Give every inquiry a next step.

Start with your existing inbox and a shared sheet. Add automation after the routine works.

Set up these five things

1. A contact or booking step that works on phone and desktop.
2. One record for each inquiry.
3. A named owner and a response deadline.
4. A visible next action and due date.
5. A closed outcome when the conversation ends.

Copy this tracking row

Received at | Source | Contact | Owner | Response due | First useful response at | Status | Next action | Next action due | Outcome

Use this confirmation

Thanks for getting in touch about [service]. [Team] will reply with the next step within [realistic response window]. Our response hours are [days, hours, time zone]. Reply here if there is a deadline we should know about.

A receipt confirms delivery. Record the useful human reply separately.

Test it for 14 days

Log every inquiry. Review overdue items each business day. Count on-time useful replies and missing next actions. If few inquiries arrive, investigate demand before buying a process repair.

Share the case for a repair

Send this checklist to the decision-maker with one real example: the inquiry, the missing next step, who should own it, and what change you want tested.

Share this page with anyone setting up an inquiry process.