From Outgrown System to Growth Platform in Just Two Weeks
“I used to spend hours every week on accounting tasks that Alto now handles automatically,” shares Helen Westwell, Owner and Director of Mint Homes. “What surprised me most wasn’t just the time savings – it was how painless the switch from Jupix actually was.”
When Helen realised her lettings agency had outgrown their existing software, she worried about the disruption a change might cause. With a busy team of six managing properties across Kendal and the South Lakes, downtime wasn’t an option. But with increasing frustration over Jupix’s limitations, something had to change.
When Good Software Isn’t Good Enough
Mint Homes, established in 2008, had built their reputation on efficiency and organisation in the competitive South Lakes lettings market. For years, Jupix had served as their operational backbone, but as the business evolved, limitations became increasingly apparent.
“We’d reached a point where we were creating workarounds for simple tasks,” Helen explains. “Our team was spending more time managing the software than the software was spending managing our properties.”
Three challenges in particular drove their decision to look elsewhere:
- Their existing system lacked the advanced features needed for a growing lettings portfolio
- Financial processes required too much manual intervention, creating bottlenecks
- The lack of ongoing development meant they were missing opportunities for improvement
For Helen, the breaking point came when she calculated how much time her team spent on tasks that could be automated. “When you realise you’re paying staff to do what software should be doing automatically, you know it’s time for a change.”
Finding the Right Solution Without the Pain
The prospect of switching systems raised immediate concerns. Would they lose critical data? Could they maintain operations during the transition? Would staff struggle to learn a new system?
“We were worried about everything from losing historical records to spending weeks training the team,” Helen admits. “The thought of manually re-entering our property commission charges alone was enough to make me hesitate.”
What convinced Helen to proceed was Alto’s approach to migration. Rather than a one-size-fits-all process, Alto’s team worked directly with Mint Homes to understand their specific needs and concerns.
The strategy involved:
- A thorough pre-migration data cleanup with guidance from Alto’s specialists
- Scheduling the switch during a naturally quieter period in their month
- Developing a custom plan for importing financial data, including commission structures
- Providing immediate access to training resources for the whole team
“What sealed the deal was when Alto assured us they could import our property commission charges automatically,” Helen says. “That single feature saved us weeks of manual data entry.”
A Surprisingly Smooth Transition
The reality of switching proved far less disruptive than Helen had feared. With careful preparation and support from Alto’s migration team, Mint Homes completed their transition in just two weeks – far less time than they’d anticipated.
“Monday morning we were using Jupix, and by the following Monday everyone was working confidently in Alto,” Helen recounts. “I’d been preparing the team for multiple weeks of transition and potential hiccups, but honestly, there were hardly any issues at all.”
What made the biggest difference was the quality of data transfer. All client histories, property details, and financial information migrated correctly, eliminating the need for manual re-entry or corrections.
“The relief when we saw all our commission structures had transferred correctly was enormous,” Helen laughs. “We’d budgeted time to fix migration problems, but ended up using those hours to explore Alto’s advanced features instead.”
Real Business Impact: Beyond Just New Software
For Mint Homes, the benefits of switching to Alto quickly extended beyond simply having newer software. Within the first month, Helen noticed significant operational improvements:
- Administrative time for financial processes dropped by approximately 50%
- Staff could access the system remotely, improving flexibility and response times
- Automated tenant communications reduced follow-up calls by nearly a third
- Reporting capabilities provided new insights into business performance
“The accounting functionality has been the biggest game-changer,” Helen notes. “What used to take days now happens automatically in the background. It’s like having an extra team member handling all the tedious bits.”
Perhaps most importantly, staff quickly embraced the new system. The intuitive interface and comprehensive training resources meant that even team members who had been hesitant about the change became advocates for Alto within weeks.
“One of our property managers who was initially most resistant to changing systems now tells me she can’t imagine going back,” Helen says. “She’s discovered shortcuts and features I didn’t even know existed.”
Learning from Their Experience
Having successfully navigated the switch, Helen offers practical advice for other agencies considering a similar move:
“Don’t wait until your current system becomes a daily frustration. We probably should have upgraded a year earlier than we did,” she reflects. “And definitely take the time to clean your data before migration—it pays dividends in the long run.”
- Other insights from Mint Homes’ experience include:
- Schedule your migration during a naturally quieter period
- Use the opportunity to review and improve your processes
- Take advantage of all available training resources
- Don’t underestimate how quickly your team will adapt
“The biggest surprise was how straightforward the whole process was,” Helen adds. “We’d built it up in our minds as this massive undertaking, but with the right support, it was remarkably smooth.”
A Foundation for Future Growth
For Mint Homes, switching to Alto wasn’t just about solving immediate problems—it was about creating capacity for future growth. With administrative burdens reduced and operations streamlined, Helen and her team can focus on strategic priorities rather than day-to-day software limitations.
“We’re now in a position to take on more properties without needing to expand our team proportionally,” Helen explains. “Alto has essentially created headroom for growth without adding overhead.”
The ongoing development of the platform means Mint Homes continues to benefit from new features and improvements without needing to consider another system change.
“Knowing that Alto is constantly evolving gives us confidence that we won’t outgrow it,” Helen concludes. “It’s not just solving today’s problems—it’s anticipating tomorrow’s needs.”
About Mint Homes
Founded in 2008, Mint Homes is a specialist lettings and property management agency covering Kendal and the South Lakes. With a team of six, they pride themselves on providing an efficient and highly organised service for landlords and tenants alike. They’ve been an Alto customer since 2021.
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