The residential surveying specialist has a number of initiatives aimed at maintaining business continuity, including updating its desktop valuation product.
Residential surveying specialist SDL Surveying has revealed a number of initiatives aimed at maintaining business continuity during the COVID-19 crisis, including updating its desktop valuation product for lenders.
SDL said that it had seen a noticeable increase in the take-up of desktop valuations since the start of the lockdown in March.
The updated product is professional indemnity insurance (PII) wrapped and completed by local qualified surveyors.
Other measures introduced by the business include an information hub to support staff, network surveyors and consumers.
The hub covers a range of resources including advice for home movers, information on personal wellbeing, as well as business and financial guidance.
SDL Surveying hosted a live video conference panel session on Zoom for its network and third-party partners on 17 April.
This provided an opportunity for stakeholders to gain updates on the company’s activity, as well as discuss questions surrounding desktop valuations, physical inspection volumes, lockdown exit strategies and business collaboration, as well as the wider impact of the virus on the market.
Simon Jackson (pictured), managing director of SDL Surveying, said: “At times like these, communication is vital, which is why we’ve launched these tech-based initiatives, to support the work of our lender clients as they seek to utilise our desktop valuation product, and to keep all our stakeholders informed on the work we’re carrying out and how we can best support them.
“We’ve had a hugely positive response from lenders who are increasingly using our desktop product, which certainly gives us confidence to press on to the next level and deliver some exceptional results for them.
“We’ve also developed the information hub for surveyors and consumers, and we held our Q&A on Friday to provide as much detail as possible on how we’re working with other industry leaders to continually strategise for the constantly changing market.
“A huge thank-you must go to our team who have worked tirelessly over the past few weeks in order to provide this much-needed support and have developed new ways of working not only internally with our surveyors and operations team but also externally with our lender clients.
“Technology is at the heart of this and we fully anticipate that, as difficult as this period is, it will be the start of a new age where technology is increasingly utilised in the valuation space.”
