AlexGPTStart with a list of channels
Write down every place an enquiry can arrive: Instagram direct messages, Telegram, the form or chat on your website, email, phone calls, marketplaces. Next to each one, note who answers it today and where the answer is recorded, if anywhere.
Most small businesses find at least one channel that nobody owns. That is usually where leads get lost.
Decide what one record contains
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Contact and channel | Reply where the client wrote |
| Request | What the client wants, in one line |
| Status | New, in progress, won, lost |
| Owner | Who answers next |
| Next step and date | What happens next, and when |
| Source | Which channel brings real orders |
Keep the record short. Fields nobody fills in are worse than no fields, because they make the data look complete when it is not.
Route every channel into the CRM
- A new message in any channel creates or updates a record.
- The system checks by phone, email or username whether the client already exists.
- AI suggests the type of request and a short summary; a person can correct both.
- The record gets an owner and a next step.
- Replies still go out in the channel the client used.
Phone calls need their own rule. A missed call can create a record automatically; after an answered call, a short note is often enough.
Set rules for duplicates and follow-ups
The same person may write on Instagram and call later. Decide which identifier wins and who merges records when the system is unsure. Never delete automatically.
Follow-ups are where a CRM pays for itself. A reminder when a lead has gone unanswered for a set time, and a daily list of open requests, catch what used to slip through.
Measure lost leads
For one month before and one month after, count how many enquiries got no reply or no next step. That is your lost leads per month. Add the time from first message to first reply.
Example calculation: 200 enquiries a month, of which 10 per cent never get a follow-up, means 20 lost leads. If one in five of them would have become an order, that is 4 orders a month. These numbers are invented to show the arithmetic, not a forecast for your business.
In a free AI audit we map your channels and show where enquiries get lost today.
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