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    Lead follow-up automation sends a set message at a set point after an enquiry or a finished job, based on what the CRM records. This post covers the response-time evidence, the main follow-up sequences, and the WhatsApp and Malaysian data-protection rules that limit what can be sent.

    Response speed

    The Harvard Business Review study measured how long US companies took to answer a web enquiry. The data is from 2011 and covers US firms.

    Response to a test web enquiry, 2,241 US companies.
    ResponseShare of companies
    Within one hour37%
    One to 24 hours16%
    More than 24 hours24%
    Never answered23%
    Average response time, companies that answered within 30 days42 hours

    A separate study of 1.25 million sales leads found that companies that tried to contact a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as companies that tried an hour later, and more than 60 times as likely as companies that waited 24 hours or longer. The study defined qualifying as a meaningful conversation with a key decision maker.

    The authors named three causes of slow response: leads retrieved from CRM databases daily instead of continuously, sales staff focused on generating their own leads, and distribution rules based on geography and fairness.

    Follow-up sequences

    Each sequence starts from a trigger recorded in the CRM. The business sets the timing and wording for each service.

    Common follow-up sequences.
    SequenceTriggerPurpose
    Enquiry acknowledgementA new enquiry is recordedConfirms receipt and starts qualification
    Post-service check-inA job is marked completeConfirms satisfaction and routes any reported problem to staff
    Repeat reminderThe next-due date, calculated from service type and completion datePrompts the customer to book the next service
    Referral requestA positive satisfaction recordAsks whether anyone the customer knows needs the same service
    Win-backNo booking for a period the business setsRefers to the previous job and offers a way to book

    Lifecycle stage decides which sequence applies. A first-time customer, a regular customer and a lapsed customer receive different messages.

    WhatsApp rules

    The WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy sets three conditions that apply to automated follow-up.

    • A business may contact a person on WhatsApp only with that person's opt-in permission to receive later messages.
    • Free-form replies are allowed inside a 24-hour customer service window, which opens and resets with each message from the customer.
    • Outside that window, only approved message templates can be sent.

    A follow-up scheduled days after a job therefore uses an approved template. The policy also requires automation to have a prompt, clear and direct escalation path to a person, such as in-chat agent transfer, a phone number or an email address.

    Data protection

    Section 6(1)(a) of the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 bars processing personal data without the consent of the data subject, subject to the exceptions in section 6(2). One exception covers processing necessary for steps taken at the data subject's request with a view to entering into a contract.

    Section 43 lets a data subject require a data user, by written notice, to stop or not begin processing their personal data for direct marketing. The Act defines direct marketing as the communication of any advertising or marketing material directed to particular individuals. A win-back offer is marketing material directed to a named customer.

    The reprint cited is current to 1 July 2023. A business should confirm its own obligations with the Personal Data Protection Department or a lawyer.

    What OtomoAI builds

    OtomoAI builds these sequences into the CRM layer. Triggers are job completion status, time elapsed, satisfaction score and lifecycle stage. A problem reported by a customer is routed to staff.

    Get in touch and we quote for your case.

    Sources

    Ritchie Boon Win Yew ·