SiteStream on Show Again - October 2004

City Lofts Developments once again used SiteStream to capture leads directly at their award winning exhibition stand during the recent Property Investors Show in London's Excel centre.

"Capturing leads in this way enables us to record investors' interest early and keep them regularly informed on the progress of our major new developments" said Christine Beadle, Sales and Marketing Coordinator at City Lofts.

"We were able to train the large team of agency staff on the stand how to use SiteStream in about 10 minutes. The gathering and follow up of leads is now extremely automated and efficient yet the system creates highly personalised responses to our prospects." continued Christine, "As our new developments evolve we will be using SiteStream in a similar way in the marketing suites on site."

You can find out more about City Lofts Developments at www.citylofts.co.uk

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SiteStream Supports Housebuilding Industry - September 2004

SiteStream is proud to continue its association with the annual Housing Market Intelligence conference organised by the HBF and the NHBC. At the second conference held recently many of the distinguished speakers highlighted how important it is for the industry to address key issues in the areas of production, sales and customer service; areas in which SiteStream are specialists.

Kate Barker who recently published the 'Barker Review' of the industry said on customer service "As a whole the industry still has some way to go and even further to convince the public of progress in this area". Peter Johnson, Group Chief Executive of George Wimpey PLC, commenting on the recent MORI customer satisfaction survey, echoed this with "The industry must improve from the dismal 46% of purchasers who would recommend their builder to family and friends to a minimum target of 75%"

On prospects for the industry, John Stewart, Director of Economic Affairs at the HBF, urged "The industry must expand capacity and productivity through improved management skills, processes and technology". In a later presentation John also highlighted how increased competition in the industry, and the threat of an imposed Office of Fair Trading code of conduct, would highlight the need for housebuilders to develop their own acceptable customer service codes.

On the same theme Tim Hough, Managing Director of Miller Homes, described how his company had adopted a process that smoothes out the emotional rollercoaster of buying a new home. "It works and they tell everyone" said Tim referring to the companies 'customer home pages' where Miller's customers can get all the information they need on progress of their new home purchase.

If you would like to discuss how SiteStream has helped many housebuilders respond quickly and efficiently to changing industry demands please call Malcolm Freeman on 01252 733447 or email us.

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Quality Submissions for SiteStream - September 2004

Two SiteStream customers have been shortlisted for the Building Homes magazine Quality Awards. Robertson Homes and Gleeson Homes have both been nominated for the IT Innovation Award for their recent implementation of Sitestream. The awards ceremony will be held at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane on Tuesday 12th October 2004. You can find more details about the awards together with the Future Homes conference being held in conjunction with this event here.

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A more profitable mix for CALA - September 2004

CALA Homes are to use the SiteStream Land system across the group to ascertain the viability of new developments. During trials the system has proved extremely successful and has highlighted many more profitable opportunities than previous methods. In one example, for a large detached unit site in the West of Scotland the system allowed various mixes of different house types before highlighting the most profitable one for that particular site. This was all undertaken before any detailed design work saving both time and costs.

Eric Strachan
Group Commercial Director at CALA Eric Strachan, Group Commercial Director at CALA, says "The facility to report the efficiency of plotting on each site together with each unit's profitability highlights poor performing units at a very early stage. This means we can focus more on developing highly profitable solutions and often shape the detailed site mix well before the architects have put pen to paper"

"The calculation methods employed in SiteStream are much more sophisticated than you can achieve easily in a spreadsheet" Eric observed. "The system allows our land buyers to change all their assumptions on the fly with total confidence that all dependent calculations and our group standards for profit reporting are being adhered to."

On the other key benefits that Cala Homes derive from the system Eric commented "The automatic spread facility also means that quick viabilities will create accurate cashflows very quickly and that ROCE and IRR are accurately forecast as well as profitability."

For more information on how the SiteStream Land system could help you identify more profitable opportunities please email or call us on 01252 733447

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Magic formula for Gleeson Homes' web site. - August 2004

Gleeson Homes are the latest company to realise the benefits of driving their web site with real time data from their SiteStream sales administration system.

Matt Fleming, Chairman of Aylesworth Fleming, says "To make any web site truly effective, it needs to be a genuine combination of style and substance. I believe that Gleeson has achieved this magic formula in no small measure. The design of the site has made it very easy to use, the overall look is particularly appealing and, crucially, the dynamic link to the Company's Site Stream database means it is always up to date. As ad agency to Gleeson Homes, we have actively encouraged the creation of a hard working internet presence and we are impressed with what Gleeson Homes has achieved."

All the plot images, site plans, pricing and availability are automatically updated from SiteStream meaning that there is very little additional work to maintain the web site.

James Davies who is Webmaster at Gleeson commented "With more and more people turning to the internet as their primary source of information when looking for a new home, we always ensure that our website is as informative, up-to-date and easy to use as possible. Our new website couples the latest web development technologies with our integrated business systems to provide visitors with a rich browsing experience. Just some of the features include the ability to see the real time availability of plots, immersive virtual tours of show homes, an online brochure creator system and a registered user's area providing additional benefits to our homebuyers."

As confirmed at the recent seminar run by SiteStream Software Limited the quality of presentation and information on house builders' web sites is critical in attracting the best quality home buyers. Gleeson Homes are at the forefront in attracting today's hottest prospects from the internet and you can visit their site at www.gleeson-homes.co.uk

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A Smart SiteStream Solution for Housebuilder Sales - July 2004

SiteStream are pleased to announce a new partnership with SmartNewHomes. The objective is to provide housebuilders with the most effective means of managing the high quality leads from house purchasers who now commence their search for a new home on the internet. SmartNewHomes have a reputation for providing the highest quality leads available from any third party property listing service in the UK. Together with the new E-Leads system from SiteStream, housebuilders can manage internet leads efficiently through to completion and prove the high return on investment now achievable with an integrated web-based lead management strategy.

It is proven that; more than fifty percent of new homes purchasers use the internet to locate a new home, these purchasers will shortlist their potential homes based on the quality and depth of information provided to them via the web, they arrive at the developers showhome better informed and more pre-disposed to buy than other walk-in traffic, their time to purchase on a new home is half of that taken by other purchasers.

David Bexon, Chief Executive of SmartNewHomes says "We already integrate leads directly with many of our 90 plus clients' contact management systems, It is vitally important that our leads are responded to in a prompt and sympathetic manner and the E-leads system is an exciting concept which we will support with our clients who adopt it"

Malcolm Freeman of SiteStream comments "We are very pleased to announce this partnership. The E-leads lead management system will aggregate electronic leads from SmartNewHomes, your own website and your estate agents. SiteStream E-leads will evaluate the leads on equal terms to help you respond appropriately with the right resource at the right time through to sales completion. This enables all housebuilders to benefit from the substantial savings and efficiencies of electronic marketing media compared with traditional marketing methods. It is cheaper than most traditional lead sources and produces its own data on your return on investment in it." "Furthermore, being web based, E-Leads does not involve any technology or infrastructure investment beyond your normal internet access. Web leads are demonstrated to be at least four times as cost effective as lead generation through traditional media"

For more information please call 01252 733447 or click here for more details

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City Loft invests in modern approach to property show - July 2004

City Loft Developments Limited , a SiteStream customer who recently floated on AIM, successfully trialled their SiteStream Sales software live on their award winning stand at the Property Investor Show North in Manchester last month. The show took place over 3 days; 18-20th June 2004 and client enquiries were logged, via the internet, to the their main head office server allowing real time reports of the data as it was collected.

Mike Knapp, Sales & Marketing Director at City Loft, says "This is part of our strategy to develop a database driven web presence that enables us to provide the highest possible levels of customer service before, during and after the sale"

City Loft, in close association with Conran & Partners, have carved out a reputation for cool contemporary design, often within old buildings, to create desirable urban apartments with clean uncluttered living areas. High quality fittings are used and bathroom ceramics are exclusive Conran designs.

Malcolm Freeman at SiteStream commented "We are increasingly seeing our Sales system used in the showhouse to capture and track leads at source but to my knowledge this is the first time it has been used live at an exhibition" "This is just one of the many exciting possibilities for house builders now the dot com hype has given way to more pragmatic use of the internet"

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SiteStream Spreads Over Seas - June 2004

J G Kelly and Wood Green Builders are two of the latest companies taking SiteStream to improve the efficiency of their housing operations. J G Kelly, with a head office and housing division in the Isle of Man, are seeking to enhance communications with their Manchester subsidiary, Lowry Homes while Wood Green Builders in Dublin are the first user of SiteStream the Republic of Ireland.

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Antler Homes launch new web site - June 2004

Antler Homes, developers of exclusive, quality homes throughout England and the Channel Islands have launched their new web site.

AWS were the web systems developers alongside Ainsworth and Parkinson (creative design) with SiteStream providing automatic data updates directly from the SiteStream Sales administration system used by Antler.

The AWS 'Intextra' intranet system is used as the framework to support the web site, allowing all content to be easily managed by Antler staff and data to be dynamically generated from the back end SiteStream system onto the web site. This means that whenever a user visits the Antler site, they see live, up to date information on pricing and availability, key to providing accurate details and good customer service.

About Antler Homes

Antler Homes is a developer of exclusive, quality homes throughout England and the Channel Islands. They distinguish themselves from other developers through their standards of excellence building limited edition homes in a wide range of locations.

You can visit the Antler Homes web site at http://www.antlerhomes.co.uk and learn more about AWS at http://www.aws.net

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SiteStream Version 2.4 released with over 60 new features - April 2004

Since the launch of SiteStream less than two years ago over 200 new enhancements and helpful features have been introduced into the software. Paul Dunnell, IT Manager at Antler Homes one of the first SiteStream users, says "We hold regular review meetings with SiteStream. These meetings are a good opportunity to provide feedback on the use of the software, suggested enhancements and how the latest developments can provide better and timelier information to our management teams. In the new version 2.4, SiteStream have incorporated a number of new features that will help us to improve our business processes and information flow."

Nigel Willis, Business Development Director at SiteStream, comments "We have very close working relationships with all our SiteStream customers. They provide us with invaluable feedback on both new features and future enhancements they would like to see in the software. All requests are logged through our in-house control systems and we keep customers informed of these on a regular basis"

If you would like more details of the enhancements contained in the latest release of SiteStream please contact Support@SiteStream.biz

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Internet House Hunting Continues to Grow - January 2004

The latest research reveals that 58% of house hunters are using the Internet as a major source of property information.

That figure is set to grow still further, with findings from the Halifax and New Homes Marketing Board annual survey revealing that 82% of buyers expect to make some use of property websites the next time they move, and 37% expecting it to be their main source of information in their search for an ideal home.

Pierre Williams from the New Homes Marketing Board said "These figures are supported through the popularity of our new-homes.co.uk site which has proved itself as by far the most comprehensive site for new homes. With the web rapidly becoming the best way of house hunting it is vital that house builders keep property details as up to date as possible". Pierre added "Our survey also highlighted the frustration of potential house buyers when information was not current or complete"

The SiteStream Sales module is specifically designed to provide real time information throughout your organisation and on your web site. It uses web technology to enable the sales negotiator and administration team to manage the sales process while automatically providing management reports and updating your web site for property availability. "An increasing number of our customers are deploying our systems in the show home to provide better information on prospective purchasers and a better service to house purchasers" comments Malcolm Freeman, Sales and Marketing Director at SiteStream, "If you visit our web site over the next few weeks you will see new stories on how our customers are using SiteStream to gain significant efficiencies in their sales operation"

For further information contact us or email Sales@SiteStream.biz. The New Homes Marketing Board site is at www.new-homes.co.uk.

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