Every enquiry gets a real answer within a minute

1. 01

   Put every channel in one queue

   List every place an enquiry can arrive: phone, missed calls, Instagram and Facebook messages, Google Business messages, the web form, email and walk-ins who leave a number. Route them all into one inbox or one list, so nobody has to check six apps.

   Each enquiry gets a state: new, replied, booked, or closed. The manager owns the list of channels and checks nothing has been missed.

   • List every channel enquiries come in on
   • Route them all into one queue
   • Give each enquiry a state
2. 02

   Name who owns it, by hour

   Write down who answers the queue for every hour you are open, and who covers breaks, busy appointments and lunch. Outside opening hours, decide what happens: an automatic reply with a booking link, and a person who picks it up first thing.

   If everyone owns the queue, nobody does. One name per hour, on the wall.

   • Write the owner for each hour
   • Name the cover for breaks
   • Set the out-of-hours reply
3. 03

   Send the first reply within a minute

   Write the first reply for each channel once, so nobody has to think of the words. It thanks the person, answers the most common question if it can, and gives one next step.

   For missed calls, send a text straight away saying you saw the call and how to book. The front desk owns the replies and updates them when prices or services change.

   • Write a first reply for each channel
   • Set the missed-call text
   • Save the replies where staff can send them in one tap
4. 04

   Offer a booking link or a call back

   Every first reply ends in one of two ways: a link that books the right service with the right person, or a call back at a time you name. Do not end with "let us know".

   If the service needs a consultation or a quote, book the consultation. The person who owns the hour makes the call back, inside [15] minutes where they can.

   • Make a booking link for each main service
   • Set the call-back window
   • End every reply with one next step
5. 05

   Follow up if they go quiet

   People get busy. If someone has not replied or booked, send one short follow-up the same day, and one more [2] days later. Then close the enquiry and stop.

   The owner of the hour sends the follow-ups. Each one is written once and reused, so it never sounds like pressure.

   • Write the same-day follow-up
   • Write the second follow-up
   • Close enquiries after the last one
6. 06

   Check it every week

   Once a week, the owner and the manager look at one sheet: enquiries by channel, how fast each got a first reply, how many booked, and how many were never answered. Find the slowest channel or hour and fix that first.

   Write every change down with an owner and a date to check it. Replies get faster because someone looks at them.

   • Book the weekly check
   • Count replies, bookings and misses by channel
   • Log one fix each week

of 18 done

First replies for every channel, ready to copy and send. Copy the replies.

How one salon and spa group put every enquiry in one queue. Read the salon's story.

A printable version is on its way.