Helping a visitor identify a property without guessing

The decision to make first

A visitor may remember a photograph, partial street name or general description but not the exact listing they want to ask about. Ask for a small amount of additional public context and keep multiple possible matches unresolved until the visitor confirms the intended property.

What the handoff should contain

Capture the supplied clues, candidate public identifiers where available, confirmation question and the agent-review route when no reliable match exists.

Suggested wording to approve

Example wording: “I want to avoid giving you information about the wrong property. Could you share the public page link, town or another address detail you remember?”

Test the difficult case

Test two similar listings, a vague description and a property no longer in the approved set, checking that uncertainty remains visible. Do not select a property because its photographs look similar or because it is the first candidate returned by a search.

Worked example

Fictional example: The visitor remembers a red front door and part of a street name, but two approved listings fit those clues. The assistant should ask for another public identifier and leave the match unresolved if necessary. Choosing one because its photo seems closer risks an accurate-looking answer about a property the visitor never intended.

Review it in operation

Review unsuccessful matches and improve the identifying information shown on listing pages rather than teaching the assistant to make stronger guesses.

Check before you launch

• Ask for a small amount of additional public context and keep multiple possible matches unresolved until the visitor confirms the intended property.
• Capture the supplied clues, candidate public identifiers where available, confirmation question and the agent-review route when no reliable match exists.
• Test two similar listings, a vague description and a property no longer in the approved set, checking that uncertainty remains visible.
• Review unsuccessful matches and improve the identifying information shown on listing pages rather than teaching the assistant to make stronger guesses.

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