing and evolving business, this all needed to change.
Pom describes the problem – one that’s surprisingly common among organisations. ‘People within the business were techno resistant. Nothing was linking together properly. We were wedded to a physical office and desk, and a phone with a wire. We didn’t realise what could be achieved and were not taking advantage of possible technical solutions to our problems.’
Pom sums up her vision for what exceptional IT at Millerson should look like: ‘Members of staff working from anywhere and being completely mobile – whenever required.’
The solutions that follow were delivered during a 10-year relationship between Aztek and Millerson, as part of a continuous journey of improvement and growth. As for so many businesses, several were fast-tracked during the seismic change to working practices during COVID.
THE SOLUTION
Solution and Results
Our work with Millerson has included a comprehensive ICT solution. We have automated key workflows, improved operational efficiency and hardened their IT security. Essentially, we’ve helped them make that crucial leap into the 21st century, while also providing continuous managed service provider (MSP) support.
Reliable connectivity was a major issue for the business. We installed ultrafast full-fibre broadband in each location, with LTE failover for added reliability.
- Installed ultrafast fibre broadband with LTE failover for reliable connectivity and business continuity.
Meeting the need for on-the-go connectivity, we rolled out a business mobile solution so employees could stay in touch wherever they were. This included configuring and optimising one of the leading business phone systems, 3CX. The result was a fast, reliable and flexible land and mobile communication solution.
The team can now work from anywhere. As Pom explains, ‘An employee might be “out in the field” – or, in my case, walking the dogs while working from home – and business calls route seamlessly to our mobiles. We can respond instantly and professionally from anywhere with, “Hello, Millerson…”‘
- Deployed 3CX and business mobiles for seamless collaboration across regional offices.
As well as upgrading communications, we also revolutionised Millerson’s approach to storing data. We moved all data away from local machines and servers to the cloud, and optimised data management and processing. The team could now access business information anywhere, more simply and efficiently than ever before.
‘It’s been a complete success,’ says Pom. ‘The systems work more smoothly. Just on my phone, I can access all the company’s files at any time. From a management point of view, we can run things much more effectively.’
- Optimised IT infrastructure, ensuring a high level of service delivery.
- Strengthened network security to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance.
Throughout this transformation, we implemented robust network security protocols. This ensured comprehensive protection of sensitive data and IT compliance with increasingly stringent data privacy regulations.
Describing the relationship with Aztek, Pom Miller says, ‘The team was extremely knowledgeable and also astute at finding approaches that would save a lot of money.’
While working with a local provider was extremely important to Millerson, Pom also acknowledged that – for the day-to-day businesses of trouble-shooting – remote IT support was exceptionally effective.
- A fully managed IT Support package to rapidly troubleshoot day-to-day IT challenges.
As well as reliable and flexible local support, third-party software now works seamlessly. For instance, Sage is now fully integrated into Millerson’s IT estate and even automates accounting workflows for increased accuracy.
Consolidating the IT estate and reducing the number of vendors has had financial benefits too. Says Pom, ‘We had so many recurring bills – we were paying a fortune for things. That has reduced significantly.’
Customers have always received exceptional support from Millerson – it’s why the business became a leading estate agent in Cornwall. Now, however, there’s less of that furious paddling below the surface to make things happen. Great IT promotes seamless operations within the business. It also supports scalability, putting all the pieces in place to help Millerson adapt to evolving needs and grow.
- Integrated third-party tools such as Sage, to enable automatic accounting.
- Automated manual workflows to enhance scalability and efficiency.
GET IN TOUCH
Speak to an IT Specialist
Inspired by Millerson’s IT transformation?
Talk to an Aztek IT specialist by calling us on 0330 056 2233, or click the button below to use our contact form.
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