What Are Engagements and How Do They Work?

Engagements are the core concept in Propel - every conversation with a prospect is an engagement. Understanding engagements helps you track conversations, manage your pipeline, and see how Propel is working with your prospects. This guide explains what engagements are, how they work, and how to use them effectively.

What Are Engagements?

An engagement in Propel represents a conversation thread with a prospect. Every time someone emails you (or you email them), Propel creates or updates an engagement to track that conversation.

Key Points:

• One engagement per conversation thread - Each email thread is one engagement
• Linked to contacts - Engagements are connected to the contact who's communicating
• Tracks all messages - Every message in the conversation is part of the engagement
• Pipeline tracking - Engagements show where prospects are in your process

Use Case Examples:

• Property Management: A prospect emails about a rental listing → Engagement created, tracks all messages about that inquiry
• Real Estate: A buyer inquires about a property → Engagement tracks the conversation through showing scheduling, questions, and follow-ups
• Short-Term Rentals: A guest sends a booking inquiry → Engagement tracks the booking conversation and any follow-up questions

What Information Do Engagements Show?

When you view an engagement, you'll see:

• Contact information - Who you're communicating with
• Conversation history - All messages in the thread, organized chronologically
• Status - Current state of the conversation (open, awaiting reply, completed, etc.)
• Pipeline stage - Where the prospect is in your process (inquiry, viewing, application, etc.)
• Related items - Any listings, bookings, or follow-ups connected to this conversation
• Activity timeline - When messages were sent and received

Engagement Status

Engagements have different statuses that indicate the current state of the conversation:

Open

The conversation is active and ongoing. Propel is actively managing this engagement.

• Active conversations - Prospects who are currently engaged
• Awaiting responses - Propel has sent a message and is waiting for a reply
• In progress - Conversations that are moving through your pipeline

Awaiting Reply

Propel has sent a message and is waiting for the prospect to respond.

• Follow-up scheduled - Propel will follow up if no response is received
• Still active - The engagement remains open
• Time tracking - Propel tracks how long since the last message

Completed

The conversation has reached a conclusion.

• Successful outcomes - Prospect booked a tour, submitted an application, or made an offer
• Resolved inquiries - Questions were answered and the conversation concluded
• Closed deals - For real estate, when a sale is completed

Dropped

The conversation ended without a successful outcome.

• No response - Prospect stopped replying after multiple follow-ups
• Not interested - Prospect indicated they're no longer interested
• Cancelled - Prospect cancelled a booking or withdrew interest

No Response

The prospect hasn't responded to Propel's messages.

• Initial outreach - Propel sent a message but hasn't received a reply yet
• Follow-up needed - Propel will follow up based on your rules
• May become dropped - If no response after multiple follow-ups

Engagement Stages

Stages show where prospects are in your pipeline. As conversations progress, Propel automatically updates the stage to reflect the current state of the engagement.

Common stages you'll see include:

• Inquiry - Initial contact from a prospect
• Viewing/Tour - A tour, showing, or viewing has been scheduled
• Application - The prospect has requested or submitted an application
• General - General conversation or inquiry

Stages vary slightly depending on your use case (property management, real estate, short-term rentals), but they all help you track where each prospect is in your process. Stages update automatically as Propel processes conversations and identifies intent.

Viewing Engagements

The Engagements page shows all conversations Propel is managing.

Accessing the Engagements Page

1. Navigate to Engagements from the sidebar
2. You'll see a list of all engagements organized by most recent activity

Understanding the Engagements View

The Engagements page displays:

• Contact information - Name and email of the person you're communicating with
• Status - Current engagement status (open, awaiting reply, completed, etc.)
• Stage - Pipeline stage (inquiry, viewing, application, etc.)
• Message count - Total messages exchanged
• Last activity - When the last message was sent or received
• Channel - Communication channel (email, chat, SMS, phone)

Real-Time Updates

The Engagements page updates automatically:

• New engagements appear - When new emails arrive, engagements are created immediately
• Status updates - Status changes reflect automatically as conversations progress
• Message counts update - As Propel sends responses, message counts update in real-time
• No refresh needed - Changes appear automatically without page refresh

Filtering and Searching Engagements

Use filters to focus on specific types of engagements.

Filtering by Status

Filter engagements by their current status:

• Open - Active conversations Propel is managing
• Awaiting Reply - Conversations waiting for prospect responses
• Completed - Successfully concluded conversations
• Dropped - Conversations that ended without success
• No Response - Engagements where prospects haven't replied

Filtering by Stage

Filter by pipeline stage to see where prospects are in your process. Common stages include inquiry, viewing, application, and others depending on your use case.

Filtering by Approval Status

If approvals are enabled, filter by approval status:

• Pending - Responses waiting for your approval
• Approved - Responses you've approved
• Rejected - Responses you've rejected

Filtering by Handoff

Filter to see engagements that were handed off:

• Handed off - Conversations assigned to team members
• Not handed off - Conversations still managed by Propel

Searching Engagements

Use the search bar to find specific engagements:

• Search by contact name - Find engagements with specific contacts
• Search by email - Find engagements by contact email address
• Search by content - Search within message content (if available)

Tip: Combine filters and search to quickly find the engagements you need.

Viewing Engagement Details

Click any engagement row to view the full conversation thread.

Engagement Detail View

The engagement detail view shows:

Conversation Thread

• All messages - Complete message history in chronological order
• Message direction - Clear indicators for inbound (from prospect) and outbound (from Propel)
• Message timestamps - When each message was sent or received
• Message content - Full text of all messages

Engagement Information

• Status - Current engagement status
• Stage - Pipeline stage
• Contact details - Link to contact profile
• Tags - Custom tags for categorization
• Notes - Internal notes about the engagement

Related Information

• Linked listings - Properties discussed in the conversation
• Bookings - Tours, showings, or reservations related to this engagement
• Follow-up schedule - When the next follow-up is scheduled

Navigating from Engagement Details

From the engagement detail page, you can:

• View contact profile - Click the contact name to see their complete profile
• View listing details - Click linked listings to see property information
• View booking details - Click bookings to see tour or showing information
• Return to engagements list - Use the back button or breadcrumb navigation

How Engagements Are Created

Propel automatically creates engagements when:

• A new email arrives - When someone emails you, Propel creates a new engagement or adds the message to an existing conversation thread
• You send a message - If you reply to an email or start a conversation, Propel tracks it as an engagement
• Propel sends a follow-up - When Propel sends automated follow-ups, they're tracked within the engagement

Each email thread becomes one engagement, so all messages in a conversation are grouped together. If someone replies to an existing conversation, Propel adds the new message to that engagement rather than creating a duplicate.

How Engagements Progress

Engagements move through your pipeline as conversations develop:

1. New conversation starts - A prospect reaches out, and Propel creates an engagement
2. Propel responds - Propel generates and sends appropriate responses based on the inquiry
3. Stage updates - As the conversation progresses, the stage updates (e.g., from inquiry to viewing to application)
4. Follow-ups scheduled - If needed, Propel schedules follow-up messages based on your rules
5. Conversation concludes - The engagement reaches a final status (completed, dropped, or no response)

Throughout this process, you can monitor the engagement to see how Propel is handling the conversation and where the prospect is in your pipeline.

Engagement Best Practices

Monitor Active Engagements Regularly

Check the Engagements page regularly to:

• See Propel in action - Watch how Propel handles conversations
• Identify issues early - Catch problems before they escalate
• Review response quality - Ensure Propel is responding appropriately
• Track pipeline progress - See where prospects are in your process

Use Filters to Focus

Use filters to focus on what matters:

• Filter by stage - Focus on prospects in specific pipeline stages
• Filter by status - Check on open conversations that need attention
• Filter by approval - Review pending approvals if enabled
• Combine filters - Use multiple filters to find specific engagements

Review Engagement Details

Click into engagements to:

• Understand context - Read the full conversation to understand what's happening
• Verify accuracy - Ensure Propel is handling conversations correctly
• Add notes - Add internal notes for team members
• Track progress - See how conversations are progressing

Use Search Effectively

Search helps you find specific engagements quickly:

• Find by contact - Search for engagements with specific contacts
• Find by property - Search for conversations about specific listings
• Find recent activity - Use search to locate recent conversations

Troubleshooting

Engagement Not Appearing

If you expect an engagement but don't see it:

1. Check filters - Ensure filters aren't hiding the engagement
2. Verify email processing - Ensure the email was processed by Propel
3. Check mailbox settings - Verify the mailbox is enabled and processing emails
4. Review response rules - Rules might be preventing engagement creation

Engagement Status Not Updating

If engagement status seems incorrect:

1. Wait for processing - Status updates may take a few moments
2. Refresh the page - Sometimes a refresh resolves display issues
3. Check message activity - Verify messages are being sent and received
4. Review stage progression - Ensure stages are updating as conversations progress

Missing Messages

If messages are missing from an engagement:

1. Check message processing - Ensure messages are being processed correctly
2. Verify email account connection - Ensure your email account is still connected
3. Review mailbox settings - Check that the mailbox is monitoring the correct folder
4. Contact support - If messages are consistently missing, contact support

Next Steps

Now that you understand engagements:

• Manage contacts to see how contacts relate to engagements
• Manage listings to ensure Propel has accurate property information
• Monitor conversations to see engagements in action
• Set up follow-ups to automate engagement management

Related Articles

• Managing Contacts - Learn how contacts are created and managed
• Managing Listings - Add and manage property listings
• Managing Follow-ups - Understand the follow-up system
• Monitoring and Reviewing Conversations - See how Propel processes engagements
• Booking Tours and Viewings - Learn how bookings relate to engagements