Sample audit · Inquiry handling
From first inquiry to booked work
Fictional service business. Illustrative, not a client result.
Current workflow
- Inquiry arrivesPhone or web form
- Waits in an inboxNo assigned owner
- Someone repliesWhen they check
- Booking or follow-upTracked from memory
Findings & recommended order
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Assign ownership first
Two channels, no shared record. An inquiry can wait without anyone being responsible.
Create one record per inquiry, assign an owner, and set a response deadline.
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Make follow-up visible
An unanswered quote has no scheduled next step. Silence leaves no trace.
Add a dated follow-up task and record whether the inquiry is booked, open, or lost.
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Assess AI after that
Reading free-text inquiries may take time, but the volume and exceptions are still unknown.
Review real messages before considering AI classification or draft replies. Keep a person responsible for exceptions.
Recommended first change
Introduce a shared inquiry record with an owner and a deadline. Basic routing rules can address the first gap; AI is a separate decision.
Validate before building
Inquiry volume, existing tool capabilities, response coverage, and who handles exceptions.
Measure the change
Time to first response, unassigned inquiries, and overdue follow-ups. Establish a baseline before estimating benefits.