Start with the handoff
Map how an inquiry arrives, who receives it and where the conversation continues. A website form, a phone call and a WhatsApp message can describe the same opportunity. Decide how your team will recognize it before creating another record.
- List your inquiry channels and the person responsible for each.
- Define how duplicate contacts are reviewed.
- Record the source without copying unnecessary personal information.
Make every stage observable
Use stages that describe something the team can verify: inquiry received, qualification completed, proposal sent, decision pending, won or lost. A stage should help someone decide what to do next. Avoid labels that only express optimism.
- Write the entry and exit conditions for each stage.
- Give every open opportunity an owner and a next action.
- Record why an opportunity is lost using a small, useful set of reasons.
Automate the reminder before the relationship
An internal task is a sensible first automation. When an opportunity has no next action, notify its owner. If you later automate customer messages, define consent, stop conditions and a route to a person. Closing a deal or receiving a reply should stop an inappropriate sequence.
- Test replies, opt-outs, duplicates and reassignment.
- Review overdue actions and closed opportunities with the team.
- Measure your own baseline before promising an improvement.