Louise Daniels, operations manager at myhomemove...
Can you tell us a bit about myhomemove?
myhomemove, through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Premier Property Lawyers, is the UK’s leading provider of mover conveyancing. Last year, we helped over 38,000 people to buy, sell or remortgage their homes; and by 2016 our aim is to treble our business to complete 100,000 transactions a year.
We currently employ over 500 members of staff, with our head office located in Leicester, a sister office in Blisworth in Northamptonshire, and as of February, we will be opening our brand new site in Manchester.
What type of business are you attracting and from whom?
We currently work with over 1,000 introducers; from every corporate estate agent in the country through to independent financial advisers and mortgage brokers. Our work is divided between mover conveyancing and remortgaging, and as part of our plans for growth, we will be expanding the products and services we offer – but you’ll have to watch this space!
The conveyancing market has gone through huge changes so how do you stay one step ahead?
Innovation is central to the way myhomemove operates and has been recognised by the business as fundamental in helping us to meet the needs of our clients; and keep one step ahead of our peers.
One of our major innovations is eWay, our case management service that allows our clients to read, review and action their documents online, giving them greater control over their conveyancing. This service is unrivalled across the sector, and because our clients are no longer left waiting for documents to arrive in the post, we are able to complete cases more quickly.
Our mission is to put the customer at the heart of everything we do; so alongside eWay we have extended our opening hours (into the evenings and at weekends), provided our clients with their own dedicated conveyancer (so they know who is managing their case from beginning to end) and developed a values-based service to ensure our clients experience a stress–free move.
We are always striving to improve our services and at the end of last year, we launched ‘Introducer eWay’, our bespoke service for introducers, so they too can gain real-time information on their clients’ cases, helping them to be proactive in moving transactions forward.
What’s next for the business?
As mentioned, we have big plans for growth and our new centre in Manchester is central to them. This centre will become a hub of conveyancing excellence, creating over 200 new jobs in the next two years. It will enable us to deliver the exceptional service we pride ourselves on as we take on more business. With over 18,000 legal professionals currently working and training in the city, we are in an excellent position to recruit the best people possible; and through our own CPD accredited Learning and Development Academy, we can ensure all of our staff are training to the highest of standards. With a target of over 50,000 mover completions to achieve by the end of this year, our move to Manchester has come at the perfect time.
On a personal note, you’ve moved from fee earning to an ops role how did that come about?
The great thing about myhomemove is that it really believes in its staff and is always willing to promote from within, providing support and training along the way. I have been with the company for 13 years leading a team of conveyancers, having worked in conveyancing for almost 30 years, and was offered the opportunity to join the operations team. This move allows me to draw on my conveyancing knowledge while working as part of a team to build myhomemove into the company it aspires to be. Innovation, new ideas and a desire to succeed, is part of our company’s everyday language.
How have you found the transition?
It’s still early days, but so far I am enjoying my new role. Being an operations manager allows you to see the bigger picture and fully appreciate how a business is built and what elements make it a success.
My new role is a combination of strategic manager and supporter – I’ll be there to develop new strategies to ensure cases are managed effectively and assist my teams meet their targets in line with the company’s goals; while at the same time I’ll be there to praise individuals for fantastic work, and help solve their issues as and when needed.
I’ve been assisting with the setting up of the new office in Manchester for the past few months – it has been a great experience, and I am looking forward to the new Manchester team completing its first case there.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to do the same?
It’s fair to say you need to be dedicated and loyal. You should also have a good technical knowledge of conveyancing, be able to work strategically and have a desire to nurture and encourage people, to ensure you’re on the right track to becoming an ops manager.
You recently announced a major recruitment push. What’s driving that?
The opening of our Manchester office is a key driver, and we are always looking for exceptional people to join our teams. Most of our staff are conveyancers, but we also have a range of support departments which are always looking for new talent to join their teams – from IT and marketing through to HR and finance.
What type of positions are you looking to fill?
For Manchester, we will be recruiting all levels of conveyancers over the next few years; however, we are looking for experienced conveyancers including associate and senior levels for immediate starts.
Can you sum up why My Home Move is a great place to work in five words?
The career opportunities are endless.
