A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BRANCH ADMINISTRATOR

Branch administrators play an important role and it’s one we are seeing an increasing demand for. We spoke to Gemma to find out more about what the role involves and what a typical day looks like for her.

8.00am – I arrive at work before the team get in at 8.00am just so I can get the office set up for the day ahead. The Branch Manager is normally already here but I am a key holder so can open the office myself if I need to. I start the day by going through emails, checking answerphone messages and making a list of people to call, send property details to or add to our property database. I’ll allocate customers to our estate agents if they need a call later that day.

8.15am – Our morning meeting is the first thing we do each day before the office opens to the public at 8.30am. The purpose of the meeting is to ensure everyone understands their daily diary. My role as the branch administrator is to make sure our master calendar matches with agents’ individual ones so we don’t have any viewings which have fallen off the radar. I’ll assist the agents with making sure they have everything they need for their appointments for the day, including printing property documents.

8.30am – The agency opens for the day. While we might not have a queue of people outside the door, the phone is immediately busy. I pick up any calls not handled by the negotiators as well as more general queries, so it’s really important I have a good telephone manner and can understand quite quickly what people are after and the best way I can help them.

10.00am – There are loads of new properties for me to add to our website. I do this through our content management system and then promote them through Facebook and Twitter which I will monitor throughout the day. You need to be organised when doing this, making sure you don’t miss any sites out and that all the details are correct. I enjoy this part of my job the most.

11.00am – We’ve been quite busy lately and have had a lot of completed sales and new properties come to the market so I put a call into the company we use for ‘sold’ and ‘for sale’ signs, giving them the details of the latest properties we need to promote. I’m the main liaison with most of our suppliers so I try to make sure I maintain a good relationship with them all.

12.00pm – I head out for a quick lunch break and pop to the supermarket. It’s my job to ensure the office is stocked with tea and coffee for both our staff and customers. I also get a supply of sweets which I keep hidden away and bring out when we get kids in the office. It’s amazing how some chocolate will keep them quiet while their parents have a meeting with an agent!

1.00pm – I meet with the branch manager. As the branch administrator I’m also responsible for his personal diary and he has a lot of commitments outside of the office, promoting the work we do. I’m also responsible for finding him suitable networking opportunities and arranging follow up appointments for him where relevant.

2.00pm – I step outside to look at the window of the agency where we display the latest properties we have for sale. This area is my responsibility and I like to put a lot of effort into making it as inviting and attention-grabbing as possible. I try to make sure we look as seasonally appropriate as the other businesses along the high street, adding pumpkins at Halloween or some festive flair in the run up to Christmas.

3.00pm – As we approach the end of the school day we start to get a queue in the office and every agent is with someone. I sit down with a customer and fill out a new client form with them getting all their requirements so I can add them to our database. It’s important that I feel comfortable talking to customers and I work hard to improve my customer service skills. I see this as great practice for my next career move, which will hopefully be up to a trainee agent role.

4.00pm
– I place a stationary order as we are running low on a few things. I’ve got used to using approved suppliers and as with dealing with customer’s payment details it’s important that I know what information is confidential and am discreet and security conscious with the details I am given.

6.00pm – Our office closes at 6.30 but I usually leave by 6pm. I get a few things ready for tomorrow then leave the last few negotiators to tie things up. With this role, and in this industry, you never know what’s going to happen next so I leave eager to see what will come up tomorrow.

If you think you’d be suited to a role as a Branch Administrator, view our latest vacancies here.