Lead Follow-Up Automation in HighLevel – Build the Most Important Workflow
The lead follow-up automation is the most important workflow in HighLevel for most local businesses. Trigger: Contact Created or Form Submitted. Steps: Wait 1 to 5 minutes (avoids the ‘instant robot’ feeling), Send SMS (‘Hi [First Name], thanks for reaching out to [Business Name]! Is now a good time for a quick call?’), Send Email (more detail on the service and a direct booking link). This workflow runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – every lead gets a personal-feeling response within minutes regardless of when they submitted.
Why Lead Follow-Up Speed Matters
Research consistently shows that lead response speed is the single biggest predictor of contact rate and conversion rate.
A lead contacted within 5 minutes is dramatically more likely to become a customer than one contacted 30 minutes later – and contacted within 5 minutes, they are still thinking about the problem that made them reach out.
Without automation, fast follow-up depends on someone being available and remembering to respond. Automation removes both dependencies.
Building the Lead Follow-Up Workflow
In Workflow Builder, create a new workflow. Set the trigger to Contact Created (to fire for every new lead from any source) or Form Submitted filtered to the main lead capture form.
Add a Wait step: 2 to 5 minutes. This brief delay makes the automated response feel more like a prompt human reply than an instant robot.
Add a Send SMS action. The message: ‘Hi [First Name]! This is [Business Name] – thanks for reaching out. Is now a good time for a quick chat?’ Under 160 characters, warm tone, ends with a question.
Adding the Email Step
After the SMS action, add a Send Email action. Use an email template with the business’s branding.
The email can be longer than the SMS – include a brief description of the service, what makes the business different, a direct booking link, and the team’s contact information.
The SMS catches their attention immediately. The email arrives moments later with the detail to make a decision.
Adding an If/Else Branch
After a 30-minute wait, add an If/Else condition: has the contact replied to any message? If yes – remove from follow-up sequence (they are engaged). If no – send a second SMS.
The second SMS: ‘Hey [First Name], just following up! We’d love to help with [service]. Reply here or call us at [phone] any time.’
A third follow-up 24 hours later completes the sequence for non-responders.
Source-Specific Versions
Build separate lead follow-up workflows for different sources if the message should differ.
A Facebook Lead Ad contact might get a message referencing the ad offer. A booking page contact already has an appointment – they need a reminder, not a follow-up call request.
Use the trigger filter to route different source contacts to the appropriate follow-up workflow from the start.
Testing Before Going Live
Test the workflow by submitting a test form from a personal email and phone number. Verify the SMS arrives within the configured wait time. Check the email lands in the inbox (not spam).
Review the test contact’s activity timeline to confirm the workflow ran all steps correctly.
Only activate the workflow after a complete successful test – silent failures in an untested workflow mean leads are not being followed up.
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