Automated Lead Follow-up System (The Ultimate Guide for 2024)
In this article, we will show you how to set up an automated lead follow-up system. Simply follow along with the instructions we’ve outlined below!
Lido offers several methods to import lead data, enabling you to start automatically sending emails directly from your spreadsheet.
Setting Up Automated Client Email Reminders through Gmail with Lido
Below we outline the steps on how you can send automatic email reminders for clients:
1. Add Client Data to Lido
Before you can send reminders, you need to input client details into Lido. If you do not have a Lido account yet, sign up for free at: https://www.lido.app/go/signup
To send reminders with Lido, first input client details. If you don't have a Lido account, sign up for free at: https://www.lido.app/go/signup
Lido acts as an enhanced spreadsheet, automating tasks by linking data to emails. Start by entering details like client names, due dates for reminders, and the messages you want to send. If your data is already in a Google Sheet, proceed to step 2. If not, create a table where each row represents a unique reminder for a client, including a column for client email addresses.
Once your data is formatted, right-click the selection and choose "Convert Table from Range". Save your named table and proceed to the next step.
2. (Optional) Connect Your Google Sheet to Lido
Follow these steps:
- Create a new Lido file
- Click on 'Connect Data' then select 'Google Sheets.'
- Insert the URL of the Google Sheet from Step 1. You will need to sign in to a Google account that has access to this sheet.
- Choose the specific columns you wish to import into Lido; they will be automatically selected by default.
Click Add Data. This will create a Lido table of your Google Form responses.
3: Create Response Email Templates
Open a new worksheet to create your email templates. Use table columns as variables by formatting them as [@Column]. Write the body and subject for both the initial and follow-up emails in this sheet.
4. Create Dynamic Email Content
To dynamically alter email content using your spreadsheet data, create a computed column in Lido. This new column automatically applies a spreadsheet formula to every row as your table expands and updates. In the first row of a cell adjacent to your table (for example, cell F1), type a name for this column and set its type to Computed Column.
In the computed column, use the STRINGTEMPLATE formula to substitute variable placeholders with actual row content. Here's the formula format:
=STRINGTEMPLATE("template_cell_location")
For example, if the template for the email subject is in Templates!$B$1, enter the following in cell F2 of the computed column:
=STRINGTEMPLATE(Templates!$B$2)
After applying this formula, the table updates dynamically, replacing the [@Name] variable in every row with the corresponding name from your data.
Repeat these actions to make another dynamic computed column for the email body. Begin by creating a new computed column and inputting:
=STRINGTEMPLATE(Templates!$C$2)
Make sure to adjust “template_cell" in this formula to reflect your specific template cell location, and remember to use $ to fix the cell reference, ensuring consistency across all rows.
You should now have a table that looks like this:
Repeat this step for the follow-up emails, making two new columns and using the STRINGTEMPLATE formula referencing the cells containing your templates. After you’re done, your spreadsheet should look like this:
6. Add SENDGMAIL Formula
We're ready to implement the SENDGMAIL formula in Lido. This Action formula triggers only when explicitly activated, either manually or through automation. We will first apply it to the initial email and then repeat the process for the follow-up email.
The SENDGMAIL formula is structured as follows:
=SENDGMAIL(<sender-credential>, “recipient@example.com”, “subject”, “body”, “status”)
To set this up, add another computed column labeled “Send Initial Email” in column I. Then, enter this formula in cell I2:
=SENDGMAIL(<sender-credential>, C2, E2, F2)
Where:
Here, <sender-credential> represents the sending email address. You will need to connect to a Gmail account the first time you use this formula in Lido.
C2 is the recipient email. This may need to change based on how your data is structured.
E2 is the Email subject
F2 is the Email body
To test this action, right click on a SENDGMAIL formula and select “Run action.”
The first time you run an action, you'll be prompted to log in to the sender's email. After sending the email, a "success" message will briefly appear in the cell. The designated status cell (J2 in this example) will update to display "success."
7. Add Logic so Emails Only Send Once
To ensure each lead receives only one initial email, we'll modify our logic by wrapping the SENDGMAIL formula in an IF statement. Use this formula:
=IF(B2=TODAY(), SENDGMAIL(<sender-credential>, C2, E2, F2), FALSE)
This formula ensures that the SENDGMAIL function triggers only if the date the lead filled out the form matches today's date; otherwise, it returns FALSE. This adjustment ensures emails are sent only once on the designated day.
8. Set up the follow-up email
We’re going to do something similar for the follow-up email. However, we need to add an extra step to make sure the email is sent in the future.
Make a new Computed Column called “Follow-up Email Send Date”. Then, insert the following formula:
=B2+14
In the example spreadsheet, B2 points to the “Date” column from the original spreadsheet. If your Date column is in a different column, you will need to modify this formula to reflect that location.
This formula makes the follow-up email be sent 14 days (2 weeks) after the initial email is sent. If you would like to change the time, you can modify the formula accordingly. For example, for 10 days after the first email, the formula would be:
=B2+10
If done properly, you should be able to see the new send dates:
Now, create a SENDGMAIL formula similar to the one for the initial email, but use the follow-up columns and send date instead. In the example spreadsheet, the formula is as follows:
=IF(J2=TODAY(), SENDGMAIL(<sender-credential>, C2, G2, H2))
Where:
C2 is the recipient email. This may need to change based on how your data is structured.
G2 is the Email subject
H2 is the Email body
J2 is the new column we just created that contains the send dates.
If done properly, your new columns should look like this:
9. Automate the emails
Open the automation panel and select the frequency with which you want Lido to check for updates. Since the follow-up email is sent 14 days after the initial one, set the interval to daily.
Each time the automation runs, Lido will fetch the latest data from your Google Sheet, which is connected to your Google Form, and will trigger all the SENDGMAIL actions in the specified column.
Choose the time you want the emails to be sent and click “Save” to finalize the settings.
Your automation is now active! When a new form response is received, Lido will automatically send an email using the information from that response.
Next, set up the automation for your follow-up email. Right-click on “Send Follow-up Email”, select “Run column on a schedule”, and choose “1 Day” along with your preferred time for the schedule. After setting this, click “Save”. If you’ve done everything correctly, your automation drawer should look like this:
We hope that you now understand how to set up an automated lead follow-up system. Check out some of our other articles for even more tutorials!
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like our article on how to set up automated email reminders and how to automate follow-up emails.