Automating Real Estate Scheduling with WhatsApp

I'd like to share a story from my freelancing experience. Once, I was hired by a real estate agency to tackle a persistent issue they faced. Their mission was to connect potential homebuyers with sellers, essentially operating as the Uber of the real estate world.

Buyers often messaged the agency with their preferred visiting times, but the sellers had unpredictable schedules. This made scheduling house tours a complex task, and the agents found themselves constantly messaging sellers to determine their availability. It was clear that a more efficient solution was needed.

Leveraging my expertise in building chatbots, I took on the challenge. For nearly a month, I focused on creating a WhatsApp chatbot to address this issue. The chatbot played the role of a mediator between buyers and sellers. When a buyer proposed a visitation time, the chatbot automatically checked with the seller. If the seller wasn't available, the chatbot would propose an alternative time to the buyer. This back-and-forth continued until both parties agreed on a suitable time.

Handling dates and schedules proved to be more intricate than I had initially thought, leading to a more extended project timeline. However, in the end, the project was a resounding success. The chatbot relieved the agents of the constant messaging workload, allowing them to concentrate on their primary task: attracting new clients.