Organise business enquiries
Decide what to capture from every enquiry and give each one a simple status, so nobody slips through.
7 min · BeginnerRead guide
Leads & bookings
Build an enquiry follow-up checklist
Define enquiry states, draft a helpful reply, choose when to follow up, set stop conditions and test the checklist on three fictional enquiries.
Before you start
What you’ll work toward
You will have a follow-up checklist with states, a reply template, timing and stop rules, tested on three cases.
What you’ll need
- A type of enquiry you receive, such as quote requests
- A notes app, a document or paper
- Optionally, the guides “Organise business enquiries” and “Plan a helpful follow-up”
Cost
- No paid tool required
Scope
- A manual walkthrough; nothing is sent or scheduled for you
- The three test enquiries are fictional
STEP 1 OF 5
Define the enquiry states
Name the states an enquiry can be in and what each means.
- List four or five states, such as New, Replied, Booked, Not now and Closed.
- Write one line saying what each means.
- Write what must happen for an enquiry to move to the next state.
Worked example. New: not yet answered. Replied: I have answered and I am waiting. Moves to Booked when they confirm a date.
Expected result
A short list of states with meanings and moves.
Check your work
Each enquiry you can recall should fit exactly one state.
If something goes wrong
- If two states feel the same, merge them.
Read all steps
Define the enquiry states
Name the states an enquiry can be in and what each means.
- List four or five states, such as New, Replied, Booked, Not now and Closed.
- Write one line saying what each means.
- Write what must happen for an enquiry to move to the next state.
Worked example. New: not yet answered. Replied: I have answered and I am waiting. Moves to Booked when they confirm a date.
Expected result. A short list of states with meanings and moves.
Check your work. Each enquiry you can recall should fit exactly one state.
If something goes wrong
- If two states feel the same, merge them.
Draft a helpful reply
Write a first reply you can adapt for most enquiries.
- Start with a thanks and a direct answer to their question.
- Offer one clear next step.
- Keep it under about 120 words.
Worked example. “Hi Chris, thanks for getting in touch. I can groom small dogs on weekday mornings. I have Tuesday at 9 or Thursday at 11. Which suits?”
Expected result. A reply template with a placeholder for the details that change.
Check your work. Read it as the recipient. Do they know what to do next?
If something goes wrong
- If your reply asks several questions, keep only the most important.
Choose the review timing
Decide when you will check for replies and send follow-ups.
- Choose a daily or weekly time to review your list.
- Write how many days after a reply you will follow up.
- Write how many follow-ups you will send at most.
Worked example. Review every weekday at 4pm. Follow up three working days after a reply. Send at most two.
Expected result. Written timing rules for reviewing and following up.
Check your work. Check the timing is something you can keep in a busy week.
If something goes wrong
- If you keep missing the review, pick a time tied to something you do every day.
Define the stop conditions
Write when you stop contacting a person.
- Stop when they reply with a yes or a no.
- Stop when they ask not to be contacted.
- Stop after your last follow-up and mark the enquiry Closed.
Worked example. After a second follow-up with no answer, I send a final close-out message and mark the enquiry Closed.
Expected result. Three or four stop rules on your checklist.
Check your work. Each rule should end in a clear state.
If something goes wrong
- If you worry about being rude, remember that a polite close-out is kinder than silence.
Test with three cases
Run your checklist against three fictional enquiries and fix what breaks.
- Case 1: a clear enquiry that replies quickly and books.
- Case 2: an enquiry that never replies.
- Case 3: an enquiry for something you do not offer.
- For each case, walk through the states and messages, and note where the checklist was unclear.
Worked example. Case 2 showed that I had no final close-out message, so I wrote one and added it to the checklist.
Expected result. A follow-up checklist edited after three test cases.
Check your work. Each case should end in Booked or Closed.
If something goes wrong
- If a case ends without a state, add a rule for it.