Estate agency automation: every enquiry in one queue, every follow-up on a rule
Estate agency automation is a set of workflows that collects enquiries from portals, WhatsApp, Instagram and the website in one queue. Each enquiry is assigned to an agent, and follow-up runs on a written rule. New listings are matched against applicants' saved criteria. Descriptions and brochures are drafted from the property record and wait for approval. Old contact archives move across with a raw backup. We work from Rotterdam and Istanbul. Discovery takes one week; the first live workflow opens within four to eight weeks.
A Dutch makelaar gets enquiries through Funda. A UK estate agent gets them through Rightmove and Zoopla. Both also receive WhatsApp and Instagram messages, calls and website forms. Each channel lands somewhere different. The portal enquiry sits in a shared inbox. The WhatsApp message sits on one negotiator's phone. The Instagram message sits in an app nobody else opens. On Monday the branch manager asks who is handling which applicant. Nobody can answer from one screen. The problem is not the agents' care. It is enquiries spread across channels.
For Kali, a team of five agents in Zekeriyakoy and Sariyer, Istanbul, we put the portfolio, client records and incoming enquiries into one panel. What we measured there was simple. Clients read the listing page, then wrote on Instagram or WhatsApp instead of filling in the form. The form stayed empty while the inbox filled up. So the first job of estate agency automation is to connect the message channels to one queue. When a listing link is shared in a conversation, that conversation is attached to the property record. The agent opens one screen in the morning.
The second job is follow-up. Each enquiry is assigned to an agent by a rule written during discovery. If nobody replies within the set time, the enquiry moves to the top and its owner is notified. An applicant's area, budget and number of bedrooms sit in separate fields. When a new listing comes in, matching applicants appear as a list for the agent. The agent decides who hears about it. Descriptions and brochures are drafted from the same record, so floor area and price are never retyped. Nothing is published or sent until an agent approves it.
The third job is keeping the history. For Mujgan Simsek, 2,887 contacts from a Keller Williams archive moved to a new system in a single pass, with zero errors. A raw backup comes first, and an independent read checks the result. Client records are personal data under GDPR, so the fields you keep are agreed in discovery. Each month you see enquiries per channel, reply times and idle records. Below are the scope, the process and the questions agencies ask most. We work from Rotterdam and Istanbul. Pricing follows the discovery call, once the scope is clear.
What goes wrong today
- 01
Enquiries stay on one agent's phone
A client messages an agent on their personal WhatsApp. The conversation stays on that phone and never reaches the agency's records. When the agent is on leave or moves on, the history goes too. Later nobody can tell which property the client wanted.
- 02
One applicant, two records
The same person writes about one listing on Instagram and about another on WhatsApp. Two agents reply, and the applicant ends up as two separate records. Nobody knows who owns the follow-up. The applicant is called twice, or not at all.
- 03
Follow-up depends on memory
Once the first reply goes out, the next step lives in the agent's head. In a busy week the callback slips by a few days. Meanwhile the applicant books viewings with another agency. No screen shows which enquiries are still waiting for an answer.
- 04
New listings miss the right applicants
A new property comes onto the books. An applicant asked for exactly that months ago, but the criteria sit in a notebook or a chat. The listing goes live on the portal and nobody tells them. Matching depends on one person's memory.
- 05
Descriptions and brochures start from scratch
Every listing description is written again, and each brochure is copied over an old file. A floor area or price from the last property slips into the new one. The mistake often shows only when a buyer asks. The tone changes from agent to agent.
- 06
The archive is stuck in the old system
The agency wants to switch software, but years of contacts sit in the old platform. Cleaning them by hand takes weeks and risks losing records. So the move keeps getting postponed. The team goes on working across two systems at once.
Scope of the build
Portal, WhatsApp and Instagram in one queue
WhatsApp and Instagram business accounts, the website form and the office inbox connect to one queue. Portal enquiries arriving by email from Funda, Rightmove or Zoopla join it too. Each enquiry is logged on arrival in a client record. A shared listing link attaches the conversation to that property.
Assignment and follow-up reminders
Each enquiry goes to an agent under a rule written in discovery. The rule can follow area, property type or a rota. An enquiry without a reply in the set time moves to the top, and its owner is notified. Idle records are flagged on the branch manager's screen.
Matching listings to applicants
Each applicant's search sits in separate fields: area, budget, bedrooms and property type. When a new listing comes in, the applicants whose criteria fit appear as a list for the agent. The reason for each match is shown next to it. The agent decides who is contacted and when.
One client record
Enquiries from the form, WhatsApp and Instagram build up in the same client record. Required fields are defined, and incomplete records stay flagged. Duplicates are merged under a matching rule, and the history is kept. One applicant no longer appears as two rows under two agents.
Draft descriptions and brochures
Listing descriptions and brochures are drafted from the agency's templates. Floor area, price, bedrooms and location are read from the property record, not retyped. A field missing from the record is left blank and flagged; nothing is guessed. Drafts wait in an approval queue until an agent signs them off.
Archive migration
Contacts in the old platform or in spreadsheets move to the new system. A raw backup is taken first. Records are matched on phone number, and filled fields are never overwritten. Records that are not clients are flagged and set aside, not deleted. An independent read then checks the result.
Monthly report
Each month the report shows enquiries per channel, average reply time, unanswered enquiries, records per stage and idle records. You see which channel brings enquiries and at which stage they wait. When a rule changes, its effect shows up in the next report.
How the build runs
- 01
Discovery (1 week)
We map where enquiries come from today, who replies and where the portfolio is kept. The assignment rule, approval rights and the archive to migrate are agreed.
- 02
Build
WhatsApp, Instagram, the form and the office inbox connect to one queue. Client records and the portfolio sit together; matching fields and listing templates are set up.
- 03
Migration and trial
The old archive moves across with a raw backup and is checked. Agents test the flow on real enquiries. WhatsApp templates go to Meta for approval.
- 04
Live workflow and monthly report
The first live workflow opens within four to eight weeks. After the first month, enquiries per channel, reply times and idle records are reported.
Estate agency automation
- One enquiry queue for WhatsApp, Instagram, the website form and email
- Rule-based assignment to agents and alerts for waiting enquiries
- Applicant criteria fields and a match list for every new listing
- One client record, required fields and duplicate merging
- Draft descriptions and brochures with an approval queue
- Archive migration with a raw backup and an independent check
- Monthly report on channels, reply times and idle records
Pricing is given after the discovery call, once the scope is clear.
For five property agents in Zekeriyakoy and Sariyer, Istanbul, the portfolio, client records and incoming enquiries now sit in one panel. Clients were not filling in forms; they wrote on Instagram and WhatsApp. Both channels were connected to the same panel.
Read the caseProducts used in this build
CRM and customer management
The customer record gathers in one place: duplicates merge, required fields are defined, the report comes out on its own.
Request handling
Requests from five channels collect in one list, the draft reply arrives ready, and the decision to send stays with you.
WhatsApp Business integration
Notifications, order tracking and customer conversations gather in the business account; the history stays with the company.
Document and report generation
Proposals, contracts, listing copy and monthly reports are produced from your template, with your data.
Terms used on this page
- One queue
- One queue is the screen that collects enquiries from portals, WhatsApp, Instagram, the website form and email, each with its client record.
- Enquiry assignment
- Enquiry assignment is the step that gives each new enquiry to an agent by written rule and flags it when the reply is late.
- Applicant matching
- Applicant matching is the process that checks a new listing against applicants' area, budget and bedroom criteria and lists those who fit.
- Approval queue
- An approval queue is the list where draft descriptions, brochures and replies wait for an agent's approval before anything goes out.
- Archive migration
- Archive migration is the process that moves contacts from an old platform or spreadsheets to a new system, backed up and then checked.
estate agency automationFrequently asked questions
It covers collecting, assigning and following up enquiries. Messages from portals, WhatsApp, Instagram and the website land in one queue. Each goes to an agent by rule, and waiting enquiries are flagged. New listings are matched to applicants' criteria. Descriptions and brochures are drafted for approval. Every decision stays with an agent.
Not in the default set-up. Replies to common questions are drafted and wait in an approval queue, and an agent decides what is sent. If you want automatic sending for set cases, it can be switched on. The rule behind each message is then logged. Descriptions and brochures also need an agent's approval.
The agency works from one WhatsApp Business number. Several agents reply from it, and the conversation history stays with the agency. An existing office number can be moved across; it then leaves the personal WhatsApp app. When an agent leaves, the client's conversation history stays in the record.
No. WhatsApp Business has a 24-hour rule. Within 24 hours of the client's last message you can reply freely. After that, only a template approved by Meta can be sent, and approval usually takes a few days. Bulk messages go only to contacts with explicit marketing consent.
Each applicant's area, budget, bedrooms and property type sit in separate fields. When a new listing comes in, applicants whose criteria fit are listed on the agent's screen. The reason for each match is shown. The agent decides who is contacted. The system does not send listings to anyone by itself.
Yes. A raw backup is taken first. Records are matched on phone number, and filled fields are never overwritten. Records that are not clients are flagged, not deleted. An independent read checks the result. For Mujgan Simsek, 2,887 contacts from a Keller Williams archive moved across in one pass with zero errors.
Client records and messages are personal data under GDPR, and under UK GDPR for British agencies. Which fields are kept, and why, is agreed with you in discovery. Bulk messages go only to contacts with explicit consent. Records and conversation history stay in the agency's own accounts. Conversations are not used to train models.
Discovery takes one week; channels, the assignment rule, approval rights and the archive are mapped. The first live workflow opens within four to eight weeks. The time depends on the number of agents, the size of the archive and WhatsApp template approval. Your own timeline is written into the discovery report.
The process first, the proposal after
In a short discovery call we map the process together and tell you plainly whether it is worth automating. If it is not, we say that too.
30 minutes · no preparation needed
