At Callaways we have long held the view that people are definitely a company’s greatest asset, says managing director Julie Healy.

“It doesn’t make any difference whether the service is estate agency or conveyancing, a company is only as good as the people it keeps.

“We were therefore delighted that James Duffy from our Hove branch was shortlisted in the Estate and Letting Agent Awards 2014 (ESTAS) in their category for Branch Manager of the Year. This new and coveted award attracted scores of entrants from both large corporates as well as multi and single branches across the UK. So to be in the final line-up against such fierce competition is testament to our staff training and development programmes.”

James said: “Reaching the ESTAS shortlist was a real high – this award is purely based on client satisfaction and customer feedback... so to be recognized for my customer services by those I deal with regularly is a massive compliment.”

Callaways also recently won Best Real Estate Agent, East Sussex at the recent UK Property Awards and Julie explained why they annually enter these awards and put their products and services under the scrutiny of other property professionals.

“We think it’s in our customers’ interest that we enter as we believe that annually reviewing our award submission raises our game.

“The award platforms present an open playing field and we have to make sure that we keep up-to-date with innovation and best practice within the estate agency sector.

“This can mean embracing social media as a route to market, making available the latest app, and being up-to-date with any legal changes, which is all good news for our customers.

“We use the award ribbons as part of our marketing collateral and the buying public do like the fact that the company has been endorsed by well-known brands including the Sunday Times, Zoopla, Rolls Royce and Google to name a few, and we have evidence that this has positively influenced our Vendors’ and Landlords’ decision making process.

“It also means so much to us to know that James has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to our customers and his team. We take our customer service very seriously because we know customers have a choice – and they are the lifeblood of our business.”