Organize your inquiries.

Choose one process

Start with a question your business receives often: a service inquiry, a quote request or a preferred meeting time. Write down how it arrives and who handles it today.

Define one concrete outcome. Recording the inquiry and notifying its owner may be enough. Avoid starting with an assistant expected to answer everything.

Decide what you need to know

A commercial inquiry may need the service of interest and a way to reply. Collect only the details needed for the next step. Avoid personal documents or payment details in an initial inquiry.

• Entry: which channel receives the inquiry?
• Owner: who can review and respond?
• Next step: what information or action is needed?

An illustrative example

A fictional restaurant asks about a digital menu. A form records its contact details and service of interest. A workflow notifies the person responsible, who reviews the scope before preparing a proposal.

If the restaurant requests a meeting, the form collects a preferred time. The request stays pending until a person checks the calendar and confirms.

Test the exceptions too

Before using a workflow with customers, check these cases and record what happened:

• A complete inquiry reaches the correct person.
• A detail is missing and there is a clear way to complete it.
• The same inquiry arrives twice and the duplicate can be recognized.
• A notification fails and someone can detect it and review the inquiry.
• A person requests human help and can be referred to someone.

Automation can record and guide. Prices, commitments, payments and appointments require the appropriate checks and approvals.

Measure what you can verify

Review recorded inquiries, incidents and inquiries handled. Compare the same process over comparable periods before attributing an improvement to automation.

A received message does not prove a sale. Without comparable records, time savings or increased revenue remain unverified.

Common questions