What challenge is the housebuilding industry facing?

In October, we spoke with Show House magazine about how Movin Technology is helping housebuilders transform their customer communications as part of their ‘Inside the housebuilding industry’ interview series.

We discussed the current challenges facing the industry, the importance of customer experience for retention, and how digital communication is changing the home-buying journey.

Learn more by watching the video interview above, or continue reading to see what our account director, Alicia Powell, had to say.

What makes Movin Technology unique?

Movin Technology is built specifically for business communications in the housebuilding sector. Unlike many social messaging apps which can be unsecure, unbranded, and unmonitored, Movin is there to deliver communications safely, with full tracking and brand consistency across every development team.

Everything is tailored to the home-buying journey. We’ve spent a lot of time working with our partners to understand what buyers expect from their developer, and what types of messages help turn enquiries into reservations and completions.

Movin messages are delivered through branded landing pages with a host of interactive features, including call-to-actions to promote site viewings, event attendances, and customer ratings. It’s all fully secure and visible across management to ensure that the communications align with the brand. 

As well as this, real-time tracking allows sales teams to make timely, targeted communications to increase customer interest and improve reservations. It’s a powerful business tool while also delivering a personal, engaging and authentic experience to customers.

What challenge is the housebuilding industry facing?

One challenge the industry is facing is customer satisfaction and retention. Buying a new home is really exciting, but it’s also full of questions, waiting periods, and moments of uncertainty, and some housebuilders struggle with cancellation rates. 

Of course, cancellations can happen for many reasons — things like chain breaks or personal circumstances — but there’s still a lot builders can do to give customers the best experience possible and reduce buyer remorse.

Buying a new home is a huge emotional investment, and customers need reassurance at every step that they’ve made the right decision. If communication isn’t clear or consistent, it can lead to frustration and even cancellations.

That’s why Movin focuses so much on helping builders keep customers informed at every step.

How has Movin Technology helped housebuilders overcome this?

Movin helps housebuilders tackle the challenge of customer satisfaction and retention by giving their teams a platform to deliver more personal, engaging communication. As well as  emails or SMS, buyers receive tailored and personal video messages: whether that’s an update on build progress, guidance on next steps, or even a simple thank-you from the team. That extra level of care helps buyers feel reassured and valued, which is key to reducing cancellations and buyer remorse.

An example is a housebuilder partner we worked with who was struggling with customers committing to on-site appointments at the time. Their no-show rate was around 11%. We introduced an ‘appointment reminder’ template into their daily communications, allowing sales teams to send a short video to each customer ahead of their visit, introducing themselves and confirming the date and time.

That simple change made a big difference. With as short as a 15 second video, customers felt a stronger personal connection with the sales teams, and were more likely to turn up. As a result, the no-show rate dropped from 11% to just 6%.

The right communication, delivered in the right way, can strengthen trust, improve retention, and ultimately support better outcomes for both the customer and the housebuilder.

What changes would Movin like to see in the housebuilding industry?

There can be a greater focus on customer experience and being really deliberate about the tools they use to achieve it. Another factor we’re seeing is how customer expectations are changing: today’s buyers will naturally compare their house-buying experience to the service they get in other areas of life, and the way that they communicate socially. 

Many companies like Amazon or Uber are starting to adopt quick-response messaging into their communications for everyday purchases. These are all things that customers feel familiar with, and the approach shouldn’t be any different for high-ticket items like a new home.

The automotive industry in particular puts a huge focus on how they communicate with their customers, using digital tools like CitNow and other information messaging platforms.

That’s where the industry has a good opportunity: embracing more modern, digital communication tools. Video, imagery, and interactive messaging can create a customer experience that customers expect, and feels far more personal. 

What does the future hold for Movin Technology?

Later this year, we’ll be launching a new app designed to make communication even more interactive and insightful for both builders and their customers. We’re expanding the ways teams can personalise messages, track customer engagement, and integrate with other systems to maximise the likelihood of turning an enquiry into a reservation, and then into a happy homeowner.

The new platform will also give builders better insights into buyer interest, for example tracking engagement with different property types so that future messages can be even more targeted. We’re exploring opportunities with AI to make communication smarter and more efficient in the future.

We’ll continue working closely with our partners to understand the challenges they face and adapt our platform to meet them but ultimately, our goal is to make secure, social communication the standard in the new-home journey.

If you’d like to find out more about Movin Technology and how it can transform your customer communications, book a quick call with us using the button below.