Getting Started

Welcome to Propel! This guide will help you get started with your AI assistant for property management and real estate.

What is Propel?

Propel is an AI-powered assistant that automates prospect engagement for property professionals. Whether you manage rental properties, work as a real estate agent, host short-term rentals, or handle commercial real estate, Propel helps you:

• Respond instantly to every inquiry, 24/7, from any channel
• Qualify prospects automatically so you only spend time on serious leads
• Book tours and showings automatically based on your availability (rental tours for property managers, buyer showings for real estate agents)
• Follow up consistently so nothing falls through the cracks
• Organize your pipeline automatically from conversations and documents

Quick Start Guide

Follow these steps to get Propel up and running:

Step 1: Integrate with Your Mailbox

First, connect your email provider (Gmail or Microsoft 365/Outlook) to Propel.

1. Navigate to Settings > Integrations
2. Click "Connect" for either Google or Microsoft
3. Follow the authentication steps to authorize Propel
4. Grant the necessary permissions for email and calendar access

For detailed setup instructions, see our Email Provider Setup guides.

Step 2: Set Up Your Mailbox

Once your email provider is connected, create a mailbox that Propel will monitor.

1. Navigate to Settings > Mailboxes
2. Click "Create Mailbox" or "Add Mailbox"
3. Select the connected email account
4. Choose which inboxes or folders Propel should monitor
5. Give your mailbox a name (e.g., "Leasing Inbox" or "Buyer Leads")

Propel will now monitor this mailbox for new inquiries and conversations.

Step 3: Configure Mailbox Settings

Customize how your AI agent behaves when responding to prospects.

1. Open your mailbox from Settings > Mailboxes
2. Configure the following settings:
   • Agent Name: How the agent signs messages (e.g., "Property Assistant" or "Sales Team")
   • Response Rules: Define when to respond, ignore, or hand off
   • Approvals: Enable if you want to review responses before sending
   • Agent Capabilities: Enable/disable booking and research features
   • Handoffs: Set up automatic handoff to team members when needed
   • Email Disclaimer: Add disclaimers if required for compliance

These settings control how Propel interacts with prospects on your behalf.

Step 4: Add Data Source to Import Listings

Connect your property data so Propel can answer questions accurately.

1. Navigate to Settings > Data Sources
2. Connect a data source:
   • Google Drive: For property spreadsheets or documents
   • OneDrive: For Microsoft-based property data
   • Dropbox: For cloud-stored property information
3. Propel will automatically extract and organize your listings

Alternatively, you can manually add listings by going to Listings and clicking "Add Listing".

Step 5: Configure Rules to Customize Responses

Set up rules that define when and how Propel should respond.

1. Navigate to Settings > Rules
2. Create rules for different scenarios:
   • Response triggers: When to automatically respond
   • Approval requirements: When human review is needed
   • Handoff conditions: When to escalate to your team
   • Custom workflows: Property management or real estate-specific logic
3. Test your rules to ensure they work as expected

Rules give you fine-grained control over Propel's automation while maintaining quality and compliance.

Step 6: Turn It On and Watch It Handle Leads

Activate your mailbox and let Propel start working.

1. Go to Settings > Mailboxes
2. Toggle your mailbox to Enabled
3. Propel will immediately start monitoring for new inquiries
4. Watch the Engagements page to see conversations in real-time
5. Review responses in the Dashboard to ensure everything looks good

Propel will now automatically:

• Respond to new inquiries within minutes
• Answer questions about your properties
• Qualify prospects based on your criteria
• Book tours or showings when requested
• Follow up with prospects who don't respond

Best Practices

1. Start with approvals enabled: Review the first few responses to ensure quality
2. Monitor initially: Keep an eye on conversations for the first few days
3. Iterate on rules: Adjust your configuration based on what you learn
4. Scale gradually: Once comfortable, let Propel handle more inquiries automatically
5. Keep listings updated: Ensure your property data is current for accurate responses

Use Case Specific Guides

• Property Management: See Property Management Workflow for rental-specific guidance
• Real Estate: See Real Estate Agent Workflow for buyer/seller lead management
• Short-Term Rentals: See Short-Term Rental Workflow for booking management

Next Steps

• Learn about managing contacts
• Understand approval workflows
• Explore automation rules
• Set up team collaboration

Need Help?

If you have any questions, reach out to our support team at partners@propelhq.io.