Practical notes on AI automation
What we are seeing across UK estate agencies, law firms and accountancy practices — where automation earns its place, and where it does not.
Two Ways to Walk Into the Office on a Monday
Sunday, 9:18pm. Someone has seen a property on Rightmove, talked it over at home and sent an enquiry. They may want a viewing. They may be asking whether the vendor will consider an offer. Either way, they’re ready to take a next step. At one branch, that enquiry is acknowledged, the applicant’s details are captured […]
The Saturday “Any News?” Call and the Answer That Helps
Saturday afternoon, just after two. The branch is open, the conveyancers are mostly unavailable, and a buyer rings with the question I heard countless times during my ten years in estate agency: “Any news?” On Friday, the buyer’s solicitor was waiting for replies to enquiries. The vendor’s solicitor had been chased. Nobody had confirmed a […]
The Saturday Call That Became Monday’s First Appointment
Saturday 14 November, mid-morning. The branch phone rings while the negotiators are out at viewings and the valuer is on the road. A homeowner has finally found a quiet moment to ask about a market appraisal. They want to move, but they are not ready to sit through a sales pitch. They just want to […]
From the Sofa to the Viewing: What a Buyer Wants on a Sunday Night
It’s Sunday, just after eight. A couple have got the children settled, opened Rightmove and found a house they can picture themselves in. They send an enquiry. They’re not asking for a sales pitch or a lengthy call. They want to know whether the property is still available, and whether they can view it around […]
Keeping Vendors Warm Without Pestering Them
On a Thursday afternoon, a homeowner tells me they are thinking about moving, but not yet. They want to see how the market looks after Christmas, and they are not ready to book a valuation. I heard versions of this every week in my ten years on the agency floor. The easy mistake is to […]
Where the Hours Actually Go: A Branch Reclaims Its Week
At 8.35 on Monday morning, a negotiator is already working through Friday’s missed calls. The valuer is trying to fit an urgent appraisal between two appointments. In the back office, the sales progressor is chasing a solicitor for an update that should have arrived before the weekend. I know that feeling. In my ten years […]
The Morning After: What a Good Handover Makes Possible
Thursday, 8.45am. The branch is waking up: kettle on, phones starting, first viewing due before nine. Yesterday at 4pm, the team sent a short digest: one buyer is ready to book, a chain has stalled over a mortgage offer, and two vendor updates still need making. So the negotiator doesn’t begin by asking, “What happened […]
What a Vendor Wants to Hear (Even When There’s No News)
Tuesday, 4.46pm. The vendor has just called to ask whether the buyer’s solicitor has replied about the searches. You’ve checked: nothing has come in. The sales progressor has already chased that morning, the buyer’s mortgage offer is in place, and the next move depends on a response neither you nor the vendor can force. I […]
They Browse Sunday Night, They View Monday
Sunday, 8.06pm. The branch is shut, the negotiators are home, and someone is scrolling through Rightmove from the sofa. They find a property they like and send an enquiry: could they view tomorrow? I remember the Monday morning version of that moment from my ten years in estate agency. The enquiry is there, but it’s […]
What an Agency Does With 20 Extra Hours
At 5.20 on a Thursday, the branch phone is still ringing. A negotiator is trying to confirm Saturday viewings, the valuer needs notes from this morning’s appointments, and a vendor has called twice for an update. Meanwhile, yesterday’s Rightmove enquiries are sitting in the CRM, waiting for someone to ring back. I know that kind […]