How Do I Create Property Agents and Assign Them to Listings?

Property agents in Propel represent the people who handle specific properties or listings. By creating agents and assigning them to listings, you enable Propel to personalize responses, route inquiries correctly, and ensure prospects communicate with the right person. This guide explains how to create and manage property agents.

What Are Property Agents?

Property agents are people who handle specific properties or listings. They can be:

• Leasing agents - Handle rental inquiries for specific properties
• Real estate agents - Manage buyer inquiries for properties for sale
• Property managers - Oversee specific rental properties
• Listing coordinators - Handle inquiries for assigned listings

Key Points:

• Linked to listings - Agents are assigned to specific properties
• Personalized responses - Propel can reference the agent in responses
• Contact information - Agents have names, emails, and phone numbers
• User account association - Agents can be linked to Propel user accounts (team members)
• Availability management - Agents can mark themselves unavailable with fallback support

Use Case Examples:

• Property Management: Create agents for each leasing agent, assign them to their properties
• Real Estate: Set up buyer's agents and assign them to listings they're representing
• Short-Term Rentals: Create agents for property managers handling specific vacation rentals
• Commercial Real Estate: Assign agents to territories or asset types

Understanding Agent Types

User-Linked Agents

Agents can be linked to Propel user accounts (team members):

• Automatic creation - When you enable "Agent" status for a team member, an agent record is created
• Self-management - User-linked agents can manage their own availability
• Permissions - Agents can view and manage their assigned listings
• Team integration - Seamlessly integrates with team management

Standalone Agents

Agents can also be created without user accounts:

• External agents - People who aren't Propel users but handle properties
• Legacy support - Existing agents that haven't been linked to users yet
• Flexible setup - Useful when agents don't need Propel access

Note: Both types work the same way for listing assignments and responses.

Creating Property Agents

Method 1: From Team Members (Recommended)

The easiest way to create agents is from your team management page:

1. Go to Settings > Team
2. Find the team member you want to make an agent
3. Toggle the "Agent" switch to ON
4. An agent record is created automatically with their user information

Benefits:

• Automatically uses team member's email and name
• Links agent to user account for self-management
• Quick setup for existing team members

Method 2: From Property Agents Page

You can also create agents directly:

1. Navigate to Settings > Property Agents (or Agents in some organizations)
2. Click "Add Agent" or "Create Agent"
3. Fill in the agent details:
   • Full Name (required) - The agent's name as it should appear
   • Email (optional) - Agent's email address
   • Phone (optional) - Agent's phone number
4. Click "Create" or "Save"

Note: Name is required. Email and phone are optional but recommended for complete agent profiles.

Managing Agent Information

Viewing Agents

1. Go to Settings > Property Agents
2. You'll see a table with all active agents showing:
   • Name - Agent's full name
   • Status - Current availability status
   • Properties - Number of listings assigned
   • Email - Agent's email address
   • Phone - Agent's phone number

Editing Agent Information

You can edit agent details directly in the table:

1. Go to Settings > Property Agents
2. Click on any editable field (name, email, or phone)
3. Make your changes
4. Press Enter or click outside the field to save

Note: Changes are saved automatically. You'll see a confirmation when the update succeeds.

Deleting Agents

To remove an agent:

1. Go to Settings > Property Agents
2. Find the agent you want to delete
3. Click the menu icon (three dots) in the Actions column
4. Select "Delete agent"
5. Confirm the deletion

Warning: Deleting an agent removes all their listing assignments. Make sure to reassign listings first if needed.

Note: You cannot delete an agent if they are currently assigned to any listings. You must first remove or reassign those listings.

Assigning Agents to Listings

During Listing Creation

When creating a new listing:

1. Go to Listings > Add Listing
2. Fill in the listing details
3. In the "Agent" or "Assigned Agent" field, select an agent from the dropdown
4. Complete the listing creation

From Listing Details

To assign an agent to an existing listing:

1. Go to Listings
2. Click on the listing you want to assign
3. In the listing detail page, find the "Assigned Agent" field
4. Select an agent from the dropdown
5. Save your changes

Bulk Assignment

You can assign agents to multiple listings:

1. Go to Listings
2. Select multiple listings (if bulk selection is available)
3. Use the bulk actions menu to assign an agent
4. Select the agent from the dropdown
5. Apply the assignment

Note: Bulk assignment features may vary. Check your Listings page for available options.

How Propel Uses Agent Assignments

Personalized Responses

When an agent is assigned to a listing, Propel can:

• Reference the agent - Mention the agent's name in responses
• Provide contact information - Include agent email or phone when appropriate
• Route inquiries - Direct prospects to the assigned agent
• Maintain consistency - Use agent information across all communications

Example: "Hi! I'm helping [Agent Name] with inquiries about this property. [Agent Name] can be reached at [email] or [phone] for more details."

Agent Availability

Propel respects agent availability:

• Time off periods - Agents can mark themselves unavailable
• Fallback agents - When an agent is unavailable, a fallback agent can be used
• Status indicators - Agent status is shown in the agents table
• Automatic routing - Inquiries are routed to available agents or fallbacks

Listing Context

Agent assignments provide context for:

• Response personalization - Tailor responses based on assigned agent
• Handoff routing - Route handoffs to the correct agent
• Follow-up management - Associate follow-ups with the right agent
• Reporting - Track which agents handle which inquiries

Agent Status and Availability

Understanding Agent Status

Agents have status indicators showing their availability:

• Available - Agent is active and available
• Unavailable - Agent is on time off or marked unavailable
• Unknown - Status cannot be determined

Managing Agent Availability

User-linked agents can manage their own availability:

1. Go to Settings > Availability (or your organization's availability page)
2. Set time off periods
3. Assign fallback agents for time off periods
4. Save your availability settings

Note: Only user-linked agents can manage their own availability. Standalone agents must be managed by admins.

Fallback Agents

When an agent is unavailable, you can assign a fallback agent:

1. Set up time off periods for the agent
2. During time off setup, assign a fallback agent
3. Propel will use the fallback agent when the primary agent is unavailable

Note: Fallback agents are used automatically when the primary agent is on time off. The fallback agent's information is used in responses during the time off period.

Best Practices

Agent Organization

• Create agents early - Set up agents before assigning them to listings
• Use consistent naming - Use full names consistently (e.g., "John Smith" not "John" or "J. Smith")
• Complete profiles - Include email and phone for all agents
• Link to users - Prefer user-linked agents for team members

Listing Assignments

• Assign proactively - Assign agents when creating listings
• Review regularly - Periodically review agent assignments
• Balance workload - Distribute listings evenly across agents
• Update as needed - Reassign listings when agents change

Agent Information

• Keep updated - Maintain accurate agent contact information
• Verify emails - Ensure agent emails are correct for routing
• Include phones - Add phone numbers for complete profiles
• Document changes - Note when agent information changes

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Setting Up Leasing Agents

1. Go to Settings > Team
2. For each leasing agent, toggle "Agent" to ON
3. Go to Listings
4. Assign each agent to their properties
5. Agents are now set up and assigned

Scenario 2: Adding an External Agent

1. Go to Settings > Property Agents
2. Click "Add Agent"
3. Enter the agent's name, email, and phone
4. Save the agent
5. Assign them to listings as needed

Scenario 3: Reassigning Listings

1. Go to Listings
2. Find listings assigned to the old agent
3. Open each listing
4. Change the assigned agent to the new agent
5. Save changes

Scenario 4: Managing Agent Time Off

1. Agent goes to Settings > Availability
2. Sets time off period
3. Assigns fallback agent
4. Propel automatically uses fallback during time off

Troubleshooting

Agent Not Appearing in Dropdown

• Check agent status - Make sure the agent is active
• Verify organization - Ensure you're in the correct organization
• Refresh page - Try refreshing the page
• Check permissions - Verify you have access to view agents

Cannot Delete Agent

• Check assignments - Agent may be assigned to listings
• Remove assignments - Unassign agent from all listings first
• Verify permissions - Make sure you're an admin
• Try deactivating - Deactivate instead of deleting if needed

Agent Information Not Updating

• Check permissions - Verify you can edit agents
• Refresh page - Try refreshing after making changes
• Verify changes - Make sure changes were saved
• Check for errors - Look for error messages

Related Articles

• Setting Up Your Team - Learn how to add team members and enable agent status
• Managing Listings - Understand how to assign agents during listing creation
• Understanding Engagements - See how agent assignments affect conversations