How to automate lead follow-up without sending spam
Reply within minutes, ask one useful question, and pass anyone keen to a real person. If there's no reply, send three spaced reminders at most, and stop the moment they answer or say no.
Why does the first reply matter most?
People message two or three businesses at once, and the first sensible reply usually gets the conversation.
An automatic first reply means that's you, including for the enquiries that arrive after everyone has gone home.
In a study of 2,241 US companies, those that contacted a new lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to have a real conversation with a decision maker as those that waited even an hour longer (Harvard Business Review).
How does automated lead follow-up work?
Every enquiry lands in one list and gets an instant reply, and a person takes over when someone's keen.
Everything goes into one list
Website forms, email and WhatsApp in one place, so nothing sits in an inbox only one person checks.
An instant reply
It says you've got the message and what happens next. Promise a time you can meet on a Saturday too.
One useful question
Usually when, or where. The long form can wait.
A person takes the keen ones
A named person gets the whole conversation, so the customer doesn't have to repeat it.
Reminders, if there's no reply
A few, spaced out, each carrying something useful, like a photo of similar work or a slot that's opened up.
It stops
The moment they book, reply or opt out. Note what happened, so you can see what's working.
How do I follow up without it feeling like spam?
Message only people who contacted you, cap the reminders, and stop the moment they reply.
Consent
On WhatsApp, follow up only once they've said yes to it. A number given to get a quote isn't consent to a broadcast list, under India's DPDP Act or under GDPR.
Quiet hours
No automatic messages at night where the customer is. Hold them till the morning.
A cap
Decide the most reminders anyone ever gets and stick to it. The sample below uses three.
An easy stop
A reply like STOP, or simply “no thanks”, ends the sequence straight away.
No duplicates
Match people across email, forms and WhatsApp, so one person gets one conversation.
What does a good follow-up sequence look like?
Three messages for a made-up interior design studio, then silence.
Straight away
“Thanks, Arjun. We've got your message about the flat in Powai. Is a call today all right, or is WhatsApp easier?”
Next day, if no reply
“Morning, Arjun. Here are photos of a flat we redid nearby, in case it helps. Happy to visit whenever suits you.”
A few days later
“Shall I close this for now? Reply whenever you're ready, or reply STOP and we won't message again.”
If Arjun replies at any point, even weeks later, a person picks it up from there.
What should I test before it goes live?
Every way a real person might reply, STOP included.
- Send an enquiry from your own phone and email, and check what arrives.
- Reply at each step and check that the sequence stops.
- Reply STOP and check that nothing else is sent.
- Write on two channels and check that you get one conversation.
- Send something late at night and check that it waits for the morning.
- Check that a keen lead reaches a person with the conversation attached, then ask that person whether they saw it.
If slow replies are costing you leads
Put your enquiry numbers into the calculator to see roughly what slow replies cost. If it's worth acting on, send us one real enquiry with the time it arrived and the time it was answered, and we'll show you what we'd have sent.