Most agencies don’t need more software. They need the enquiries, follow-ups and reports they already handle to stop depending on someone remembering.
Here’s the order we’d tackle it in, starting with the part that can cost you listings.
1. Answer every appraisal request straight away
An owner asking for an appraisal may be talking to more than one agency, so the first reply matters. A request that sits unanswered over a weekend is a request at risk.
Set your website’s appraisal form to send an instant reply in your agency’s name. It takes the pressure off your team, and the owner knows they’ve been heard. A good reply includes:
- a thank-you and who will be in touch
- when they can expect to hear from you
- what to have ready, such as the address and the best time to call
- a link to the agent’s profile or recent results on your website
2. Send each enquiry to the right person
Route enquiries by suburb, listing or type, so the right agent sees each one first, with the details attached and nothing re-typed.
Keep a shared list as the back-up, so nothing goes missing when someone is on leave or in an inspection.
3. Make follow-ups automatic, not optional
Follow-ups after inspections, open homes and appraisals are where most agencies lose ground, because they rely on memory at the busiest times.
Automatic reminders and templated emails fix that without losing the personal touch: the system prompts, and the agent reviews and personalises before anything is sent. Add longer-term reminders for “not ready yet” prospects, so they hear from you before they hear from someone else.
4. Let the weekly report build itself
If someone spends Monday morning copying numbers into a spreadsheet, that report can usually run itself from the data you already collect.
Enquiries, appraisals and listings by agent can arrive in your inbox every Monday, where your CRM or listing platform allows it, so meetings start with the numbers instead of collecting them.
What not to automate
Pricing conversations, negotiations and anything where a client expects a person should stay personal. Automation should handle the routine so your agents have more time for those conversations, not fewer.
If you use AI to draft listing copy or replies, treat it as a first draft that a person always checks before it goes out.
How to start without disrupting the office
Change one thing at a time. Start with the appraisal reply, then routing, then follow-ups, then reporting. Each step is small enough to settle in before the next.
Before adding anything new, check what your CRM can already do. Agencies often have features they pay for that nobody has switched on.