Connells Group is the UK's largest property services company, with over 100 land professionals working across the business. In September 2024, after seven years with a competing platform, the group made the decision to move to Searchland.
More than just a platform switch, Connells Group was looking for a partner — Searchland — committed to building custom features and growing alongside their business.
We spoke with Jason Willetts, Managing Director at Connells Land & New Homes, part of Connells Group, about their decision to switch and why the move has been unanimously welcomed across the team.
Challenges before Searchland:
- Previous software was difficult to use and required constant relearning
- Bespoke features came with additional charges
- There was little appetite to develop tools aligned to Connells’ evolving needs
“From the first trials, we immediately saw that Searchland was a more intuitive and powerful platform”
As the UK’s largest property group, Connells Group needs technology that is simple to use, robust at scale, and genuinely improves efficiency. During trials, Searchland demonstrated clear advantages in usability and data layering.
The platform's intuitive design means the group’s land professionals now spend less time navigating software and more time assessing high-value opportunities.
"It was far easier to use. The data was layered much more clearly for what the team would need."
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"The transition to Searchland was seamless"
Transitioning 100+ users from an established platform is no small undertaking. Searchland worked closely with the team to ensure a smooth migration.
"The transition was pretty seamless. Without exception, everybody in the team has recognised that it was the right decision to move across."
100+ users and zero complaints about data quality
Within months of switching, the business has seen tangible improvements in team efficiency. Data reliability has been particularly valuable when assessing development opportunities at scale.
"The anecdotal feedback is that it has made people more efficient and given them back time."
Customer support that goes beyond simply answering tickets
Beyond the technology, Connells Group values Searchland's hands-on approach to customer success.
"Ben from the CS team has been exceptional. His onboarding, ongoing coaching and mentoring have made the process very easy."
“We plan to use Searchland more as it becomes our property one-stop shop”
Looking ahead, Connells Group is focused on API integration with their CRM to eliminate duplicate data entry, plus expanding their use of strategic land tools and planning alerts.
"The next important step is the API. We need the two parts to be talking to each other."
“We’ll then be looking to increase our use of Searchland as it builds out functionality.”
We look forward to working closely with Connells Group to deliver API integration and new capabilities, enabling further efficiency gains, cost savings, and long-term scalability.
— Quotes from Jason Willetts, Managing Director, Connells Group Land and New Homes
Want to see how Searchland can help you source sites and assess sites at scale? Book a demo with our team today.
