Where inquiries usually get lost
Most service businesses don't lose leads because nobody cares. They lose them in the handoffs:
- A form lands in a shared inbox and everyone assumes someone else replied.
- Details are copied into the CRM by hand, late or with typos.
- The same person enquires twice and ends up as two records with two owners.
- A connection breaks and nobody finds out until a customer complains.
If that sounds familiar, the workflow audit checklist helps you map where it happens.
What we can scope
| Step | What it does | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Capture | Send website form inquiries into your CRM with the fields your team actually needs. | Form to CRM routing |
| Acknowledge | Send the customer an agreed receipt so they know the request arrived. | Inquiry acknowledgements |
| Route | Assign the right owner by service, location or another rule you choose, with a fallback owner. | Pipeline stages |
| De-duplicate | Decide how a repeat inquiry is matched to an existing record instead of creating a new one. | Fixing duplicate leads |
| Follow up | Create a task or reminder for the owner. Customer messages beyond the receipt stay behind the approval steps you choose. | Human approval steps |
| Alert | Tell a named person when a step fails, with a manual fallback so nothing silently disappears. | Failure alerts |
These are examples of project scope, not a claim that every CRM connects instantly. Moving off a spreadsheet first? See spreadsheet to CRM migration.
An example flow
This is illustrative, not a client project:
- A customer fills in the quote form on your website.
- The inquiry is checked against existing contacts. A match updates the existing record; a new contact creates one.
- The customer gets an agreed acknowledgement email.
- The inquiry is assigned to the owner for that service, and a follow-up task is created with a due time.
- If any step fails, a named person gets an alert and the inquiry is kept for manual handling.
What we agree with you first
- Your tools. Which CRM, form and inbox you use, and whether they offer a supported API, webhook or approved connector. We confirm feasibility before promising an integration or a date.
- Rules and owners. Who gets which inquiries, the fallback owner, and what counts as a duplicate.
- Data. Which fields are actually needed, who can see them, and what should stay out of a general form. See customer data in automations.
- Access. Authorised access for the build, and how it is removed afterwards. See vendor access and offboarding.
- Testing. We test with sample data and internal recipients, including duplicates, missing fields and failure paths, before anything reaches a customer. See testing an automation before launch.
How it's priced
By a custom quote after we review the workflow. The quote sets out the build scope, deliverables and dependencies. Any paid apps, usage charges or ongoing care are listed separately for your approval, with no automatic subscription commitments. You can start with a workflow review whether or not you need a new website.
Questions
Do I need a new CRM?
Not usually. We start with the tools you already use and check whether they support the connection you need. If a spreadsheet is doing the job of a CRM, we can talk through whether moving is worth it.
Which CRMs do you work with?
It depends on whether your CRM offers a supported API, webhook or approved connector, and what your account plan allows. We confirm that during the workflow review, before promising an integration.
Will customers get automated messages without my approval?
No. Customer messages and payment-related actions go live only after your review. You choose which steps need a person to approve them.
What happens if the automation breaks?
We plan for it. Each project agrees failure alerts, a manual fallback, how to pause the workflow and who is responsible for checking it.
How much does CRM automation cost?
It is priced by custom quote after a workflow review, because the work depends on your tools, rules and data. Any third-party or ongoing costs are shown separately before you approve anything.
Do I need a MendRev website for this?
No. We can review a workflow around your existing website and supported tools.
Next step
Start with one workflow worth fixing.
Tell us what happens to a new inquiry today, where it gets stuck and which tools you use.
Not sure where to start? Try the Business Auditor, call sales on +1 (469) 941-4108 or email sales@mendrev.com.