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Good onboarding turns a successful interview into reliable performance. It gives the new employee clarity, gives the manager evidence and exposes misunderstandings early.
The plan should reflect the person’s role and experience. An established Prime Central London instruction winner requires a different start from a trainee negotiator or a property manager inheriting 150 tenancies. The framework can remain consistent even when the activities change.
Before the first day
- Confirm working hours, location, dress expectations and who will meet them.
- Prepare equipment, email, telephone, system access and required permissions.
- Share the first-week timetable.
- Identify a manager responsible for the onboarding—not several people assuming somebody else is doing it.
- Choose the first realistic tasks the employee can complete successfully.
A new starter should not spend their first morning waiting for a password or trying to establish whether anybody expected them.
Days 1–30: understand and practise
The first month should establish standards, systems and the customer journey. Avoid overwhelming the person with every historic process in the first two days.
Priorities
- Understand the agency’s proposition, patch, stock or managed portfolio.
- Meet the team and understand who owns each stage of the journey.
- Learn the CRM, telephone, diary and record-keeping standards.
- Shadow strong examples of calls, appointments, viewings or property-management conversations.
- Practise core activities with feedback before being left fully responsible.
Hold short check-ins during the first week, then a documented review at the end of weeks two and four.
Days 31–60: take ownership
The employee should now handle a defined part of the role with less supervision. Targets should focus on controllable actions and quality as well as final results.
Possible measures
- Quality of applicant or landlord registrations.
- Accuracy and consistency of CRM records.
- Viewing, valuation or appointment feedback.
- Response times and case ownership.
- Progress against an agreed portfolio or pipeline.
- Evidence that earlier feedback is being applied.
The manager should identify one or two development priorities. A long list of weaknesses rarely produces focused improvement.
Days 61–90: demonstrate consistency
By the third month, the employee should understand what good performance looks like and demonstrate it with increasing independence. The review should compare results and behaviour with the expectations agreed at the beginning.
Review questions
- What can the employee now manage confidently without support?
- Where are mistakes or delays still recurring?
- How well do they communicate with customers and colleagues?
- Which activity and conversion measures are moving in the right direction?
- What support, training or clarity is still required?
- What should the next 90-day objectives be?
Adapt the plan by role
Sales or lettings negotiator
Focus on registrations, calls, viewings, feedback, offer or tenancy progression, CRM discipline and local market knowledge.
Property manager
Focus on portfolio handover, prioritisation, maintenance reporting, landlord and tenant communication, inspections, renewals, deposits, compliance and audit trails.
Branch manager or head of department
Focus on people, pipeline, stock, financial performance, standards, key clients and a clear diagnosis before major changes are made.
Keep a simple written record
Record agreed objectives, support provided, feedback, progress and the next review date. Formal probation, capability or contractual decisions must follow the agency’s own policies and should be checked with a suitably qualified HR or legal adviser.
Give every new employee a role-specific plan.
The Agency People & Performance Toolkit combines onboarding with the job advert, interview scorecard, manager check-ins and performance resources.
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