Give each enquiry a visible owner, a next action and a shared history. A shared inbox is not enough if everyone assumes somebody else has responded. The process should make handovers explicit while letting another team member understand what has already happened.
What could this look like in practice?
An enquiry arrives while its usual contact is away. Another colleague sees the latest conversation, assigns the next action and records their response. When the original contact returns, they can continue without asking the customer to repeat the same details.
Where should you start?
- Create a record for enquiries that need follow-up.
- Assign an owner and next action.
- Keep relevant messages and decisions together.
- Define what happens when the owner is unavailable.
Questions and answers
Should every enquiry receive the same deadline?
Different requests may need different handling. Agree sensible priorities and response expectations based on the work involved, rather than a rule that makes every message equally urgent.
Can we share responsibility without confusion?
A team can have access while one person remains responsible for the next action. Make reassignment visible so a handover does not leave the record without ownership.
Would we need bespoke software?
Not necessarily. First check whether suitable existing tools or a change to the process can meet this requirement. A dedicated system is worth investigating where an important gap remains. Demonstrate your normal workflow and an exception so the proposed approach can be assessed against real work.
What affects the cost?
The scope, user roles, information handled, integrations and testing requirements all affect the work involved. Hosting, maintenance and support also belong in the overall budget. Agree the essential first release before requesting an estimate; a generic price cannot establish what your particular project needs.
Plan a useful next step with Digital Solutions
Bring a typical record and explain where work gets delayed, repeated or handed over. Digital Solutions can help define a practical software requirement around those tasks. Agree what a successful first version should achieve, how staff will test it and who will maintain the process after launch.
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