AI digital negotiator
How Jamie Curtis uses AI to book 26% of viewings from digital enquiries
Cooke Curtis & Co deployed Amelia, their AI Digital Negotiator, to capture out-of-hours leads, reduce diary friction and turn simple viewing enquiries into instructions.
The impact
26% of viewings from digital enquiries are now autonomously booked by Digital Negotiator 2.0.
24/7 lead coverage means no lag time on enquiries received during evenings, weekends or bank holidays.
Integrated marketing has turned Amelia into a visible brand asset through high-engagement social media campaigns.
Staff upskilling means negotiators spend less time as diary coordinators and can transition into valuers faster.
For most traditional estate agencies, client engagement stops the moment the office doors close.
Enquiries submitted after 5pm on weekdays, or after Saturday afternoon, often sit untouched in an inbox until the next business morning.
By then, momentum can already be lost. The applicant may have moved on, booked elsewhere or simply cooled off. For negotiators, the next morning starts with a wall of unhandled leads, diary checks and phone tag before the real conversations can begin.
“If you didn’t enquire about a property within our work hours, you wouldn’t have got dealt with until either the following business day or Monday. Opportunities could be missed because of the amount of time available for each negotiator.”
Jamie Curtis, Director at Cooke Curtis & Co
The problem was not demand. The problem was the delay between the enquiry and the next available human response.
The solution: deploying and training Amelia
Cooke Curtis & Co deployed Digital Negotiator 2.0 and gave their digital agent a name: Amelia.
Operating 24/7, Amelia handles incoming digital enquiries from portal feeds including Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket, as well as enquiries from the agency’s own website.
That means buyers can request and book viewings at the moment they are actively engaged, not just when the office is open.
Amelia does not just answer enquiries. She works within the agency’s rules.
That includes diary logic, tone of voice, appointment preferences and the kind of softly-softly negotiation that keeps applicants moving without creating operational chaos.
Finding the secret sauce: continuous prompt training
Setting up a Digital Negotiator is not a rigid “set and forget” process. Jamie describes it more like onboarding a new employee.
The Cooke Curtis & Co team worked closely with Greenhouse OS to fine-tune prompts, diary rules and tone of voice so Amelia could behave in a way that matched the agency’s own standards.
A good example is how Amelia handles tricky appointment times. If an applicant asks for a viewing close to the end of the day, or outside the ideal diary window, she does not simply give up or force the team into an awkward slot. She holds the agency’s parameters and gently nudges the applicant towards a workable outcome.
“The applicant specified they could only do a viewing after a specific time which was pretty close to out of working hours. After a number of messages between half 9pm and 11pm at night, they found a middle ground that worked for both us as a company and applicant.”
“Amelia is very well versed in communicating in a softly-softly manner that is being well received by potential clients.”
Jamie Curtis, Director at Cooke Curtis & Co
The real win: once that process is trained, Amelia can repeat the same high standard across hundreds of interactions at the same time.
The “anytime, anywhere” campaign
Rather than hiding the technology, Cooke Curtis & Co leaned into it.
Amelia became a core marketing feature, with an ongoing social media campaign educating buyers and sellers that they can book a viewing wherever they are, whenever they are ready.
“We’ve done a campaign now which will continue that we can book a viewing anywhere with you irrespective of where you are in the world, what time of day it is, what month it is.”
“We’re advertising the fact heavily through all sorts of platforms. We see it as advantageous to both our clients and our buyers.”
Jamie Curtis, Director at Cooke Curtis & Co
The technology became more than an operational improvement. It became part of the agency’s customer proposition.
Proof of concept: from viewing enquiry to instruction
It is worth noting that the automated valuation feature had only been turned on very recently, meaning the team was seeing results from an early-stage deployment of the tool.
Jamie shared a recent out-of-hours interaction between Amelia and an applicant that shows how quickly the impact can appear.
“The applicant contacted us out of hours. The viewing was successfully booked, and then Amelia went back and asked about their property.”
“This was a challenging conversation that could stumble over timing negotiations, but the way it was handled was exceptional. Since then, the applicant has looked at the property twice, made an offer, and instructed us to sell their property. It’s the holy grail.”
Jamie Curtis, Director at Cooke Curtis & Co
26%
of viewings from digital enquiries now autonomously booked by Digital Negotiator 2.0.
24/7
coverage for enquiries received evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
The competitive edge: capacity
Beyond saving time, Jamie points out that the real advantage comes from capacity.
A human negotiator can only speak to one person at a time. Digital Negotiator can manage hundreds of touchpoints in parallel, nurturing enquiries and creating valuation opportunities that may otherwise have been missed.
“The competitive edge is having the ability to have multiple conversations with multiple people to either prospect, nurture, or create the valuation opportunities that were often missed because of the amount of time available for each negotiator.”
“All these conversations can be going on at the same time with multiple people where we couldn’t do that.”
Jamie Curtis, Director at Cooke Curtis & Co
What the team thinks
Introducing AI can trigger understandable anxiety inside agencies. At Cooke Curtis & Co, the response was different.
The team embraced Amelia because they could see she was removing the low-level diary headaches and surfacing moments worth paying attention to.
“There’s a general positivity and appreciation for what she can do. Donovan, one of our real negotiators, messaged me when I was on holiday to say, ‘Look, J, you might want to look at this message, it’s fantastic.’”
Jamie Curtis, Director at Cooke Curtis & Co
Reimagining the agency workforce
A common fear in estate agency is that AI agents are designed to replace human negotiators.
Cooke Curtis & Co’s experience points in the opposite direction. Automating low-level admin creates room for people to do higher-value work.
“We’re not replacing negotiators, we’re up-tasking them.”
That is the shift: less time finding space in a diary, more time having meaningful conversations, helping sellers understand offers and getting out to value properties.
“The future negotiator will come in at a higher level. There is so much more they can do as individuals rather than just finding a space in a diary.”
“What the human can do is have those meaningful conversations, help sellers understand offers, or be out valuing properties.”
Jamie Curtis, Director at Cooke Curtis & Co
Key takeaways for forward-thinking agencies
Treat Digital Negotiator as a trainable asset
Tweak prompts and diary logic until you lock in your ideal process. Once defined, Digital Negotiator repeats that high standard every time.
Turn the tech into marketing
Promote 24/7 availability across social media to show buyers and sellers that your agency is responsive beyond office hours.
Look for early-stage ROI
Even in the initial weeks of turning on advanced valuation prompts, the system is already converting portal leads into instructions.
“If you’re unsure, it’s really important to have a conversation and show people that this is absolutely here to support an existing team, not to replace one.”
Jamie Curtis, Director at Cooke Curtis & Co
Ready to train your own Digital Negotiator?
Give your agency a 24/7 edge
See how Greenhouse OS and Digital Negotiator 2.0 can automate your diary, generate valuation opportunities and support your team around the clock.
Join the free webinar on 15th September at 1.30pm.
Capture out-of-hours leads, reduce diary friction and let your team focus on the conversations that move instructions forward.
