Robert Nixon has run a lettings business long enough to know the hardest part of new software isn't the software. It's the people. Teams get set in their ways, and every change of system meets the same resistance, however good the new one is on paper.
So when Ritehome moved its 1,000+ property portfolio onto Wooma, nobody in the office expected much. A few months on, inventories take a quarter of the time they used to, the team is finding new ways to work that weren't possible before, and the business is planning to grow by a fifth without hiring anyone to do it.
The problem: hours out of the office, and no one to call
Ritehome had been through several platforms over the years. Each was an improvement on the last, but none of them changed the underlying problem. They were off-the-shelf systems with no add-ons and little engagement once the contract was signed. Nobody from the supplier ever came to the office, and feature requests went on a list that never seemed to move.
Meanwhile, the work itself was slow. A standard inventory took around two hours. A large property could take five. For a business owner, that's the cost that matters most: hours spent on site producing a report are hours not spent in the office looking after clients.
Inventories were also the part of the job everyone dreaded. Mundane and admin-heavy, and with a new platform, the fear was always the same: starting again from zero.
The switch: from sceptics to advocates
Ritehome's team didn't come to Wooma as believers. They're not technical, and they didn't know what AI image scanning could realistically do. The idea that it could meaningfully cut time on site sounded too good to be true.
None of our staff thought it was possible. We're not technical, and we didn't know what the technology could do. But once they saw it working, they came round to it, and now everyone's on board.
Robert Nixon
Managing Director, Ritehome
The biggest fear, starting from scratch, didn't materialise either. Wooma Vault brought Ritehome's full history across from the previous supplier, so existing reports carried straight over and could be copied into new ones without anyone re-entering a thing.
Switching systems always sounds like downtime and lost data waiting to happen. With Wooma it was the opposite. Everything came across intact, and copying old documents into fresh ones is completely seamless.
Robert Nixon
Managing Director, Ritehome
The solution: a new way of working, not just a faster one
The headline change is speed. Inventories and check-outs that took two hours now take around 30 minutes. Routine inspections have dropped from 30 minutes to between 10 and 15, and the output is better than before, not just quicker.
But the more interesting changes are the ones Ritehome didn't plan for. One property manager recently prepared an inventory during the initial viewing, adding just 10 to 15 minutes to a visit they were already making. Because every report syncs in real time across devices, two people can now work on the same inventory at once.
The thing I love most is the collaboration. One person did the upstairs, one did the downstairs, and I could see the progress in real time. That property would have taken half a day before. It took less than an hour. You'd never be able to do that on any platform we've used before.
Robert Nixon
Managing Director, Ritehome
Consistency: the same standard, whoever's holding the phone
Everyone on the team uses Wooma slightly differently, and the results still come out consistent. Experience no longer determines the quality of a report. If someone follows the Wooma process, the software makes sure the output meets the standard, acting as a kind of copilot for deposit scheme best practice.
That extends to the writing itself. For agencies with multilingual teams, Wooma's AI keeps spelling, grammar and language consistent and professional across every report, which Robert sees as a real selling point with landlords. And as a Scottish agent, Ritehome needed a platform that properly handles the differences in legislation between the UK's four nations. Wooma is set up for all four.
The partnership: real people who know their stuff
For Robert, the relationship matters as much as the product. Where previous suppliers took the monthly payment and left Ritehome to its own devices, Wooma's team handled the setup in person, with no bots, just people who understand both the technology and the property business.
As a business owner, we feel valued, and that our opinion matters. Normally you'd ask for a feature and hear 'we'll put it on our list'. With Wooma, whatever we suggest is usually already being implemented.
Robert Nixon
Managing Director, Ritehome
Ritehome now sees Wooma as a critical partner in its operation, and one that keeps developing the system rather than standing still.
The results: time back, put to work
The time savings add up quickly at Ritehome's scale. With around ten move-ins and ten check-outs a week, each saving an hour and a half, that's 30 hours a week back on inventories and check-outs alone. Add around 20 inspections a week, each now at least 15 minutes quicker, and the total comes to roughly 35 hours a week, more than 1,800 hours over a year.
That time doesn't sit idle. It goes into more move-ins, more viewings and better service for clients, and it's showing up in the business's bottom line and its people's pay packets, with the extra capacity supporting pay rises for staff. The jobs everyone used to dread have become ones the team is happy to go out and do.
What's next: growth without the headcount
Ritehome is projecting 20% growth, driven by new instructions and acquisitions. Partnering with Wooma means the business expects to deliver that with no additional headcount, while still measurably improving its service to clients. Acquisitions in particular have become far simpler: rather than a headache, each new business can be brought straight onto the same process.
Every property manager now has more capacity for viewings, instructions and listings, and Robert has gone from sceptic to advocate, recommending Wooma to competitors and former colleagues alike.
I was sceptical at first, but now I'm a total advocate. If you want to give your time back and have your team focus on growth and service, talk to Wooma.
Robert Nixon
Managing Director, Ritehome
Frequently asked questions
How much faster are inventories with Wooma at Ritehome? Inventories and check-outs that used to take around two hours now take about 30 minutes, a 75% reduction. Routine inspections have dropped from 30 minutes to between 10 and 15, and the output is better than before.
How many hours does Wooma save Ritehome each year? Across around ten move-ins, ten check-outs and 20 inspections a week, Ritehome gets back roughly 35 hours a week, more than 1,800 hours over a year.
Did Ritehome lose any data when it switched to Wooma? No. Wooma Vault brought Ritehome's full history across from its previous supplier, so existing reports carried over intact and can be copied straight into new ones.
Can more than one person work on the same inventory in Wooma? Yes. Every report syncs in real time across devices, so two people can work on the same inventory at once. At Ritehome, one person did the upstairs and another the downstairs of a property that would previously have taken half a day, and it took less than an hour.
Does Wooma work for agents in Scotland? Yes. Wooma handles the differences in legislation between all four UK nations, which mattered to Ritehome as a Glasgow-based agency.
How is Ritehome planning to grow 20% without hiring? The time Wooma returns to property managers goes into more viewings, instructions and move-ins. Ritehome expects that extra capacity to absorb new instructions and acquisitions without any additional headcount.
If you want to give your time back and have your team focus on growth and service, request a demo to see how Wooma works across a whole portfolio.