Before you automate enquiries: a one-week checklist

Measure your current enquiry process first, so you can tell whether automation actually helped.

Most owners know their enquiry process feels slow. Few know where the time actually goes. A week of simple record-keeping turns a vague frustration into numbers you can improve, and it tells you whether an automated workflow is worth paying for.

Count where enquiries come from

For one normal week, note every enquiry and its channel: website form, email, phone, social message or walk-in. A tally on paper is enough.

Which channel brings the most enquiries?
Which channel brings the enquiries you actually win?
How many arrive outside working hours?

Time the first reply

Record when each enquiry arrived and when someone first replied. The gap matters more than the average: one enquiry left unanswered for two days often costs more than ten answered within the hour.

List the questions you ask every time

Write down what you always need before you can book or quote: postcode, type of job, urgency, photos, access details. These become the qualification questions an assistant can collect for you.

Write down your approved answers

Opening hours, call-out charges, areas covered, how quotes work. If you would not want an answer given without checking, it does not belong on the approved list yet.

Note where details get retyped

Every time information is copied from an email into a CRM, spreadsheet or calendar, mark it. Retyping is where errors and delays creep in, and it is usually the easiest part to connect.

What to do with the results

After a week you have a baseline: volume, response time, lost enquiries and admin time. Any automation should be judged against these numbers. If a provider cannot tell you how they will measure improvement, ask why.