ClerkChat
Sign In
Lead qualification

Qualify the enquiry before it reaches your inbox

Most enquiries are not leads. They are people checking whether you cover their area, whether you work at their size, or whether you do the thing at all. An agent asks what you would ask and hands over only the ones worth a call.

Is this you?

The questions below are the ones customers actually type.

Solar panel installers

Half of the enquiries are outside the coverage area or from renters who cannot authorise the work. Each one still takes a call to find that out.

  • Do you cover the SW postcodes?
  • How much for a three-bed semi?
  • Does the government grant still apply?
  • I rent — can I still get panels?

The agent establishes postcode, ownership, roof type and rough electricity spend before anyone picks up a phone. A renter gets a straight answer immediately instead of waiting two days for a call that says no.

IT and managed service agencies

You have a minimum engagement size, and a steady stream of two-person startups asking for a quote. Saying no politely still costs an hour a week.

  • How many users do you support as a minimum?
  • Do you handle Macs as well as Windows?
  • Can you take over from our current provider mid-contract?
  • Do you do one-off fixes?

Seat count and current setup are established up front. Anyone under your minimum gets a courteous no and a suggestion, and the ones above it arrive with the details already gathered.

Medical and mobility equipment suppliers

The same product is sold three ways — to an individual, to a clinic, and through procurement — and each needs a different answer about pricing, lead time and VAT.

  • Is this available on NHS procurement?
  • Am I VAT exempt if it is for a disability?
  • What is the lead time on a ceiling hoist?
  • Do you deliver to clinics in Ireland?

The agent works out which kind of buyer it is talking to first, because that single fact changes every other answer. Individuals get the VAT relief explanation; procurement gets routed to the person who handles tenders.

Commercial property and lettings

Enquiries arrive about listings that are already under offer, and viewings get requested for times nobody is available.

  • Is the unit on Mill Street still available?
  • What is the service charge?
  • Can I view on Saturday?
  • Is it suitable for A3 use?

Availability and use class are answered instantly, and viewing requests arrive with a name, a preferred time and the specific unit already attached.

Insurance brokers

Quotes depend on details the customer never volunteers, so the first call is spent collecting them.

  • Do you cover a 2003 import?
  • I had a claim two years ago, does that rule me out?
  • Can I insure two drivers under 25?

The disqualifying facts surface first. Anyone who cannot be covered finds out in a minute rather than after a form and a callback.

What it does

  • Asks your qualifying questions, in orderYou describe what disqualifies an enquiry — the wrong area, too small, the wrong kind of buyer — and the agent establishes those first rather than last.
  • Captures the lead with the answers attachedA qualified enquiry arrives with the details already gathered, so the first real conversation starts from something rather than from scratch.
  • Says no kindly, and immediatelyAn honest no in sixty seconds is better service than a polite no in two days, and it costs you nothing to give.
  • Works in the thread they messaged you inA WhatsApp enquiry is qualified in WhatsApp. Nobody is asked to fill in a form or wait for an email.

Setting it up

  1. 1
    Write down what makes an enquiry worth your timeCoverage area, minimum size, buyer type, timeline. This is usually a short list and you already know it by heart.
  2. 2
    Point the agent at your existing materialService pages, pricing guides and the answers you have typed a hundred times. It answers from these.
  3. 3
    Turn on lead captureQualified enquiries are collected with their answers. Route them to Slack if you want to see them as they arrive.

What it does not do

  • It does not dial out or chase a lead that goes quiet
  • It does not write into your CRM by itself — that needs a custom action pointing at your system
  • It qualifies against rules you give it, so a rule you did not think of is a rule it cannot apply

Questions

How does it know what a good lead looks like for my business?
You tell it. Coverage area, minimum size, the kinds of customer you cannot serve — the same list you would give a new salesperson on their first day. It applies those before handing anything over.
Can it push leads into my CRM?
Not on its own. Leads are captured and can be sent to Slack as they arrive, and a custom action can post them to your own endpoint if you have somewhere to put them.
Will it put people off by interrogating them?
It should answer first and ask second. A visitor who asks about price gets the price, and the qualifying questions come as part of that conversation rather than as a gate in front of it.

Where it answers

For your industry

Related jobs

Stop spending calls on enquiries that were never going to work

Set up qualifying questions in minutes. Free plan, no card needed.

Start freeSee pricing