Automated lead follow up: how it works and how to set it up

Automated lead follow up is what happens in the first minutes and first week after someone new fills in a form, calls, or messages you. This article answers a narrow question: what should a fresh enquiry receive, in what order, before a salesperson has spoken to them? Set up properly, every new lead gets a reply within a minute, a clear route to book a call, and a short sequence of touches that stops the moment they respond.

Why the first hour decides most enquiries

A new enquiry is at its warmest when it arrives. The person has your website open, has just typed their details, and is often comparing two or three firms in other tabs. Whoever replies first with something useful usually gets the conversation. Whoever replies the next afternoon is competing with a decision already half made.

In a 60-person company, the problem is rarely effort. Enquiries arrive during client meetings, on Saturday mornings and at 9pm. The person who would reply is busy delivering work. Automation covers that gap without anyone sitting on the inbox.

What you get once it is set up

• An instant acknowledgement by SMS and email that names the person and what they asked about.
• A booking link to a real calendar, so the lead can pick a slot without back-and-forth.
• An AI agent in Conversations that can answer common questions and collect qualifying details.
• A notification and a task for the lead owner, with the enquiry details attached.
• A seven-day sequence for anyone who does not book, ending in a clean hand-off to nurture.

Before you start

You need a calendar in Calendars with real availability, a form or funnel that captures name, email, phone and consent, and a pipeline with a new-enquiry stage. Decide who owns new leads, either one person or a round-robin across the team. Write the first message before you open the platform; it is the most-read piece of copy you will ever produce.

How to set it up

1. Go to Automation.
2. Click Create Workflow, then select Start from scratch.
3. Add the Form Submitted trigger, filter Form is to your enquiry form, and save.
4. Add the Send SMS action with the first name and booking link, then click Save Action.
5. Add a Send Email action that repeats the booking link and says what happens next.
6. Add an assignment and a task action so the lead owner gets a call task, due within the hour.
7. Add Wait steps and the follow-up touches for days two, four and seven.
8. In the workflow settings, tick Stop on Response, then add a goal that ends the run when an appointment is booked.
9. Click Publish, then Save, and submit the form from a phone to test.

Where the AI agent fits

An AI agent connected to SMS and web chat can reply to "how much does it cost" or "do you cover Manchester" at 10pm, collect the answers you need for qualification and offer the booking link. It works from the knowledge you give it. Keep it to answering and booking. Do not let it negotiate, quote prices you have not approved, or promise outcomes. For the questions it should ask, see qualifying an enquiry before the first call.

What it replaces and the weekly time

It replaces the shared inbox someone checks twice a day, the receptionist forwarding web forms, and the "I'll call them tomorrow" note. It does not replace the first real conversation. Weekly running time is around 30 minutes: read any replies the AI agent escalated, check that call tasks are being cleared, and look at how many enquiries booked versus went to nurture.

The mistake most people make

They write a sequence that talks about the company. The first message should be about the enquiry: what they asked, what happens next and how to book. Nobody needs your history or your awards at this point. The second mistake is sending the first message from a no-reply address, which kills the reply that would have started a conversation.

When not to use it

If your enquiries are mostly existing clients asking for support, do not push them into a sales sequence. Use a separate form and route. Also avoid automated texting where you have no record of consent; in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and most other markets, that creates legal exposure as well as annoyance.

Troubleshooting

Leads receive two first messages. Two workflows share the same trigger. Check Automation for duplicates and keep one entry workflow per form.

SMS fails for some numbers. Phone numbers are missing the country code. Make the form field require the international format or set a default country.

Booked leads still get nudges. The goal is missing or points to the wrong calendar. Set the goal to any appointment booked on the relevant calendar.

Nobody picks up the call tasks. Round-robin is assigning to users who are on leave. Remove them from the rotation while they are away.

Frequently asked questions

How quickly should the first reply go out?

Within a minute, automatically. The human call should follow within the hour during working time. Outside working hours, the automated reply should say when a person will be in touch.

How long should the follow-up sequence run?

Seven to ten days for a new enquiry, with four or five touches across SMS, email and one call task. After that, move the lead into a slower nurture track rather than chasing.

What if the lead replies to the SMS?

The reply lands in Conversations, Stop on Response ends the sequence, and the owner or AI agent continues the thread. Nobody should receive another automated nudge after replying.

Does this work for phone enquiries too?

Yes. A missed call can trigger a text-back with the booking link, and a logged call can start the same workflow. See the wider lead management picture for how phone, web and chat enquiries end up in one record, and automated follow up after meetings and proposals for the stage after this one.

The journey this guide describes