Where good enquiries get lost, and how to stop it
Lost enquiries often come down to an unclear handover, not a lack of effort. Trace one enquiry from first message to next step, then close the gaps.
An enquiry can slip through the gaps even when everyone is working hard. The cause is often an unclear handover: more than one inbox, no named owner, or a reply that leaves the next step open. The fix starts with following a single enquiry through the business.
Follow one enquiry
Choose an enquiry you have permission to review, or send a clearly labelled internal test. Note when it arrived, where it appeared, who saw it and what the customer was asked to do next. You are looking for a sequence, not someone to blame.
Give every enquiry a home
Decide where the status is recorded. That could be an existing CRM or a simple private spreadsheet. A workable starting set of statuses is: new, replied, waiting for customer, booked and closed. Define what each one means for your team.
Don’t add a new tool just because the current process feels untidy. First check whether the existing tool can show the owner, status and next action clearly.
Name the next action
“Follow up” is vague. “Ask whether the customer would like the Tuesday appointment” is specific. Add an owner and a date that suits the customer’s expectations and your capacity.
Agree who covers new enquiries when someone is away. If nobody owns the cover, the process depends on luck.
Make the first reply useful
Acknowledge the request, answer what you can and explain the next step. If you need more information, ask for the smallest useful set. Don’t promise a response time the business can’t reliably meet.
An illustrative template (not a real customer exchange): “Thanks for getting in touch about the garden tidy-up. Could you send two photos and your suburb? I can then confirm whether the work fits our service and suggest the next step.”
Keep it proportionate
Download the enquiry tracker and try it on a small batch of enquiries. Record only the information needed for the job, store it privately and follow your business’s retention process. To see how enquiries convert into customers, try the enquiry conversion calculator.
Disclosure: AfterClick, a service for improving website enquiries and follow-up, shares ownership with Digital Advisors. Your own team can use this checklist without it.
