LEAD FOLLOW-UP PLANNING CHECKLIST
Automations For Business | 17 October 2026
https://automationsforbusiness.com/services/lead-follow-up-automation

1. Define the enquiry journey
Lead sources and contact channels:
CRM/source of truth and duplicate matching rule:
Lead stages and next action for each stage:
Owner, backup person and response expectations:
Contact permissions and approved message examples:

2. Set follow-up rules
What triggers a reminder or prepared reply?
Which messages require review?
What working hours and intervals apply?
Which events stop follow-up: reply, booking, opt-out, closed enquiry?
How are those events detected on each actual contact/booking path?
What requires human review if events are delayed or unavailable?

3. Test the real edge cases
[ ] Duplicate enquiry joins the correct record without duplicate sends.
[ ] Reply before a queued message cancels or holds that message.
[ ] Booking through each supported route updates the lead correctly.
[ ] Opt-out stops the relevant contact sequence.
[ ] Owner change transfers one next action without a second sequence.
[ ] Uncertain delivery is checked before any retry.
[ ] Failed integration alerts a responsible person.
[ ] The team can pause, correct and take over the conversation.

4. Review outcomes
Compare equivalent periods for first meaningful response time,
overdue follow-ups, duplicate contacts and manual CRM updates.
Track qualified conversations and bookings separately from sends.
Record sample size, source mix and any changes in workload.