How to Build a Lead Response Automation in Under 60 Minutes

Every minute a new lead waits for a response, your chances of converting them drop. Research consistently shows that businesses that respond within 5 minutes are far more likely to win the deal than those that respond the next day.

The problem: most Irish SME owners are busy. They can’t watch their inbox 24/7. And hiring someone just to respond to enquiries isn’t financially viable for most businesses.

The solution: automation. Specifically, an AI-powered lead response workflow that fires an instant, personalised reply the moment a new enquiry arrives — whether it’s 9am on a Tuesday or 11pm on a Sunday.

Here’s how to build it in under 60 minutes, with no code and no developer required.

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What You’ll Need

• A free account with Make (formerly Integromat) or Zapier — both have free tiers that cover this
• A Gmail account or Microsoft 365 email (this is what captures the enquiries)
• A ChatGPT API key (about €5/month in usage for a busy SME)
• 60 minutes

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The Flow

Here’s what we’re building:

New enquiry arrives → Automation reads it → AI drafts a personalised reply → Email sent automatically → You get notified

The whole thing runs automatically. You review replies at your convenience. Leads get an instant response.

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Step 1: Set Up Your Trigger (10 minutes)

Log into Make (make.com) and create a new scenario.

Your trigger is whatever captures new enquiries. The most common options:

• A contact form on your website — use a webhook trigger in Make. Your website sends new submissions directly to Make.
• Email enquiries — use the Gmail “watch emails” module. Make monitors your inbox for new messages matching specific criteria (e.g. “new enquiry” in the subject, or all emails to enquiries@yourbusiness.ie)
• Facebook/Instagram messages — Use the Meta Business module in Make

For most Irish SMEs, the email trigger is the simplest starting point. Set it to watch your main enquiry inbox.

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Step 2: Extract the Enquiry Details (5 minutes)

Once Make receives the trigger, add a module to extract the relevant information:

• The enquirer’s name (if available)
• Their email address
• The content of their enquiry

Make does this automatically from email content. If you’re using a web form, the fields are already structured and map directly.

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Step 3: Set Up the AI Reply (20 minutes)

This is where ChatGPT comes in. Add a “ChatGPT” module in Make (requires an OpenAI API key — sign up at platform.openai.com, costs are minimal).

In the prompt, write something like:

You are the friendly assistant for [Your Business Name], an Irish [type of business] based in [location].

A potential customer has sent the following enquiry:
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[Insert the enquiry text here]
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Write a warm, professional reply that:
1. Thanks them for getting in touch
2. Acknowledges their specific enquiry
3. Confirms that [Your Name] will be in touch within [your response time]
4. Includes your contact number [your number]
5. Is no longer than 4 sentences

Sign off as Alice, on behalf of [Your Business Name].

The key is to include enough context about your business that the reply sounds genuinely from you, not generic.

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Step 4: Send the Reply (10 minutes)

Add a Gmail “Send Email” module. Connect it to your business email account. Set:

• To: the enquirer’s email address (pulled from step 2)
• From: your business email
• Subject: “Re: [their original subject line]” or a custom subject like “Thanks for your enquiry — [Business Name]”
• Body: the AI-generated reply from step 3

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Step 5: Notify Yourself (5 minutes)

Add one more step: send yourself a notification. Options:

• An email to your personal address with the enquiry details and the reply that was sent
• A Slack or WhatsApp message via Make’s notification modules
• A push notification via the Make mobile app

This way you always know when a new lead has come in and what was sent, so you can follow up personally when you’re ready.

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Step 6: Test It (10 minutes)

Before going live, test the workflow:

1. In Make, turn on your scenario
2. Send a test enquiry to your business email (from a personal account)
3. Watch Make process it
4. Check that the AI reply is appropriate and sounds like your business
5. Adjust the prompt if needed

Common adjustments at this stage:

• Making the tone more formal or more casual
• Adding specific services you offer that the AI should reference
• Ensuring the sign-off matches your brand

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Fine-Tuning Tips

Add a filter: If you get spam enquiries, add a filter step that checks the email for spam indicators before generating a reply.

Multiple templates: As you get more familiar, you can create different reply templates based on keywords in the enquiry — e.g. a different reply for “pricing” enquiries vs. “booking” enquiries.

Working hours flag: Add a condition: if the enquiry arrives between 9am and 6pm on a weekday, the reply says “I’ll be in touch this afternoon.” Outside those hours, it says “I’ll be in touch first thing tomorrow morning.”

CRM integration: If you use a CRM like HubSpot or Pipedrive, add a step that creates a new contact from the enquiry details automatically.

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What This Costs

• Make free tier: €0/month (covers up to 1,000 operations/month)
• ChatGPT API: approximately €3–10/month depending on volume
• Total: under €10/month for most Irish SMEs

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The Result

You’ve just built a system that:

• Responds to new leads in under 60 seconds, 24/7
• Sends personalised, professional replies
• Notifies you so you can follow up personally
• Costs less than a coffee a day

The average Irish SME spends 45 minutes to 2 hours per week just managing initial enquiry responses. This gives you that time back.

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Need Help Setting It Up?

If you’d prefer a guided setup, take the Ask Alice quiz first. Your results include a step-by-step version of this guide tailored to your specific business and the tools you’re already using.

Take the free quiz →