Viewber’s top 10 highlights from 2022

Another year complete and what a 12 months! Between the HQ team and our Viewber network, we have reached a number of milestones and achieved many long-held goals. Although there were daily wins across the entire UK, here are Viewber’s top 10 highlights from 2022:

1. Viewber app launch & website revamp

2022 was the year we upgraded the tech side of our business. We have always been a digital-first platform but with proptech evolving all the time, we wanted to keep pace. Our website was completely revamped to deliver a more user-friendly experience but our biggest tech launch was the Viewber App. The app allows our Viewbers to respond to appointments, manage their calendars, provide feedback and access data with greater ease and speed.

2. A productive year for partnerships

In 2022, we completed a landmark partnership with the property industry’s biggest CRM provider, Reapit. Agents using Reapit’s AgencyCloud can now find Viewber in the AppMarket for a seamless way to outsource viewings and property visits. Our second headline partnership during the year was with the Essential Information Group (EIG). Our software integration now allows property auctioneers using EIG’s auction management system to click a button and order a Viewber service, without navigating away from their screen or logging into different software. We also have a number of partnerships with organisations like NRLA, Plentific and others that are developing.

3. 350,000 appointments and counting

When we compiled our annual highlights for 2021, we celebrated 200,000 Viewber appointments and were looking ahead to the next big milestone – 250,000. Well, 12 months have passed and the Viewber network worked its socks off to complete more than 350,000 appointments since the company launched – adding more than 100,000 jobs to our overall total in 2022. Viewbers, we salute you!

4. New services launched

Viewber is very much about adding value, in 2022 we delivered a batch of new services a single Viewber could offer during a single property visit. Safety and security were themes of the last 12 months as we started offering tenant welfare and property checks, which proved extremely popular in the social housing sector. Viewber also introduced fire safety and fire door checks, delivered in line with The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. Also made available, or as a stand-alone service, was our smoke detector and carbon monoxide alarm testing service. Finally, we launched pro-photo services, with Viewbers taking a set of prescribed photos and adding subtle enhancements where requested.

5. Using Local Viewbers to show/visit Local Properties saves a LOT of CO2

Viewber remains on course to beat the Government aim of being carbon neutral by 2050. During 2022, we invited Carbon Footprint Ltd to complete our second greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions assessment, measuring our activities from 1st April 2021 to 31^st March 2022. The result? A clean, green bill of health and another 12 months where we offset more carbon emissions than we produced.

6. Strengthening ties with social housing providers

While Viewber is well known for its work with estate and letting agents, we deepened our understanding of the social housing sector during 2022. Insightful conversations with James Tickell – a Partner and Co-founder at Campbell Tickell, and Jonathan Gregory – Director at JG Associates Ltd, gave the entire company a thorough understanding of how we can better support social landlords and housing associations. It’s a client base we look forward to growing in 2023.

7. Seven new animated videos launched

The team was pleased to add seven new animated service videos to Viewber’s YouTube channel, which join our vlogs, interviews and #MyPropertyStories. Our new series introduced each of Viewber’s key services in an easy-to-understand way. Open houses, meet/wait and greet, property viewings, photography and marketing, property checks and visits, view a property on my behalf and key management were topics that made it to the animated small screen.

8. More people view safe with ViewBuddy

We celebrated the second year anniversary of our ViewBuddy app. In 2022, the app was downloaded by thousands – mainly in the property industry – although it’s free to use and helps anyone working alone or concerned about their safety. People can press a button on the app to let colleagues know their appointment has ended successfully. If the button is not pressed after a set time limit has expired, the listed ‘buddies’ get an SMS alert, which prompts them to call and check if they’re OK. The ViewBuddy app also features a silent alarm function, which can be activated discreetly by entering the PIN backwards. ViewBuddy is available to Apple and Android users. Developed for our Viewbers it’s now widely used for free.

9. Property podcast gained momentum

With almost 40 years of property experience behind him, Ed has one of the best ‘little black books’ in the industry. During 2022, he put his contacts to good use to grow his ‘EdTalks’ property podcast series. New interviews that appeared during the year included a passionate chat with Vanessa Warwick from propertytribes.com, and a nostalgic catch up with audio visual consultant, Angus Gibson and insights from Paula Higgins at the Home Owners’ Alliance.

10. More Viewbers step into the spotlight

Finally, we couldn’t have completed the last 12 months without our Viewber network and it was great to get to know some of our individuals on a more personal basis. During 2022, Rizwan, Sophie, Denise, Steve, Roland and Lisa shared what it’s like to be a Viewber in our vlog series, The Viewber Diaries, representing areas across the country from Preston in Lancashire to the New Forest in Dorset.

If you would like to be part of our growing success as we start 2023, please get in touch with the Viewber team.