Read this first
Every job below ends at a button. AI prepares the work, sends what you approved once, and checks it. The steps you can't undo stay with you: the quote, the launch, anything that touches a client or your money.
1. Answering every new enquiry
- What AI runs: a reply to every new enquiry within minutes, day and night, with three questions: what they need, by when, and the best way to reach them.
- The button that stays with you: the visit, the call and the quote. AI books the next step. You give the answer.
- The first step: write down the three questions you always ask on the first call. That's the script AI uses.
Why it matters: in a Harvard Business Review study of 2,241 US firms, 23% never answered an online lead at all (HBR, March 2011). Old study, same problem.
2. The follow-up nobody sends
- What AI runs: a short message on day 2 and day 7 after the first contact, plus a task in your CRM so the lead doesn't get lost.
- The button that stays with you: you approve the follow-up text once. On WhatsApp Business, anything you send more than 24 hours after the customer's last message has to be a pre-approved template, so write it in advance.
- The first step: write the day-2 and the day-7 message in your own words.
3. Posting what you already have
- What AI runs: one product, listing or finished job becomes a carousel, a short video and a story.
- The button that stays with you: you approve the week's plan before anything goes out.
- The first step: pick 5 photos from last month.
4. The weekly report
- What AI runs: one page every Monday: what came in, what's stuck, what's next.
- The button that stays with you: you decide what to do about it.
- The first step: write down the 3 numbers you check every week.
5. Ads
- What AI runs: it builds the campaign in Meta Ads Manager with the status set to paused, then checks every setting against your brief.
- The button that stays with you: you switch it to active. Nothing runs until you do.
- The first step: write a one-line brief: who it's for, where they are, what you offer.
Who does it today
Fill this in. One row per job.
| Job | Who does it today | Hours a week |
|---|---|---|
| Answering enquiries | ||
| Follow-ups | ||
| Posting | ||
| Weekly report | ||
| Ads |
Pick the row with the most hours. Start there.
The honest part
- None of these replaces a person. Each one stops at a button only you press.
- The HBR numbers are from 2011. Newer tests point the same way, so read them as a direction, not a promise.
- Tools and limits change. This is how it looks as of October 2026.
- Start with one job. Add the next one when the first has run for two weeks without surprises.
Sources: hbr.org/2011/03/the-short-life-of-online-sales-leads · developers.facebook.com (WhatsApp Business messages, Marketing API campaign status).