"In the month of April, we added more new customers than in the first eight years of the company." COVID-19 fast-tracked virtual viewings. Now they're here to stay says Matterport's RJ Pittman
On this week's episode of Tech Talk Radio Emily Wright is joined by RJ Pittman and James Morris-Manuel, chief executive and EMEA MD of spatial data capture company Matterport. The duo talk about the impact COVID-19 has had on the business and the wider real estate sector as social distancing restrictions and global lockdowns have seen a surge in interest for virtual property viewings. "In the month of April alone we added more new customers than in the first eight years of the business," says Pittman, adding that the company had already built up a significant global customer base before the pandemic hit. The trend towards virtual viewings was already picking up, he adds, particularly towards the end of 2019 and so Matterport was prepared for the sudden increase in demand. The company also rushed out Matterport for iPhone app to respond to the current situation. Tune in to hear more about the launch of the app, how they are handling swathes of new customers and how they are dealing with the team's collective mental health in such strange times. Also on this week's episode, Wright is joined by Nadia Elghamry, senior product manager at EG. She offers her thoughts on the virtual viewings trend backing up Pittman's predictions that it is here to stay. She adds that while COVID-19 might have been a catalyst for growth, virtual viewings were something clients were expecting as standard before the pandemic and that the trend has now simply been fast-tracked.