In brief
- Connect the four inquiry sources to the request queue Ridgeway already pays for (option B).
- $6,900 once, no new monthly cost, live in five weeks, and reversible in 15 minutes.
- No new CRM and no chatbot. Kim Osei owns the queue; Dana Ruiz approves quotes over $2,500.
The decision
How should Ridgeway make sure every inquiry gets an owner and a reply within two business hours?
Four inquiry sources feed one unowned inbox. Median first reply is 26 hours and about four inquiries a week get no reply at all. Office time spent chasing is 12 hours a week. The existing field-service app already includes a request queue at the current plan tier.
The flow, before and after
Why it's hereA picture of the work, not the software. Most problems are obvious once the whole flow is on one page.
- Web form
- Phone and voicemail
- Google messages
- Lead marketplace
- Kim replies when she remembers
- Dana clears the rest at night
- A spreadsheet tracks some of it
26 hrs to first reply · 4 a week never answered
- Web form
- Phone and voicemail
- Google messages
- Lead marketplace
- Matched to the customer recordConnect
- Reminder at 2 hours, digest at 5 pmAutomate
- Kim replies personallyHuman
- Spreadsheet archivedRemove
Target: first reply under 2 business hours · none lost
Options weighed
Why it's hereDoing nothing and the options we don't recommend are always on the table, with honest numbers, so the choice stays yours.
| Option | Upfront | Monthly | Time | Risk | Reversible | First year | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A · Keep, add disciplineInbox labels and a twice-daily sweep. | $0 | $0 | This week | Depends on one person; fails on vacation | Yes | $0 | Do now, as a stopgap |
| B · Connect to the app you haveRoute all four sources into the field-service request queue, auto-assign, remind at 2 hours. | $6,900 | $0 new | 5 weeks | Low: existing tools, reversible connections | Yes, in 15 minutes | $6,900 | Recommended |
| C · Replace with an all-in-one CRMNew platform for sales, dispatch, and billing. | $9k–14k | +$350 | 3 months | High: migration, retraining nine technicians | Hard | $13,200–18,200 | Not now |
| D · AI chatbot answers inquiriesAutomated replies and booking on the website. | $2k–4k | +$120 | 3 weeks | Wrong quotes or promises made to customers | Yes | $3,440–5,440 | Don't add |
Recommendation
Option B, with option A running from this week until it goes live. It fixes the cause (no owner, no clock) with tools Ridgeway already pays for, adds no subscriptions, and leaves every customer reply with a person.
What we are not doing
Why it's hereSaying no in writing prevents scope creep and the 'while you're at it' purchase.
- No new CRM. The current app covers what the inquiry problem needs; revisit if dispatch becomes the bottleneck.
- No chatbot or AI-written replies. The first reply is the start of the relationship.
- No after-hours answering service yet. Revisit at the 60-day review with real call data.
People stay in charge
- Kim Osei owns the queue and can pause any automation from her phone.
- Luis Ortega covers the queue when Kim is out, with a practice day before go-live.
- Dana Ruiz approves any quote over $2,500. Automated messages use reviewed, fixed text only.
Risks and controls
- Duplicate customer records
- Match on phone and email; weekly duplicate report to Kim.
- A connection fails silently
- Daily test inquiry; alert to Kim if it doesn't arrive in 10 minutes.
- Outside access lingers
- Trustology admin access removed at handoff; access list in the runbook.
- Team falls back to old habits
- Spreadsheet archived read-only; Monday summary shows unassigned requests.
How we'll know it worked
| Measure | Today | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Median first reply | 26 hrs | Under 2 business hrs |
| Unanswered inquiries | 4 a week | Zero |
| Office time chasing | 12 hrs a week | Under 4 hrs a week |
| Replies on Kim's days off | Next day or later | Under 2 business hrs |
Review: 60 days after go-live. If the targets aren't met, we say so in writing and propose what changes.
Sign-off
Why it's hereA decision needs an owner. The signature makes it a business decision, not a technical one.
Changes: v1.1 added option D at Dana's request. v1.2 made Luis the backup owner of the queue.
Questions? Reply to the email that has this document, or write to [email protected].