Response and follow-up
Response times and follow-up: stop losing enquiries
By Mekong Intelligence · Published
Many enquiries are lost after the customer has already decided to ask. The message arrives, nobody sees it for hours, and the customer asks someone else. These five changes cost little and are easy to measure.
1. Put chat one tap away
Add Telegram, Messenger or WhatsApp buttons wherever customers already look: your website, your Google profile and your social bios. Use the channel your customers actually use.
2. Send an automatic first reply
A short automatic message that confirms you received the enquiry, and says when a person will reply, keeps the lead warm. Keep it honest: only promise a time you will meet.
Example: "Thank you for your message. We received it and will reply within [your real time]. If it is urgent, call [number]."
3. Log every enquiry
A simple shared sheet shows where leads go cold. Without a log, lost leads are invisible.
- Date and time received
- Channel (Telegram, Messenger, phone, email, website form)
- What the customer asked for
- Time of first reply
- Outcome (won, lost, waiting) and the reason, if you know it
4. Measure first response time
Track the minutes between a message arriving and your first reply. Set a target you can meet, and check it every week. The first week usually shows the biggest gaps: evenings, weekends and lunch.
5. Follow up once
Many enquiries stall after the first reply. One polite follow-up a day or two later recovers some of them. Keep it short and make it easy to answer with a yes or no.
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