How it fits together
- A listing deal moves to its pre-listing stage, or gets a Listing date, whichever comes first. An automation gives the deal its tasks, once. The first one is Schedule listing photography. If the deal's stage is behind, Today asks you to move it (see Stage checks).
- The deal's Key dates have a Photography date and time, next to the Listing date.
- Berchtold reads the email and calendar invites you log. It suggests the Photography date from the photographer's confirmation.
- Until the deal has a date, Today suggests when to book.
- When the deal gets its Photography date, a second automation prepares the sellers' email. It waits for the deal's owner in Approvals.
The listing's dates show on a deal for a seller or for both sides (a dual deal).
Add the two automations
Open Automations → Templates.
Select Use template. Under Stage or phase, choose your pre-listing stage, for example Pre-Listing in your listing pipeline. Review the tasks, then select Publish.
Select Use template. Open the message step. Under File to link, select Choose a file and choose your checklist from Media. Review the words, then select Publish.
You can add more pre-listing tasks to Listing — Prepare to list in the automation.
Schedule listing photography
The task is due 6 days before the Listing date. It moves when the Listing date moves. If the deal has no Listing date yet, the task has no due date until it gets one.
The task is done when the deal gets its Photography date. You can enter it on Key dates, accept a suggestion, or ask Claude. The task then says Done: Photography is set on the deal.
To change the days, open the task step in the automation. Change Due (days) and Window (days on each side).
Set the Photography date
Open the deal and find Key dates. Select Photography and enter the day and time of the photo shoot. The time is in the workspace's time zone.
A suggestion from email
When you log email from a connected email account, Berchtold reads it. A photographer's confirmation can become a suggested update. So can a calendar invite for the photo shoot. The update is Photography (date and time), with the words it came from.
Select Accept to set the date, or Edit to change the time first. Nothing changes until you accept. If the shoot moves, the new email suggests the new day and time.
Today suggests when to book
Today suggests a time to book. It does this until the deal has a Photography date, and while the Listing date is still ahead. For example:
No photography booked for 3133 Meadow Pass Drive. It lists November 4. Book a weekday morning from October 28 to October 30.
The days are 5 to 7 days before the Listing date. They come from the task's due date and its window in the template. Select Set the date to open the deal.
The sellers' checklist email
When the deal gets its Photography date, the email to the deal's sellers is ready. It waits for the deal's owner in Approvals, and on the deal under Messages. It is from the deal's owner, and replies go to them. It names the appointment's day and time and links the checklist. It ends with the owner's signature.
- Read it, then select Send, Edit or Don't send. Before it goes, Berchtold asks once more and names who gets it.
- If the Photography date moves before you approve the email, its words move with it.
- If the automation has no file to link, the email waits. It says to choose a file from Media.
To change the words, edit the message step in the automation. To change the checklist, choose another file under File to link. The words stay the same.
With Claude or ChatGPT
In Claude, ChatGPT or another chat app connected to Berchtold, you can ask it to:
- Read or set the deal's Listing date and Photography date.
- Accept the Photography suggestion.
- Show Today's suggestion for when to book.
- Read and approve the sellers' email. The chat app asks you to confirm before the email goes.
- Add the two automations from the templates.