Practical resources · Free to explore
An enquiry arrives.
The next step has a place.
Step through a practical example of how I organise my own enquiries, with a fictional message and record.
A small workflow I use myself.
At 10PM, I use a labelled Gmail email to create an enquiry record in Google Sheets, calculate a follow-up date and prepare a reply draft through Zapier. I review the message before sending it.
This walkthrough recreates that process with a fictional enquiry. It shows the idea without exposing anyone’s messages.
A message worth following up
The enquiry arrives.
- From
- Jamie · Marlow Studio (fictional)
- Subject
- Can you help with our client onboarding?
- Received
- 6 October 2026
- Label applied
- Lead 10PM
Hi Anne, we are a small design studio. Every new client means chasing the same details and setting up the same tasks. Could we talk about making that easier?
I choose which messages receive the label. The workflow starts from that choice.
The information has somewhere to live
A record is created.
- Name
- Jamie · Marlow Studio
- Source
- Subject
- Client onboarding
- Status
- New enquiry
- Received
- 6 October 2026
The email details become one row in my enquiry tracker. In another business, the destination could be its CRM.
A clear next action
The follow-up date is set.
- Rule in this example
- Received date + three calendar days
- Follow-up date
- 9 October 2026
- Owner
- Anne
- Next action
- Check the conversation and follow up if needed
The interval is a business choice. A firm could use a different delay or a working-day rule.
Prepared, then personalised
A reply waits in drafts.
Hi Jamie, Thank you for getting in touch. I would be happy to hear how onboarding works at Marlow Studio and where it becomes time-consuming. We can start with a free fifteen-minute conversation. Anne
I check the context, adjust the wording and send the reply myself. The example does not send any email.
Step 1 of 4: Label the enquiry
Another way I use it
A meeting finished. The follow-up is ready.
I also use a meeting transcript to prepare a follow-up email. A connected process could carry the agreed next actions into a client record or task list.
- Find the notesStart with the meeting transcript or approved notes.
- SummarisePrepare the decisions and proposed next actions.
- ReviewCheck names, dates, commitments and anything unclear.
- Follow upPersonalise and send the email; record the agreed next action.
The transcript-based email draft reflects my own use. CRM and task connections are options to scope for the business.
What would you put in your client record?
The fields, owners and follow-up rules should fit your relationships and the decisions you need to make.
What would this look like
in your business?
Bring the idea, the frustration or the process you want to improve. We can explore it in a free fifteen-minute conversation.