Maintaining the family ethos
Family enterprise Signature Property Services is determined to preserve their socially responsible workflow whilst evolving into a new era of connected technology. Here, Jamie Dunn, discusses the company’s history and what sets them apart in the construction marketplace.
Q. Firstly, tell us about Signature Property Services’ beginnings and what you want to achieve in the property insurance industry?
A. Coming from a construction-based family it was inevitable I was going to be involved in the industry. Both my brothers and my father work in construction and I wanted to follow in their footsteps. Since leaving school my exposure has been focused around surveying and project management. I’ve been lucky enough to see both sides of the industry, from a trade and back-office perspective. Pooling our collective family knowledge, in 2018 we joined together to form Signature Property Services UK Ltd. Our aim was to carry out surveys, scope of works, validation, project management and a complete repair service all under one roof. We’re a tightknit team with transparency between all parties, and we make sure that we show empathy and understanding to our clients and policyholders.
We want to keep growing; we recognise there's always room for improvement and with this in mind we try to upskill not only our direct trades and back-office staff, but also our supply chain.
Our contractors have been with us for many years and really embrace what we do, the services we offer and who we represent. From a director’s point of view it’s a nice position to be in, to have that relationship, and as long as we strive to maintain a competent workforce and provide excellent customer service, we have no doubt that this will continue to present new opportunities within our industry.
Q. Beginning as a family enterprise, what growth has the business seen since it started?
A. Exponential! The business really started in 1980 with Martin Dunn growing what is now the Signature team under a different banner. Since then, the focus has always been on bringing together the skillsets of my brothers, myself and my dad. From these foundations we now have another director onboard with a focus on growth and widening the skillset throughout the team. We’re able to offer what I call a “turnkey service”; offering all aspects of repairs to all manner of clients.
With growth, we know we always have to offer a wider range of services to establish ourselves further. Having those tried and trusted trades with long standing connections to family members has made the transition an easy one. As my father has always said, ‘we’re only as good as our tradespeople, who produce the work’. We are mindful that we can do 100 excellent jobs, but we would be remembered for the single bad one. This alone keeps us on our toes and ensures we go above and beyond to satisfy each and every customer.
Q. As Managing Director, what makes Signature different from its competitors from your perspective?
A. Firstly to ensure we are an industry leader in the quality side of property repairs, we guarantee all workmanship is of the highest calibre to give our suppliers peace of mind and offer a two-year workmanship warranty on all of our work.
Secondly, we’re always available. We will always answer the phone and be on hand to our suppliers and their policyholders 7 days a week. From my own experience in the industry, there have been numerous occasions where myself or Signature have needed an urgent directive and we have not been able to receive the assistance required from any party. We’re always available to deal with any issue, wherever it may arise in the supply chain and our entire ethos is centred around being available and present.
We must all understand that policyholders are often in a position they don't want to be in and the predicament that puts them in. Nobody wants to be making an insurance claim, we appreciate that we are offering a reactive service and our goal is to react as quickly and effectively as possible with minimal impact to the customer’s circumstances.
Our team thrives on the challenge of turning difficult situations into a positive experience. This is always our biggest challenge and when we recruit our key focus is ensuring we build our team around that mentality. Our team are often tasked with going above and beyond; this means always being respectful, sympathetic, professional, and providing excellent response times and services to every client.
Q. What is on the horizon for Signature Property Services looking toward the future?
A. I see continued growth, continued improvement, and the streamlining of our processes in order to maintain our productivity. We will never compromise our services or standards in the pursuit of profit. We consider ourselves to be in a recession-proof industry and by doing the right thing and leading by example we are confident we will always have opportunities within the industry.
We never compromise on our ethics and our social responsibilities. We are in a unique position in the supply chain and as a family business we can work and recruit differently. We're very inclusive and our transparency, honesty and clarity are ingrained in every process.
New technology is going to further enable us to do this more effectively and with a ground-breaking CRM system that we’re currently implementing, this will enhance the 360-degree visibility from the back office to the trades teams. This will also allow us to provide every party in the supply chain with live and accurate updates of job and claim progression, meaning suppliers and clients alike are always able to obtain key information.
interviewee: Jamie Dunn, Managing Director, Signature Property Services
Interview by: Modern Insurance Magazine
Interview by Modern Insurance Magazine
