24/7 Lead Capture
Never miss an enquiry. AI responds to property questions instantly, any time.
Smart Qualification
AI-powered lead scoring identifies serious buyers and prioritises follow-ups.
Instant Matching
Automatically match buyers to suitable properties based on their requirements.
Automated Viewings
Let buyers schedule viewings 24/7 with automatic confirmation and reminders.
Everything your agency needs
Our AI integrates with your existing CRM and property portals to handle enquiries and automate the lead-to-viewing journey.
Works with your property tools
An AI receptionist that books the viewing while the applicant is still interested
Applicants ring estate agents when they have a moment: on the train home, at 8pm after the children are in bed, on Saturday morning between two other viewings. That is exactly when the branch is closed or every negotiator is out on a viewing. The enquiry goes to voicemail, the applicant rings the agent listing the next property along, and the instruction you worked hard to win generates a viewing for someone else.
An AI receptionist answers every call at once, in a natural British voice, and does what your best negotiator would do if they were always at the desk: books the viewing against the branch diary, takes the valuation request and the vendor’s details, qualifies the buyer or tenant with the questions you set, and sends the confirmation by text. AIEngine builds and runs it for your branch, connected to your existing number, with a person one transfer away for offers, chains and anything that needs judgement.
The phone problem in estate agency
A branch has two kinds of calls and one team for both. Applicant calls arrive in bursts after a new listing goes live on Rightmove or Zoopla, and again in the evening when people browse. Vendor and landlord calls arrive during the day and expect a negotiator, not a message. When the same three people are answering both while trying to get out to appointments, one kind of call always loses, and it is usually the applicant call, because it feels less urgent in the moment.
Missed applicant calls do not show up in any report. What shows up is a listing with fewer viewings than the vendor expected, a lettings property that took a week longer to let, and a valuation request that turned into an instruction for a competitor. Out-of-hours answering services help, but a service that can only take a name and number leaves the booking for the morning, and by the morning the applicant has often moved on.
Trading Standards expects agents to give applicants the material information about a property, and the Estate Agents Act sets the basic duties agents owe to clients. A receptionist that answers from the listing information you approve, and passes everything else to a person, keeps those obligations where they belong.
What the AI receptionist handles, call by call
These are the call types we configure for a typical sales and lettings branch. Every path follows your rules, and every call is transcribed and logged so the negotiator can see what was said.
| Call type | What the AI receptionist does |
|---|---|
| Viewing request | Identifies the property from the address or portal reference, checks the branch diary and the vendor’s viewing rules, offers slots, books the viewing and sends an SMS confirmation. Records the applicant’s details and position for the negotiator. |
| Valuation request | Captures the property address, the vendor or landlord’s details, their timescale and reason for moving, and books the valuation into a valuer’s diary. The valuer receives the summary before the appointment. |
| Applicant enquiry from a portal lead | Handles calls from applicants who found the property on Rightmove or Zoopla, answers the questions covered by the listing information you approve, and books the viewing rather than promising a callback. |
| Buyer qualification | Asks the questions you set: position (first-time buyer, sold subject to contract, nothing to sell, cash), whether a mortgage agreement in principle is in place, and timescale. Records the answers so the negotiator can prioritise. |
| Tenant enquiry | Captures move-in date, budget, household, pets and employment status, explains the referencing process in the words you approve, and books the viewing. Right to Rent and referencing checks remain with your team. |
| Maintenance report | Takes the property, the tenant’s details and a description of the problem, applies your urgency rules for emergencies such as no heating, leaks or loss of security, and logs the report for the property manager or transfers it immediately. |
| Offer or chain call | Recognises buyers making an offer, solicitors, brokers and other agents, takes the details and transfers to the negotiator or logs a callback with the summary attached. It never negotiates or confirms an offer. |
| Out of hours | Viewings and valuations continue to be booked overnight and at weekends against the diary. Emergency maintenance follows your out-of-hours protocol; everything else is waiting for the branch in the morning. |
Working with the systems your branch already uses
The receptionist sits on your existing branch number and works from the diary and listing information you already maintain.
- Rightmove and Zoopla enquiries
- Applicant calls from portal listings are answered from the approved listing information and turned into booked viewings.
- Branch diary
- Viewings and valuations booked against real negotiator and valuer availability, with the vendor’s viewing rules respected.
- Your phone system
- Answers on every ring, on overflow only, or out of hours only. No number change.
- Agency CRM
- Integration is scoped at discovery, for example with Reapit, Alto or Street, so applicants and appointments land in the system rather than in an inbox.
- SMS confirmations
- Viewing confirmations and reminders from the branch name, with the address and what to bring.
- Call recording and reporting
- Every call transcribed and searchable. Weekly reports on enquiries, viewings booked and valuations captured by property and source.
Data protection, consumer law and what the receptionist will not do
Applicant, vendor, landlord and tenant details are personal data under the UK GDPR, and reminder messages fall under PECR. All call audio, transcripts and booking data are processed and stored in UK data centres, encrypted in transit and at rest, and retained only for the period in your data processing agreement. AIEngine acts as your data processor.
The receptionist answers only from the listing and branch information you approve, so it does not invent material information and does not describe a property in terms you have not signed off. It does not negotiate, does not confirm or convey offers, does not carry out anti-money-laundering or Right to Rent checks, and does not give advice on price. Those stay with your negotiators and property managers.
- Property descriptions and answers limited to the approved listing information.
- Offers, chain updates and price conversations always passed to a person.
- Full transcript and audio of every call available to the branch.
- Reminder messages sent only where the applicant has agreed to receive them.
When a person takes over
We agree the handoff rules with the branch manager before launch. Offers, chain calls, complaints, distressed tenants, emergency maintenance, and anyone who asks for a person are transferred to your team with a written summary of the call so far. If no negotiator can take the transfer, the caller is offered a callback at a time they choose and the request is logged with a deadline.
The receptionist handles the applicant volume so your negotiators can spend their time with vendors, landlords and buyers who are ready to proceed. When a call does reach a negotiator, the qualification is already done.
How we set it up
Most branches are live within two to three weeks. You keep your branch number, your diary and your CRM.
- 1
Discovery call
We map your call types, qualification questions, viewing rules and maintenance urgency criteria with the branch manager and a senior negotiator.
- 2
Scripts and listing information
We write the conversation flows and agree how the receptionist reads from your approved listing information.
- 3
Integration
We connect the receptionist to your phone system and diary, scope CRM integration, and sign the data processing agreement.
- 4
Test calls
Your team rings the test line as applicants, vendors, tenants and awkward callers until every path works.
- 5
Soft launch and tuning
The receptionist starts on overflow or out of hours, then takes the front line. We review transcripts with you weekly for the first month.
Frequently asked questions
How is the service priced for an estate agency?
We quote a flat monthly fee per site after the discovery call, so a busy week never costs more. The fee depends on your call volumes, the integrations you need and how many sites you run, and it always includes setup, integration, script writing, staff training and ongoing changes to your scripts. There are no per-call or per-minute charges. Call 07340 891928 or email contact@aiengineltd.com for a quote.
Can it book viewings and valuations directly?
Yes. It checks the branch diary and the vendor’s viewing rules, offers available slots, books the appointment and sends an SMS confirmation. Valuation requests are booked into a valuer’s diary with the vendor’s details and timescale attached.
Does it handle Rightmove and Zoopla enquiries?
It answers calls from applicants who found the property on Rightmove or Zoopla, using the listing information you approve, and books the viewing on the spot. Written portal leads can be followed up by phone where you want that.
How does it qualify buyers and tenants?
It asks the questions you set. For buyers that is typically position, whether a mortgage agreement in principle is in place, and timescale. For tenants it is move-in date, budget, household, pets and employment. The answers are recorded so negotiators can prioritise, and referencing and Right to Rent checks stay with your team.
What happens with offers and chain calls?
The receptionist never negotiates or confirms an offer. It takes the details and transfers the call to the negotiator, or logs a callback with the summary attached if nobody is free.
Can it take maintenance calls for lettings?
Yes. It records the property, the tenant and the problem, applies your urgency rules so that emergencies such as leaks or loss of heating are transferred straight away, and logs everything else for the property manager.
Is it UK GDPR compliant?
Call audio, transcripts and booking data are stored in UK data centres and processed under a written data processing agreement with AIEngine as your processor. Reminder messages are sent only where the applicant has agreed to receive them, in line with PECR.
How quickly can it be live in my branch?
Most branches are live within two to three weeks: discovery and scripts in the first week, phone and diary integration in the second, then a soft launch on overflow or out of hours before the receptionist takes front-line calls.