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Already enrolled? Sign in →Draw the boundary around your front desk
Define one inquiry workflow with an accountable human owner.
An AI front desk is a process for receiving a request, understanding enough to route it, and helping a person take the next step. It does not need to replace every office task. In this course, you will build one narrow workflow: a website inquiry becomes a row in a spreadsheet, an AI tool drafts a reply, a person approves it, and the customer receives an appropriate next step.
The first version is deliberately a manual pilot. Google Forms can store submissions in a linked sheet, but it will not automatically run your AI prompt, send a personalized email, or create a confirmed booking merely because you created the form. You will perform those steps yourself while learning what the process needs. This makes mistakes visible before they affect real customers.
Choose one low-risk request your business receives repeatedly. A consultation request, a request for a service-area check, or a request to discuss a standard service can work. Avoid beginning with emergencies, sensitive records, binding quotations, or requests that require specialist judgment. Your first workflow should have an owner who can review every response during the pilot.
Write the start and finish in one sentence. For example: 'When someone asks about a faucet repair through our website, I will collect their service ZIP code and problem, review a draft response, and send the correct consultation link or route the request to the owner.' An inquiry is not a booking. A booking is not a completed job. Keep those stages separate.
Finally, assign a response window you can actually meet and a fallback when the owner is unavailable. Do not advertise instant support if you will check the queue twice a day. Use a clear confirmation message explaining when requests are reviewed. A modest process that works consistently is more useful than a broad promise that leaves customers waiting.
Put it into practice.
Write your start-to-finish workflow sentence, choose its human owner, and set the actual hours when that person will review requests.
Completion checks
- One request type is included.
- The owner and review window are named.
- The difference between inquiry, booking, and completed service is explicit.