How to automate customer follow-ups
Kahu team·Updated 2 Oct 2026·6 min read
Use the dates and details already in your CRM, such as purchase date, service type and last visit, to trigger a short series of follow-ups: a thank-you, a check-in, a review request, a reminder when the customer is due again and a friendly note if they lapse. Draft each one once, keep consent rules in mind, and review the results monthly.
Follow-ups after the sale
Lead follow-ups chase a first yes. Customer follow-ups earn the second, third and tenth one. They are the easiest messages to automate, because the trigger is already in your records: a job finished, a service is due, or a customer has not been back for a while.
The five follow-ups worth automating
| Follow-up | Trigger | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|
| Thank-you | Job completed or order delivered | Same day or next day |
| Check-in | A few days after delivery | When a problem would show up |
| Review request | Customer seemed happy at the check-in | Shortly after |
| Rebooking reminder | Last service date plus your usual interval | Just before they are due |
| Win-back | No purchase for much longer than usual | Once, gently |
The timings depend on your business. A hairdresser’s rebooking interval is weeks, a heat pump service is a year. Use your own records to set them.
Where Kahu fits
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Email · quiet 6 daysHow to set it up
- 1Get the dates inMake sure each customer record has a last purchase or service date and what they bought. Without these, nothing can trigger.
- 2Write each message onceShort, personal, with the customer’s name and the specific service. End with one clear action.
- 3Choose the channelUse the one the customer contacted you on. A reminder by text or WhatsApp is read more reliably than a newsletter.
- 4Set the rulesStop the series the moment the customer replies or books. Never send a review request after a complaint.
- 5Approve before scalingLet the first few go out as drafts you check, then switch to automatic for the ones that read well.
Stay on the right side of consent
A thank-you or a check-in about what someone bought is part of serving them. Win-back offers and promotions are marketing. Under New Zealand’s Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act, commercial messages need consent, must identify who sent them and must include a working unsubscribe option. Record consent on the customer’s record and let the automation check it.
Frequently asked questions
Will automated follow-ups feel impersonal?
Not if they use real details: the name, the job, the date. A specific two-line message feels more personal than a long generic one.
How many follow-ups is too many?
If every message is useful and timely, a handful a year is fine. Stop any series as soon as the customer responds.
Can AI write the follow-ups?
AI can draft each message from the customer’s history. Read the drafts before turning on automatic sending.