An enquiry rarely comes in at a moment when you have time. Following up leads then slides to the end of the day, or to tomorrow. With AI, an AI agent drafts the first message for you, in your tone of voice. You decide which messages go through you first.
Why lead follow-up gets left behind
The problem is not motivation. The problem is that a founder is rarely next to their inbox. They are on-site. In meetings. Driving.
Look in your own inbox at how long a new enquiry now waits for a first reply, and how many enquiries get no follow-up after that first reply. Those two numbers are your starting point.
What the agent does
An AI agent from your team reads new enquiries that come in on WhatsApp and email and drafts a first message in your tone of voice. We connect the AI team to the systems you already use.
What the agent prepares
The agent reads what the lead left behind: the name, the question and where the enquiry came from. Based on that, it drafts a message. Think of:
- A confirmation that the enquiry has arrived
- The two or three questions you usually ask a new lead
- A proposal for a call or a visit
What goes through you first
Important messages go through you first. You see the proposal in Telegram and choose: send, edit or skip. You decide which messages those are. Think of:
- A first message to a large or unusual enquiry
- Messages about price or terms
- Messages that commit you legally or financially
Once an action proves itself again and again, it can go automatic. You decide when.
In your tone of voice
The agent writes in your tone of voice. You see important messages as a proposal before they go out. If the tone is off, you edit the message.
What to agree beforehand
Following up leads with AI only works when it is clear who remains responsible for what. Before you start, agree on:
- Who reviews the proposals, and at which moments of the day
- What happens to an enquiry when nobody responds to the proposal
- When a lead goes to a human: on a concrete price question, when in doubt, or when someone asks for a conversation
- How often a lead gets a follow-up message, and when you let it go
How this compares to tools you already know
A chatbot on your site answers questions from visitors. An email marketing program sends messages at a set moment to a list. An AI agent drafts a message per enquiry, based on what the lead wrote and on the information you give it. At Automatevia, important messages then go through you first.
How to start small
Start with one kind of enquiry on one channel, for example enquiries through the form on your website. Read along at first with what is proposed, and keep track of which proposals you send unchanged and which you edit.
What you keep sending unchanged is a candidate to set to automatic later. What you keep editing calls for better information for the agent, or belongs with the messages that go through you first. After a few weeks, measure the two numbers from the start again.
What it costs
What an AI team costs is on the page about AI automation services for small businesses. Start with the free scan: send us your weekly tasks and we tell you what an AI team can take over.
