From 30 Clicks to Zero: How Alto Is Rebuilding the Estate Agency CRM for the AI Age
Thu Feb 05 2026
This episode is a proper deep dive into the engine room of estate agency software.
My guest is Riccardo Dawson, CEO of Alto Software Group, the platform powering over a third of the UK property market. But this isn’t a corporate victory lap. It’s an honest, behind-the-scenes look at what really happens when you take over a complex SaaS business, strip it back to fundamentals, and rebuild it for the future.
We talk about:
What it actually takes to turn around a large PropTech business without breaking customer trust
Why Alto deliberately went “back to core” before chasing shiny new features
The concept of “jobs to be done” and why most CRMs quietly fail agents every day
How AI should removeadmin, not just repackage it
The uncomfortable ethics of AI in lettings, tenant scoring, and automated decision-making
Why some AI features are just hype, and which ones will genuinely change how agencies operate
What the estate agent of the next five years will really be managing (hint: it’s not dashboards)
Riccardo also shares his non-linear career journey, from architecture and fashion startups to founding Yourkeys, selling to Zoopla, and ultimately leading one of the most influential software platforms in UK property.
If you’ve ever complained about your CRM, felt overwhelmed by AI noise, or wondered what’s actually coming next for estate agencies, this episode will make you think very differently about where the industry is heading.
This conversation is grounded, practical, occasionally uncomfortable, and absolutely essential listening for agency owners who want to stay relevant rather than reactive.
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This episode is a proper deep dive into the engine room of estate agency software. My guest is Riccardo Dawson, CEO of Alto Software Group, the platform powering over a third of the UK property market. But this isn’t a corporate victory lap. It’s an honest, behind-the-scenes look at what really happens when you take over a complex SaaS business, strip it back to fundamentals, and rebuild it for the future. We talk about: What it actually takes to turn around a large PropTech business without breaking customer trust Why Alto deliberately went “back to core” before chasing shiny new features The concept of “jobs to be done” and why most CRMs quietly fail agents every day How AI should removeadmin, not just repackage it The uncomfortable ethics of AI in lettings, tenant scoring, and automated decision-making Why some AI features are just hype, and which ones will genuinely change how agencies operate What the estate agent of the next five years will really be managing (hint: it’s not dashboards) Riccardo also shares his non-linear career journey, from architecture and fashion startups to founding Yourkeys, selling to Zoopla, and ultimately leading one of the most influential software platforms in UK property. If you’ve ever complained about your CRM, felt overwhelmed by AI noise, or wondered what’s actually coming next for estate agencies, this episode will make you think very differently about where the industry is heading. This conversation is grounded, practical, occasionally uncomfortable, and absolutely essential listening for agency owners who want to stay relevant rather than reactive.