Response Patterns

Reply structure by bucket, plus the digest format for scheduled runs.

The shared rule: answer the actual question first. Everything else in the reply is secondary to proving a real person read what they wrote.

Qualified — the standard reply

Four parts, under 100 words.

<Greeting per voice profile>

<Answer their specific question.>

<Confirm you can help, in one line.>

<Two or three real calendar slots.>

<Sign-off per voice profile>

Worked example:

Hi Dana,

Yes — we cover multi-building portfolios on a single service plan, and six
buildings is well inside what we handle.

Straight answer on pricing: it depends on unit age and access, but for a
portfolio that size it usually lands cheaper than per-building contracts.

I could walk the sites Thursday morning or Friday after 1. Either work?

Thanks, Ray

The prospect asked whether the owner handles portfolios and what it costs. Both got answered. The times are real. It took 68 words.

Hot — the same reply, faster, plus a human

Hot leads get the identical reply structure. What changes is that a human is told immediately and the ask gets more direct.

Hi Marcus,

No cooling on a 40,000 sq ft floor is a same-day problem — yes, we can help.

I can have someone there this afternoon. Calling you in the next few minutes
to confirm the address and access.

Thanks, Ray

Then the routing message to the owner:

🔥 HOT — Marcus Ilo, Corwin & Bay Management
No cooling, 40,000 sq ft commercial floor, needs same day.
9 buildings, existing portfolio-sized prospect.
I replied saying you'd call in the next few minutes.
→ Call 503-555-0142 now.

The routing note ends with one instruction. Not a summary, not options.

Unclear — one question

Hi Sam,

Happy to help with this — one thing I need first: is this for a commercial
building or a house? Changes who I'd send and what it runs.

Thanks, Ray

One question, the one that resolves the sort. A four-question form here loses the lead, which is the exact opposite of the point.

Out of scope — honest, and refer

Hi Priya,

Straight answer: commercial kitchen refrigeration isn't something we're
certified for, so I'd be doing you a disservice taking it on.

Basin Cooling handles this — ask for Teri, tell her I sent you. She's good.

Thanks, Ray

Thirty seconds. In a small market this comes back, and the alternative is a review complaining nobody answered.

If there is no one to refer to, still reply. "Not something we do, sorry — didn't want to leave you hanging" beats silence.

Rules across every reply

Under 100 words. They are contacting competitors in the same sitting.

Real times only. Read the calendar. An offered slot that turns out to be taken costs a second exchange at the exact moment speed mattered.

No automation disclaimer. "This is an automated response" undoes the whole benefit. Write as the owner, plainly.

No invented familiarity. Reference only what they actually wrote. "I saw you're doing great work" when nobody looked is a tell.

Match their register. A three-word inquiry gets a short reply. A detailed one gets a fuller answer.

Never reply under a human's response. Check the thread first.

The digest, for scheduled runs

## Inbound — <period>

<count> inquiries · median time to draft <time> · oldest draft waiting <time>

🔥 <n> need you now
   - <name, company> — <one line> → <action> (paged <channel> at <time>)

✎ <n> drafted, waiting for your approval
   - <name> — <what they wanted> · draft proposes <meeting time>
   - <name> — unclear, draft asks <the question>
   - <name> — out of scope, draft refers to <referred to>
   Say "send the qualified ones" or "send all" to approve this batch.

⚑ <n> held, no draft
   - <name> — <what the message asked for> → verify by <channel on file>

✓ <n> approved and sent since the last digest
   - <name> — <what they wanted> · <meeting time, if booked>

<Anything unavailable this run.>

Worked example:

## Inbound — overnight, Jul 26–27

7 inquiries · median time to draft 4 minutes · oldest draft waiting 6 h 40 m

🔥 1 needs you now
   - Marcus Ilo, Corwin & Bay — no cooling, 40,000 sq ft, same day
     → Call 503-555-0142. Paged #sales-hot at 11:52 pm; nobody has picked
     it up. The draft says you'll ring first thing.

✎ 5 drafted, waiting for your approval
   - Dana Whitfield, Ridgeline — 6-building service plan · proposes Thu 9:00
   - Cole Erikson, Fairmount — quote on rooftop replacement · proposes Fri 13:30
   - Ana Reyes — annual maintenance renewal · proposes Thu 15:00
   - Sam Yoon — unclear, draft asks if it's commercial or residential
   - Priya Nandan — out of scope, draft refers to Basin Cooling (Teri)
   Say "send the qualified ones" to send the first three, or "send all."

⚑ 1 held, no draft
   - "Terrance Bell" — asks you to pay a deposit to a new account today
     → sending domain is one letter off. Verify by the number on file.

✓ 0 approved and sent since the last digest

Lead with the two times. Four minutes to a draft is the proof this skill works overnight; the oldest-draft number is the nudge to approve the batch, and it is the one that keeps response time honest. Nothing in the digest is described as answered or booked until the owner has approved it.

What the digest must not become

A list of everything that happened, with no sorting. The owner reads the first section and acts. If hot leads are buried in a chronological list, the digest has failed at its only job.

Hot first, always. Even if it is the only section with anything in it.