AceOS

Guide

The 5-minute lead follow-up playbook

Last updated 15 October 2026

Answer every new enquiry within five minutes, ask the same few questions, agree a next step before you hang up, and touch every open lead again within 48 hours. That routine is the whole playbook; the rest is how to keep it going.

1. Reply fast

Decide who owns a new enquiry the moment it arrives, and make the first reply a real one: answer what they asked, then ask one question back. A reply that only says “we'll call you” leaves the lead to wait.

2. Ask the same questions

Write three to five questions for your business and ask them every time, so leads are compared fairly. For example:

  • What exactly are you looking for?
  • When do you want to decide or start?
  • What is your budget range?
  • Is anyone else involved in the decision?

3. Agree a next step

End every conversation with a dated next step: a visit, a consultation, a call at a stated time. “Call me tomorrow” is a next step only if it goes on a calendar with the context attached.

4. Follow up on a clock

  1. Touch every open lead within 48 hours, with something new each time: an answer, a detail, an offer.
  2. Keep each lead's next-step date in one place everyone can see.
  3. Close the loop: mark a lead won, lost or not now, so the list only holds live work.

5. Measure your own numbers

Once a week, count how many new enquiries arrived, how many were answered within five minutes, and how many reached a booked next step. Use your own numbers: they are the only ones that tell you what to fix first.

Doing this automatically

AceOS runs steps one to four for you: it answers calls and WhatsApp in seconds, asks your questions, books the next step and schedules the follow-up, with your team approving anything sensitive.