The Follow-Up Problem
Most jobs and deals aren't lost to a competitor. They're lost to silence: the quote went out, life got busy, and nobody followed up.
You're running a business. You can't spend two hours a day chasing leads — but if you don't follow up, someone else will.
365clients handles the routine follow-ups for you, so you can spend your time on the conversations that need you.
How It Works (In 3 Steps)
Step 1: Build an Action Plan
An Action Plan is a follow-up sequence that runs on its own. Go to Action Plans, create a plan, and add steps. Each step is one of:
- Email — sent to the contact
- Text message — sent to their phone
- Task — a reminder for you or a teammate ("call Tom about the estimate")
- Stage change — moves their deal along your pipeline
Each step runs a set number of days after the contact joins the plan, at the hour you choose — so a plan can send a thank-you right away, create a call task on day 2 and text a check-in on day 7.
Messages can be personalized with {{first_name}}, {{last_name}} and {{business_name}}, and every email carries an unsubscribe link.
Step 2: Choose Who Goes In
Contacts join a plan in three ways:
1. Automatically when they're added — for every new contact, or only those with a certain status or tag. Tag website leads one way and referrals another, and each group gets its own sequence.
2. Automatically when you send an estimate — turn on estimate follow-up in Settings → Outreach and pick a plan. It stops by itself when the customer accepts or declines.
3. By hand — from any contact's page.
Step 3: Let It Run — and Let It Stop
A plan stops on its own when the contact replies or when their status changes (for example, when a lead becomes an active customer), so nobody gets a "just checking in" after they've already said yes. You can also stop any plan from the contact's page.
Automated messages respect the basics, too: contacts who unsubscribed from email aren't emailed, texts only go to contacts who have agreed to receive them and haven't opted out, and no customer gets more than one automated message a day (three a week). A text due during quiet hours (9pm–8am by default, in your time zone) waits until morning, and a message that has to wait is delayed, never dropped.
Example Plans
HVAC — After an Estimate Is Sent
- Day 0: Email: "Thanks for having us out, {{first_name}}. Your estimate is in your inbox; any questions, just reply."
- Day 2: Task: call to walk through the options
- Day 5: Text: "Hi {{first_name}}, it's {{business_name}} — any questions on the estimate? Happy to help."
Real Estate — New Website Lead
- Day 0: Email: introduce yourself and ask what they're looking for
- Day 1: Task: call
- Day 3: Text: short check-in
- Day 10: Email: new listings in their area
Cleaning Service — After the First Clean
- Day 1: Email: thank them and ask how everything looks
- Day 7: Task: call about a recurring plan
Where AI Helps (Pro)
Automated sequences handle the routine. For the follow-ups that need a personal touch, Pro includes:
- AI email drafts — on any contact, click Draft email and the AI writes a follow-up from what 365clients knows about them: their status, tags, company and how long it's been since you were last in touch. Review it, edit it, send it.
- AI lead scoring — click Score lead to get a 0–100 score with a one-line reason, so you know who to call first.
- AI coaching — on any deal, get a suggested next step.
The AI drafts; you decide what goes out.
Setup Checklist
- [ ] Create your first Action Plan with 3–4 steps
- [ ] Set it to enroll new contacts automatically (all, or by status or tag)
- [ ] Turn on estimate follow-up in Settings → Outreach
- [ ] Check your dashboard for overdue tasks each morning
Tips for Best Results
Tip 1: Keep Early Steps Personal
The first message sets the tone. Write it the way you'd actually talk to a customer — short, specific, with your name.
Tip 2: Use Tags
A plan can enroll only contacts with a given tag. Tag contacts as vip, past-client or referral and give each group its own sequence.
Tip 3: Mix Channels
Email for details, a text for a quick nudge, a task when a phone call will do better than any message.
Tip 4: Don't Set and Forget
Tasks from your plans land on your dashboard with due dates. The plan does the reminding — you still make the call.
FAQ
Q: Will it keep messaging someone who already replied?
A: No. By default a plan stops when the contact replies or their status changes.
Q: Can I pause someone's follow-ups?
A: Yes — stop the plan from their contact page at any time.
Q: Can my team use Action Plans?
A: Yes. Task steps can be assigned, and plans run for every contact enrolled, whoever added them.
Q: Does the AI write the automated emails?
A: No — automated steps send the text you wrote in the plan. AI drafts (Pro) are for one-off emails you review before sending.
Bottom Line
Automation isn't a replacement for personal communication — it makes sure the routine follow-ups actually happen, so you can focus on the conversations that close.
Ready to automate your follow-ups? Build your first Action Plan in a few minutes → Get Started