Why enquiries go cold
Enquiries arrive when buyers and renters browse: evenings, weekends, lunch breaks. That's when agents are showing homes, driving between viewings or off for the day. An enquiry answered the next morning is often one a competitor answered the night before.
Most first messages are simple questions with answers in your listings. An AI agent can answer them straight away and keep the conversation going until a person is free.
What buyers and renters ask
- Is the 3-bedroom on Elm Road still available?
- What's the asking price, and what are the monthly fees?
- Are pets allowed? Is there parking?
- Can I view it this weekend?
- Do you have anything under 800k in this area?
- How long is the lease, and what's the deposit?
Keep listings current
A wrong “yes, it's available” costs more than no answer. Choose how the agent learns your listings by how often they change:
| Source | How it stays current | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Your website's listing pages | Read again on a schedule, such as daily | Agencies whose website is kept up to date |
| Brochures and price sheets | Replace the file when it changes | New developments and fixed details |
| A live database | Read at the moment of the question | Availability and prices that change through the day |
Whatever the source, tell the agent to say so when a listing isn't in its information rather than guess, and to offer to check with the team.
Qualify without interrogating
Answer the question first, then ask once for what helps your agents follow up. A lead with context is worth far more than a phone number alone:
- Buying or renting, and when they want to move.
- Budget and the areas they're looking in.
- Bedrooms, or anything they can't do without.
- A name and a way to reach them.
Keep it to one question, and carry on helping if they'd rather not say. How to capture leads from website and WhatsApp chats
Book viewings in the chat
Offer a few real open times to tap, book the one they pick and confirm it in the same chat. Leave a gap between viewings for travel, set a minimum notice so nobody books a viewing an hour away, and connect the calendar your agents already use so their own appointments are never offered. How to let customers book appointments in a chat
Hand serious buyers to an agent
- An offer, or questions about negotiating.
- Mortgage, legal or survey questions: point them to a professional rather than answer.
- A buyer asking for a person, or unhappy about something.
- Anything the listing information doesn't cover.
WhatsApp's policy asks businesses using automated replies to offer a prompt, clear way to reach a person. Hand the chat over with the whole conversation, so the buyer never repeats themselves. WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy
New-listing alerts and the rules
Telling past enquirers about a new listing that matches what they wanted is a good use of WhatsApp, with their permission. Meta requires opt-in before you message people on WhatsApp, stating your business's name and that they're agreeing to hear from you. Such alerts go out as marketing template messages. Meta: getting opt-in
Replies are different: for 24 hours after a buyer's last message you can answer freely. Meta: customer service windows
Keep answers about the property, not the people. Describe homes and areas by facts such as transport, schools and amenities, never by who they would or wouldn't suit; housing rules in many countries cover how listings are described.
Setting it up in HeyKiko
- Step 1
Teach it your listings
Import your listing pages and choose how often to read them again, add brochures as files, or connect a read-only MySQL or MariaDB database for live availability.
- Step 2
Choose what to ask
Your lead fields, such as budget, area and moving date. Kiko asks once, after helping.
- Step 3
Set up viewings
A viewing appointment type, your hours, gaps between viewings and notice, and Google Calendar for busy times.
- Step 4
Bring in your agents
Chats that need a person go to the shared inbox, where any agent can reply and take a chat over.
Sources
Checked on 5 November 2026. We make HeyKiko, which this guide uses as its example.
