Recently I moved, which meant a change of address for my internet connection. You would think that's a piece of cake, but unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. It was a complete drama, and I was getting desperate, but at the same time, very happy...

Near despair

All that needed to happen was to disconnect the old internet connection at address one and connect the new one at address two. But just making that request had me waiting in line for hours, after first, of course, answering a series of robot questions with "press 1 for this, press 3 for that." When I finally got a real person on the line, the relief was short-lived. "Oh, but you need a different department for that"... Click, and there I was waiting again. And of course, with person two, I had to tell my whole story again before I could get helped further.

Fortunately, person two informed me that it was a simple change wíth upgrades. The moving dates were noted, everything would be taken care of, and with that promise, I could start pack in moving boxes without any worrying. Unfortunately, things couldn’t be further from the truth.
On moving day, it turned out that nothing had been arranged at all. I depend on a functioning internet connection for work, so I immediately got on the phone to navigate through a whole calling menu again. Of course, I had to tell the whole story again just to be transferred twice more to finally reach the right person who would hopefully fix everything. Nope.
I felt like I was stuck in a jungle with no idea how to get out.

Long story short. I have internet. It didn't happen the usual way, and a lot of (people) management had to be involved. And the compensation they promised me because of all the stress, I think it still needs to be sent over...

Why happy?

At that moment, I was definitely not happy. I was frustrated, angry, desperate, but definitely not happy. That came later, when I calmly replayed the whole saga in my head while sitting on the couch. Then I suddenly became very happy. Because I thought to myself: 'At least HouseScout isn't like that'! With my company, I do things a lot better!

Of course, I'm a smaller company, and the lines are simpler, short, and easy to keep track of. Yet I see many small companies that, despite this simplicity, opt for bots, sign-up lists, account creation, and login screens. The idea behind it is that your customer data will be neatly stored in a file. But in my opinion, they sacrifice valuable contact moments for that little bit of time saved.

It's precisely in a conversation, where I note those crucial details about you, that I can get to know you and you can get to know me. You don't become just account number whatever in some file, but you're Pete looking for a rental home or Mary looking for tenants. And you don't have to log in first to ask your questions, make comments, share ideas, and so on. You just get the number to call or text me.

Short lines

Short communication lines, that's what I like. And I apply that throughout the rest of my company too. There's quite a bit involved in buying, renting, and managing a property. And I know a lot, but I can't know or do everything. So I work with other freelancers who have different and specialized knowledge. I also maintain short communication lines with them. That means that if you have a question I can't immediately answer myself, I can quickly ask one of my colleagues. And that's how complicated issues or tricky repairs in your home get resolved quickly.

How far can flexibility go?

Flexibility, quality, and good service through simplicity and human-to-human relationships, that's how HouseScout works. But there is a limit to that flexibility. To protect myself and my personal life, I do maintain office hours. You can still call or message me even at night, but you shouldn't expect an immediate response. Nine o'clock the next morning, you'll be the first.

Want to meet over a cup of coffee without the "press 1" or "press 2" options? Request your meeting here.