Courses › AI for Small Business Owners › Lesson 4: Walk-in customers and customers who do not use WhatsApp
Lesson 4 of 8 from the course AI for Small Business Owners (in preparation). It is still being tested with real people. Check every step against your own work.
What you will be able to do
Take a customer’s request, whether they come in person, phone, text or message you online, and turn it into a clear job ticket and a polite confirmation. About 15 minutes.
Not every customer uses WhatsApp
Some customers walk in, phone, send an SMS or bring a note. The method is the same: capture the same facts every time, in the same order. That is a simple intake sheet, on paper or in a form.
Step 1: Map your intake on paper
Write the questions you always have to ask before you can start or price a job. Most businesses need: what they need, size or amount, quantity, deadline, budget, and a sample or reference if there is one. Add what your own work needs, such as material, colour or delivery.
Step 2: Fill the sheet while the customer talks
Use one sheet per customer. If something is unclear, write “ask” beside it instead of guessing.
Step 3: Turn rough notes into a job ticket
Remove private details first, then ask:
Here are my rough notes from a customer enquiry: [paste notes]. Put them into a job ticket with these headings: what is needed, size or amount, quantity, deadline, budget, notes. List any question I still need to ask. Do not add any detail that is not in my notes.
Step 4: Write a polite confirmation
Write a short, polite confirmation message to a customer, to send by SMS or message, using only these confirmed details: [paste]. Do not mention a price unless I give one. End by asking them to reply to confirm.
You can also read it out in a phone call. Keep the ticket as your record.
Practice
Fill the sheet for three real or imagined customers: one walk-in, one phone call, one message. Make a ticket and a confirmation for each. Check every detail against your notes.
Measure it
Time a ticket and a confirmation the old way and with AI plus checking. Count how many corrections were needed.