Billingham Properties: 9 Months, 1,000+ Calls, Zero Missed
(How an independent West Midlands estate agency stopped losing instructions to missed calls)
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Matt runs Billingham Properties, an independent estate agency powered by eXp UK, covering the West Midlands and Black Country. His team of eight self-employed agents handle sales, lettings, and property management from their hub on the high street in Wollaston.
Industry
Estate Agency
Location
Stourbridge, West Midlands
Arrow Agent
Lilley
Live Since
July 2025
Key Takeaways
1,000+ calls handled
Over nine months, Arrow has answered well over a thousand calls Billingham's team couldn't get to.
Zero missed calls
Every overflow call gets picked up — no more leads walking out the door to a competitor.
Fraction of the cost
Traditional call answering would have cost £1,500+ a month. Matt is paying a fraction of that.
Shared inbox summaries
Call details land in the team's shared inbox so anyone in the office can pick them up.
Eight agents covered
One AI receptionist sitting behind a self-employed team of eight — no switchboard needed.
Call transfers next
Direct dial transfers rolling out so callers can reach a specific agent by name.
The Challenge
The phone never stops. Viewing requests, valuation enquiries, tenant issues, chain updates. And when the team's out on viewings or in meetings, those calls hit a WhatsApp-based overflow system.
The problem? People calling an estate agent want to talk to someone. Calls were going unanswered, and every missed call was a potential instruction walking out the door.
The phone never stops
Viewing requests, valuation enquiries, tenant issues, chain updates — all day, every day.
WhatsApp overflow gaps
When the team was out, calls hit a WhatsApp-based overflow that callers didn't want to use.
Leads walking away
People calling an estate agent want to talk to someone — every missed call is a potential instruction lost.
"Any solution is better than a missed call."
— Matt, Billingham Properties
What Changed
In July 2025, Billingham Properties went live with an ARROW AI receptionist.
She picks up every call that the team can't get to. Viewing requests, valuation enquiries, general questions — she handles the conversation, captures the key details, and sends a summary straight to the shared office inbox so anyone on the team can pick it up.
Setup was straightforward. No new hardware, no complicated phone system changes. Just a forwarding number slotted into their existing setup so the AI receptionist catches anything the team misses.
Meet Lilley
An AI receptionist trained on Billingham's workflows for sales, lettings and property management.
Simple call forwarding
A forwarding number slotted straight into the existing setup — no new hardware, no phone system changes.
Shared office inbox
Every call summary gets sent to the team inbox so anyone on the team can pick up the lead.
Handles the full enquiry
Viewings, valuations, general questions — Lilley captures the key details every time.
Now every call gets handled, the messages get through, and the team isn't losing leads while they're out on the road.
The Results
Over nine months, Arrow has handled well over 1,000 calls for Billingham Properties. That's hundreds of conversations that would have previously gone to voicemail — or worse, to a competitor.
calls handled in 9 months
live and going strong
saved vs. traditional answering
leads lost to competitors
The cost story
Matt had been looking at traditional call answering services before finding ARROW. Those hundreds of calls would have been running him £1,500+ a month. He's paying a fraction of that.
What's Next
Billingham Properties is now adding call transfers. When a caller asks for a specific team member by name, the AI receptionist will attempt to connect them directly via their DDI. If that person doesn't pick up, the receptionist comes back and takes a message as usual.
With eight agents, each with their own direct dial number, it means callers can get through to the right person without anyone in the office needing to play switchboard.
In Matt's Words
"I've not seen anything as good as what you've put together. Compared to something like a traditional phone answering service, it's just so cost-effective."
Why AI Receptionists Work for Estate Agents
Estate agents live on the phone, but they're rarely at their desk. They're on viewings, in valuations, chasing chains. The calls keep coming whether they're there or not.
ARROW's AI Receptionist means Billingham's team doesn't have to choose between being out earning fees and being in the office answering the phone. Both happen at the same time. And with call transfers rolling out, the line between AI and human gets even thinner — callers who need a specific person get put through, and everyone else gets looked after without a single lead falling through the cracks.
And here's the kicker:
You get your own 24/7 AI Receptionist that answers every call, set up for you in days, for less than your phone bill.
No contracts. No hidden fees.
Most trades spend £10K+ a year trying to solve this with admin staff or answering services.
⚡Guaranteed Results
Book four real jobs in 60 days using our tools - or get your money back.
No stress. No risk. Just leads, sorted.
Talk to Arrow now, and hear for yourself how we capture leads and handle a real potential customer enquiry.
Ben Milsom is the Founder and Director of ARROW, with more than a decade of experience in digital marketing and customer service. A certified Google Partner and best-selling author on phone-first marketing and AI voice technology, he specialises in AI automation, marketing, and the psychology of sales. Through ARROW, he helps service businesses answer every call with AI Receptionists that capture leads and give owners peace of mind.