We met Sean Marshall, Director of Marshall Property, to learn about his experience with KeyNest Cloud and how it transformed their key management process. Marshall Property, based in Liverpool, UK, has been a leading estate agency for over 12 years. Initially a small operation, the company has grown significantly, offering residential lettings, block management, sales, and property development services. With over a hundred properties, Marshall Properties’ portfolio includes family homes, student accommodations, and many commercial properties across Merseyside.

As their portfolio expanded, so did the challenges of managing their key inventory. This case study explores how Marshall Property found a game-changing solution for its real estate operations with KeyNest Cloud to overcome these challenges.

Challenges with traditional key management

Initially, Marshall Property relied on traditional paper-based logbooks to track their keys. This method worked well when their portfolio was smaller, but as they expanded, especially into student rentals, the volume of keys increased dramatically. The paper-based system quickly became inefficient, leading to misplaced keys, confusion over who had which keys, and time lost searching for keys that weren’t returned promptly.

‘We were losing or misplacing a set of keys a week, and we were tracking it down. We would usually find where they got to, but the amount of staff hours involved in bringing around, trying to find who's got the key was really time consuming. It will cause all sorts of chaos.’

The lack of a reliable tracking system raised security concerns, as there was no way to know where keys were or who had them at any given time. When keys went missing, the staff spent valuable time tracking them down, causing disruptions to their workflow and negatively affecting customer service.

Sean recognised that the traditional system was no longer sufficient and needed a more reliable, technology-driven solution:

‘As we got busier, we got lots of different types of properties, and we started to uncover problems. When you start to pick up on a gap, you start to look for a solution. What attracted us to KeyNest was the fact that you cannot give out a key without signing it out, which I think was the most important thing for us.’

Discovering KeyNest Cloud

After some research online, Sean discovered KeyNest Cloud, an advanced key tracking solution. KeyNest Cloud uses digital lockers and a mobile app to track key movements in real time, providing a secure and organised way to manage key inventories. The KeyNest Cloud system offered several features that appealed to Marshall Property, including digital key signing and real-time monitoring, which promised to address the inefficiencies that plagued their old system.

‘Obviously, we had other a couple of instances where a contractor lost a set of keys, you know, in the van, or they've lost them on a job. We can't avoid that, obviously, but what we can do is if a contractor does lose a set of keys, we know who had those keys, so we know that the contractor had them and that they're not in the office somewhere. We know that we need to go and change the locks to secure the property. KeyNest Cloud gives us that level of clarity, as well as what we need to do in a situation where we have lost the keys, which can't always be held. But I'd certainly say even these incidents are minimised with the KeyNest.’

Enhanced security and accountability

One of the primary reasons Marshall Property chose KeyNest Cloud was to improve security. With the paper-based system, there was no way of knowing when or where keys were last used, which led to confusion and security risks. KeyNest Cloud addressed this by providing detailed records of key transactions, ensuring every key’s movement was tracked and accounted for.

In addition, KeyNest Cloud introduced a feature that prevented employees from checking out keys without first signing them in the app. This built-in accountability meant that no keys could be lost in the shuffle. Every key was tracked, providing Marshall Property with complete control over their key management.

Operational efficiency and time savings

Before KeyNest Cloud, Marshall Property’s staff spent considerable time searching for missing keys, disrupting their workflow. With KeyNest Cloud, staff can now see in real time which keys are available and where they are located, eliminating the time wasted searching for them.

Additionally, the system offers automatic alerts for key movements, ensuring that staff are always aware of key activity. These reminders help prevent errors and ensure that any issues are addressed immediately. By reducing the time spent searching for keys, KeyNest Cloud has significantly boosted productivity, allowing staff to focus on more essential tasks like client management and property maintenance.

Positive team adaptation

The implementation of KeyNest Cloud was met with enthusiasm from the Marshall Property team. Many staff members were already familiar with technology, making the transition even more straightforward. Within a few days, the team fully adapted to the new system.

Sean adds, “I think everybody grasped the initial concept pretty quick, which was good. This is because its fundamentals are quite straightforward to use.”

The convenience of the app made managing keys more effortless than ever before, enabling staff to check out and return keys quickly and efficiently. The transition was smooth, with minimal issues and high staff satisfaction.

Expansion of KeyNest usage

After the success of KeyNest Cloud in their property management division, Marshall Property decided to extend the system to their construction division, which handles a smaller number of keys. Despite the smaller volume, the construction division benefited from the increased security and accountability that KeyNest Cloud offered.

Even with fewer keys, the construction division maintained the same transparency and efficiency as the property management division. This consistency across all operations has allowed Marshall Property to streamline its key management process across the entire company.

Marshall Property’s experience with KeyNest Cloud has been transformative. The system has provided the company with enhanced security, operational efficiency, and significant time savings. KeyNest Cloud has allowed Marshall Property to reduce errors, improve accountability, and free up staff time for more critical tasks by automating key tracking.

KeyNest Cloud offers a game-changing solution that brings transparency, accountability, and efficiency to the forefront for businesses looking to streamline their key management processes and improve security.

Real estate agencies: Marshall Property's key management transformation