Dye & Durham’s depth of expertise covers many aspects of conveyancing, allowing the global software technology company to support conveyancers with both data and insight. We spoke to Sarah Fancourt, Operations Director UK Real Estate, Dye & Durham to find out how the company supports legal firms.
1. Describe your background.
I’ve worked in the property industry for 16 years, mainly in customer-facing roles. I’ve collaborated with some of the largest commercial firms as well as smaller legal teams, so I have an in-depth understanding of the property transaction from various perspectives. I’ve also experienced the digital journey over time, from when some firms were struggling with dial-up to order reports to the advances of digital mapping that we see today. The industry has certainly come a long way! In my current role as Operations Director UK Real Estate at Dye & Durham, I oversee three teams of more than 100 people covering customer service, fulfilment and search production.
2. What insight do you bring to the team, for the benefits of legal firms and their clients?
Because I’ve worked closely with legal firms over many years, I understand the challenges they face in relation to property transactions. I now work with data providers to ensure we can deliver information to legal teams in the most effective way, and ensure we always offer the highest level of service to our clients. It’s rewarding to supply the most accurate data and help solve challenges as efficiently as possible.
3. What does your typical day look like?
Our customer service, fulfilment and search production teams are based in offices in Barnsley, Peterborough, Lightwater in Surrey and Cardiff, while some of the team work remotely. My key daily objectives are to ensure that all search orders are delivered for customers accurately and as efficiently as possible. Every property report ordered will hit my team’s desk at some point. We collate data from more than 1,000 different data providers to supply concise information to our clients. All of these supply chains can have their own challenges to deal with, and my department must be both reactive and proactive to deliver the very best in search production delivery.
4. Describe your roles/journey at Dye & Durham up until now
With the first 12 years of my time in this industry spent directly liaising with law firms, I have now progressed with Dye & Durham into a strategic operational role, managing teams that are responsible for delivering the services and reports that our clients receive. My experience ensures that I lead the production and support teams to be 100% focused on improving our customer’s journey every day.
5. How does your team help/support clients?
We are heavily focused on customer service and to ensure every report or product is delivered to customers a quickly as possible. Our agents are all specialists in their areas of practice, and a high percentage of our searchers and support staff have more than 10 years’ experience. Our customer support teams are available on the phone, email or chat function so we can help solve any challenges by providing accurate data quickly, regardless of how complex their transactions or queries may be.
As Dye & Durham has acquired businesses, we have access to more data. We’ve used technology to automate simple processes. For example, the quicker we can get information into our system, the quicker it can be delivered to legal teams in a digestible format. However, our experienced agents still need to review information before it is submitted. I work with our teams to ensure the synchronised delivery of our entire range of services which include our full range of search reports, our concierge service and now our new build reports too.
6. Why do you believe Dye & Durham is the best option to support legal firms?
The property market will continue to evolve and Dye & Durham will continue to be a significant leader and major contributor to help the legal profession through the transitions ahead.
We produce a huge range of reports in-group so legal firms can save time by ordering everything from one place. We also have a big development team. This means we ensure clients have access to the most up-to-date information provided in the most accessible form, not just for today, but tomorrow, next year and beyond. Dye and Durham is also investing significantly in technology to ensure our customers are partnered with a provider with the best solutions for the future.
7. What is something we might not know about you?
In my spare time I enjoy horse riding. Horses are a great leveller — they don’t care who you are or where you are from, they simply respond and react in the moment. They’ve taught me resilience and to always try to approach challenges with the right mindset. There is always something new to learn!
This article was submitted to be published by Dye & Durham as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Conveyancer. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Conveyancer.
