Murcia Services, the leading English-speaking property agency in Spain’s Murcia region, has long been the go-to for expats, international buyers, and UK investors. While their market reputation and sales success were strong, their internal operations relied on manual processes and older tools that made scaling harder. Then came Alto.
Within just 12 months of adopting Alto, Murcia Services achieved an extraordinary 40% increase in sales and instructions, saved the equivalent of two full-time staff in time, and unlocked a level of efficiency and professionalism that’s setting a new benchmark for Spanish agencies.
Manual Mayhem: The hidden cost of old ways of working
Despite their reputation and a steady stream of international buyers, listings, brochures, and website uploads were done manually. Buyer communication relied on broad WhatsApp lists for property updates. Viewing logs were handwritten. And their CRM offered little more than being a static database.
Ian Forrest, a seasoned UK estate agent who joined Murcia Services as a consultant in 2024, recalls: “The team were a successful agency selling over 200 properties a year but hadn’t previously used a modern CRM. As a result, many tasks simply took longer than they needed to, and some leads fell through the cracks.”
The Solution: Bringing Alto to Spain
One of Forrest’s first recommendations was to bring in Alto, a platform he trusted from his 20-year career in UK estate agency. Working closely with Alto’s team, Murcia Services quickly adapted the platform to the Spanish market, including:
- Tailoring buyer requirement fields for Spanish property types like golf-course villas and gated communities.
- Adjusting mapping and postcode fields for Spain’s larger postcode regions.
- Integrating Alto with Murcia Services’ website to create a feed hub syncing listings to European portals in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK.
Forrest says: “Spanish CRMs are years behind what UK agents have. Alto is head and shoulders above anything else in the market – and now it works here too for English-speaking property agencies.”
The results for Murica Services of bringing Alto on-board were fast and dramatic:
40% increase in sales and instructions
Within weeks of launching Alto, Murcia Services completed its first Alto-driven sale. A targeted match email sent to a buyer who had been in their database for weeks led to an immediate full-price offer.
“Alto just sold our first apartment,” says Forrest. “The buyer replied to the match email the same day and paid a deposit immediately. That sale had been sitting there, waiting for us to connect the dots.”
This level of targeted engagement, powered by accurate buyer matching, became a game-changer, driving more viewings, faster sales, and stronger trust with clients.
90 hours saved every month
Automation slashed admin across every department. Brochures, window cards, website listings, and mailouts now generate from a single data entry. Tasks that once took hours are now done in minutes, freeing up around 90 staff hours each month, which is the equivalent to adding two full-time employees to the agency.
“From taking hours to do a listing to just 15 minutes – that’s the power of automation,” Forrest explains. “Time saved means more focus on selling and serving clients.”
Smarter, sustained buyer engagement
With Alto’s Contact Reviews feature, the team now nurtures buyers through long decision cycles typical of the Spanish market. Agents can log every interaction across WhatsApp, email, and Messenger in one place, ensuring no lead slips through the cracks.
“The more consistent you are with buyer follow-up, the more likely they are to stick with you as their agent,” says Forrest. “That translates directly into more deals closed.”
From resistance to reliance
Like many teams facing change, Murcia Services’ staff were initially cautious. But Forrest tied the CRM to their daily pain points and set clear success metrics: improved sales and efficiency within six months.
By the time Alto went live – supported by Alto Skills training – the team was confident and ready. Migration was smooth, and within weeks, adoption was universal.
“At first there was pushback, but now none of them could imagine life without it,” Forrest says. “The training side has been incredible. Alto Skills meant the team was productive from day one.
“Alto Skills also let the team train out of hours. We gave staff four weeks to complete training in short sessions; when we went live, they already knew the system.”
The engine of growth for modern agents
For Murcia Services, Alto has been the catalyst for growth and efficiency:
“The sales business has gone up just shy of 40% since I’ve joined and Alto has been a massive part of that.
“We’ve gone from taking hours to do a listing to only taking minutes. We’re saving hours across every member of staff in every department across the week.”
With Alto driving results like these, Murcia Services has proven what’s possible with smarter, faster, automated systems in place. Alto isn’t just a CRM; it’s the last CRM you’ll ever need.
Key Outcomes
- 40% increase in sales and instructions within 12 months.
- 90 hours saved every month — equivalent to two extra full-time staff.
- Listings that once took hours now take minutes.
- Accurate matching and automated reviews driving higher engagement and trust.
- Smoother, more professional client experiences.
