Guide 3 of 17 · Easy

How to set up a lead follow-up bot

Make sure every website enquiry gets a fast, friendly reply, even when you're on the tools.

Tools: Your website form, email autoresponder or CRM (HubSpot free, Pipedrive, Zoho), optional SMS tool
Difficulty: Easy
Setup time: 1-3 hours (estimate). A rough estimate.
Cost: Many of these tools have free tiers. Check current pricing before you commit.

Step by step

Find where your website form sends enquiries today.
Write an instant reply: thanks, what happens next, when they'll hear from you, and a link to book a call if you have one.
Set it up as an autoresponder in your form tool or CRM.
Create a follow-up task for yourself in your CRM for the same day.
Add a second automated email at day 3 if there's been no reply from them, checking if they still need help.
Track how many enquiries turn into jobs so you know it's working.

Don't send more than 2-3 automated follow-ups.
Check your autoresponder doesn't land in spam: send a test to Gmail and Outlook addresses.
Under the Spam Act, marketing messages need consent and an unsubscribe; replying to an enquiry is fine, ongoing marketing needs consent.

A well-written template is usually better. Use AI to help you write it, then keep it fixed.

For trades and urgent services, an SMS reply often gets seen faster. Check your SMS provider's costs.

Need prompts for the AI steps? See 40 AI use cases with copyable prompts. Want a hand? Get in touch.