1. Automation Strategy Snapshot - Automation goal: Turn new Typeform inquiries into organized, review-ready lead records with internal notifications, lead categorization, drafted replies, and follow-up tasks. - Primary user or operator: Studio owner, sales coordinator, or operations assistant. - Business pain addressed: Leads arrive through a form but require manual checking, copying into Notion, Slack notification, email drafting, and follow-up planning. - What should be automated: Intake capture, duplicate check, lead categorization, CRM item creation, Slack notification, reply draft creation, and follow-up task creation. - What should remain manual: Final lead qualification decision, client email approval, pricing promise, proposal decision, and calendar booking acceptance. - Practical assumption: Notion is the primary CRM, while Google Sheets is used as a backup log and audit table. 2. Current Process Diagnosis | Current step | Tool or channel | Manual effort | Common failure | Automation opportunity | Risk level | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Lead submits inquiry | Typeform | Low | Required fields may be skipped or vague | Trigger workflow on submission | Low | | Studio checks inbox | Gmail | Medium | Lead waits too long | Notify Slack immediately | Medium | | Lead details copied into CRM | Notion | Medium | Missing fields or typos | Create Notion item automatically | Medium | | Lead checked for duplicate | Notion or memory | Medium | Same company submits twice | Search existing records by email and company | Medium | | Lead categorized | Manual review | Medium | Inconsistent priority labels | AI-assisted categorization with human review | Medium | | Reply drafted | Gmail | Medium | Generic or overcommitting reply | Draft email only, no auto-send | High | | Follow-up task created | Notion or calendar | Medium | Forgotten follow-up | Create task based on status | Medium | | Booking link sent | Gmail or Calendly | Medium | Wrong timing or wrong link | Include approved Calendly link in draft | High | 3. Automation Scope Boundary In-scope automation: - Capture new Typeform inquiries. - Validate required fields. - Log lead in Google Sheets. - Search for possible duplicate leads. - Create or update Notion lead record. - Categorize project type and urgency. - Draft internal summary. - Draft client reply for human review. - Notify Slack with safe summary. - Create follow-up task. Out-of-scope automation: - Automatically sending client email. - Quoting prices. - Rejecting leads. - Creating proposals. - Booking calls without confirmation. - Changing CRM status to won or lost. - Handling signed contracts. Human-owned decisions: - Whether lead is qualified. - Whether budget is acceptable. - Whether timeline is realistic. - Whether to send Calendly link. - Whether to request more information. Data that should not be automated: - Private notes about client fit. - Sensitive payment or contract details. - Internal judgment labels in external emails. External communications requiring review: - First reply email. - Request for budget clarification. - Rejection or referral response. - Proposal next-step email. Upgrade or later-phase ideas: - Proposal brief generation. - Call prep document. - CRM stage automation after call. - Contract and invoice setup. - Post-call follow-up workflow. 4. Recommended No-Code Architecture - Recommended tool stack: Typeform -> Zapier -> Google Sheets backup log -> Notion CRM -> AI classification/draft step -> Slack notification -> Gmail draft -> Notion follow-up task. - System of record: Notion CRM. - Trigger source: New Typeform submission. - Data processing layer: Zapier formatter, filters, lookup steps, and optional code-free field cleaning. - AI module layer: Lead summary, lead category, missing-info detection, and reply draft. - Notification layer: Slack internal channel. - Approval layer: Gmail draft plus Notion status "Needs review". - Logging layer: Google Sheets row for every submission and workflow status. - Fallback manual process: If Zapier or Notion fails, Google Sheets retains the raw lead and Slack alert asks the operator to create CRM item manually. 5. Trigger, Filter, Condition, And Action Map | Step | Trigger or event | Filter or condition | Action | Tool | Data used | Owner | Failure mode | Recovery action | |---:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | New Typeform submission | Form completed | Start automation | Typeform/Zapier | All submitted fields | Automation | Webhook delay | Check Typeform responses manually | | 2 | Submission received | Email exists | Normalize email and company name | Zapier Formatter | Email, company | Automation | Bad formatting | Store raw value and flag | | 3 | Submission received | Always | Add row to backup log | Google Sheets | All lead fields | Automation | Sheet unavailable | Retry, then send Slack failure | | 4 | Email normalized | Email or company match found | Search existing Notion CRM | Notion | Email, company | Automation | Duplicate search misses fuzzy match | Human review duplicate warning | | 5 | Duplicate found | Same email or company | Update existing record with new submission note | Notion | Existing page ID, new notes | Automation | Wrong match | Mark "possible duplicate" not confirmed | | 6 | No duplicate found | Required fields present | Create new lead record | Notion | Lead fields | Automation | Missing database field | Send admin error alert | | 7 | Lead record exists | Always | Run AI lead summary and category | AI step | Project type, notes, budget, timeline | Automation | Generic output | Human reviews category | | 8 | AI category generated | Budget or timeline missing | Add missing-info flag | Notion | Missing fields | Automation | False flag | Operator clears flag | | 9 | Lead record exists | Always | Create Slack summary | Slack | Name, company, project type, budget range, urgency | Automation | PII overexposure | Keep only necessary details | | 10 | Lead record exists | Always | Draft Gmail reply | Gmail draft | Lead summary, missing info, Calendly link | Operator approves | Draft too specific | Operator edits before send | | 11 | Draft created | Status needs review | Create follow-up task | Notion | Lead name, due date, owner | Automation | Task missing owner | Default to sales coordinator | | 12 | Human approves | Manual action only | Send final email | Gmail | Approved draft | Operator | Wrong recipient | Operator checks email before send | 6. Data Field Mapping | Field name | Source | Destination | Required or optional | Validation rule | Example value | Privacy or sensitivity note | If missing | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Lead name | Typeform | Notion, Google Sheets, Gmail draft | Required | Non-empty text | Jordan Lee | Personal data | Flag for manual review | | Email | Typeform | Notion, Gmail draft, Sheets | Required | Valid email format | jordan@example.com | Personal contact info | Stop external draft and notify operator | | Company | Typeform | Notion, Slack summary | Optional | Text, trimmed | Northline Studio | Business info | Use "company not provided" | | Website | Typeform | Notion | Optional | URL if provided | https://northline.co | Public business data | Leave blank | | Budget range | Typeform | Notion, AI category | Optional but useful | Must match allowed options | $5k-$10k | Commercially sensitive | Mark missing-info question | | Timeline | Typeform | Notion, AI category | Optional but useful | Date or range | Launch in 8 weeks | Business planning data | Ask in draft reply | | Project type | Typeform | Notion, Slack, AI summary | Required | Allowed category | Website redesign | Low sensitivity | Mark "unknown project type" | | Notes | Typeform | Notion, AI summary | Optional | Text length under tool limit | Need help with Webflow rebuild | May include sensitive context | Do not post full notes to Slack | | Lead score | AI module | Notion | Optional | Low, medium, high, or needs review | Medium | Internal-only | Default to needs review | | Draft reply | AI module | Gmail draft | Optional | Must include human review | Email body | External communication | Create draft only | | Follow-up due date | Zapier | Notion task | Required | Date within 2 business days | 2026-06-12 | Internal operations | Default to next business day | | Workflow status | Zapier | Google Sheets | Required | Success, partial, failed | Partial | Internal log | Update after each major step | 7. AI Prompt Modules Module 1: Lead Summary - Purpose: Convert the form submission into a concise internal summary. - Input fields: name, company, website, project type, budget range, timeline, notes. - Output format: - Summary. - Key needs. - Missing information. - Suggested next step. - Prompt text: "Summarize this inbound web design lead for internal review. Do not invent facts. If budget, timeline, website, or project scope is missing, list it as missing. Keep the summary under 120 words. Use neutral business language. Input: [lead fields]." - Quality checks: - No invented budget. - No promise of availability. - Missing fields clearly listed. - Human review rule: Operator reads summary before changing lead status. - Unsafe-use warning: Do not send this internal summary to the client. Module 2: Lead Category And Priority - Purpose: Categorize lead type and review urgency. - Input fields: project type, budget range, timeline, notes. - Output format: - Category. - Priority. - Reason. - Confidence level. - Prompt text: "Classify this lead into one category: redesign, new website, ecommerce, landing page, maintenance, unclear. Then assign priority: low, medium, high, needs review. Use budget and timeline only if provided. Do not reject leads automatically. Output category, priority, reason, and confidence." - Quality checks: - Category is from allowed list. - Low confidence triggers review. - No automatic rejection. - Human review rule: Human confirms category before using it for sales decisions. - Unsafe-use warning: Do not use AI category as final qualification decision. Module 3: Missing Information Detector - Purpose: Identify questions to ask before booking. - Input fields: all form fields. - Output format: - Missing field. - Why it matters. - Client-friendly question. - Prompt text: "Review this lead intake. List only missing or unclear information needed before a discovery call. Write client-friendly questions. Do not ask for information already provided." - Quality checks: - No duplicate questions. - Questions are polite. - Does not ask for sensitive information unless necessary. - Human review rule: Operator approves questions before sending. - Unsafe-use warning: Do not collect unnecessary personal data. Module 4: First Reply Draft - Purpose: Draft a client response for review. - Input fields: name, project type, missing questions, Calendly link, studio tone. - Output format: Email subject and body. - Prompt text: "Draft a warm, concise reply to this inbound inquiry. Thank the lead, reference their project type, ask any missing questions, and optionally include the approved Calendly link if the lead appears ready for a call. Do not quote price, promise availability, guarantee outcomes, or imply the project is accepted. Output subject and body." - Quality checks: - No price quote. - No promise of results. - No automatic acceptance. - Correct recipient name. - Human review rule: Draft only. Human must edit and send. - Unsafe-use warning: Never auto-send without approval. 8. Human Review And Approval Gates | Gate name | When it triggers | What human checks | Approval options | Rejection path | SLA suggestion | Audit log note | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Duplicate review | Possible email or company match | Whether records are same lead | Merge, keep separate, mark duplicate | Create separate record | Same business day | Log reviewer and decision | | Lead category review | AI confidence low or category unclear | Project type and priority | Approve, edit, mark needs info | Return to missing-info step | Same business day | Store original AI category | | Missing-info review | Budget, timeline, scope, or email missing | Questions are necessary and polite | Approve questions, edit, skip | Create manual note | Same business day | Log fields requested | | First reply approval | Gmail draft created | Tone, facts, recipient, link, claims | Send, edit, hold, reject | Return to draft step | Within 1 business day | Store sent timestamp | | High-budget lead review | Budget exceeds threshold | Owner should personally review | Assign owner, schedule call, hold | Notify owner | Same day | Mark high-priority | | Workflow failure review | CRM or draft creation fails | Whether manual recovery needed | Retry, manual create, pause | Escalate to admin | Within 4 hours | Log failure code | 9. Error Handling And Fallback Plan | Error scenario | Likely cause | Detection signal | Immediate fallback | Long-term fix | Owner | Severity | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Typeform trigger delayed | Webhook delay | No new run after submission | Check Typeform manually | Add daily reconciliation | Ops | Medium | | Invalid email format | User typo | Validation fails | Create CRM note, no draft | Add form validation | Ops | Medium | | Missing budget | Optional field skipped | Blank budget field | Ask in draft reply | Make field required if needed | Sales | Low | | Missing timeline | Optional field skipped | Blank timeline | Ask clarification | Add timeline options | Sales | Low | | Notion database field missing | Database changed | Create record fails | Log to Sheets and Slack admin | Lock database schema | Ops | High | | Duplicate not detected | Different email/company spelling | Similar lead appears later | Manual duplicate review | Add fuzzy match process | Sales | Medium | | Wrong duplicate match | Similar company name | Existing record updated incorrectly | Revert update from log | Require human approval for merge | Ops | High | | AI summary too generic | Weak input notes | Summary lacks specifics | Use raw notes in review | Improve prompt context | Ops | Low | | AI invents detail | Model hallucination | Detail not in form | Human removes from draft | Add stricter prompt checks | Sales | High | | Slack exposes too much PII | Message includes full notes | Slack preview too detailed | Delete message if needed | Limit Slack fields | Ops | High | | Gmail draft missing | Gmail action fails | No draft link | Create manual draft from template | Retry or reconnect account | Sales | Medium | | Follow-up task unassigned | Owner field blank | Notion task missing owner | Assign default owner | Required owner mapping | Ops | Medium | | Zapier task limit hit | Plan limit | Runs stop | Manual processing from Sheets | Upgrade or optimize | Admin | High | | Calendly link wrong | Static link outdated | Draft contains bad link | Remove before sending | Store approved link centrally | Sales | Medium | | Workflow partial success | Some actions worked | Sheets status partial | Review failed step manually | Add step-level status logging | Ops | High | 10. Privacy, Permissions, And Sensitive Data Notes Data minimization: - Send only necessary fields to Slack. - Keep full form notes in Notion, not public channels. - Avoid copying sensitive client context into AI tools unless necessary. - Use lead ID links rather than full details in notifications when possible. Access permissions to verify: - Typeform form access. - Zapier connection permissions. - Notion database edit rights. - Google Sheets edit rights. - Slack channel posting permissions. - Gmail draft creation permission. - Calendly approved booking link. Customer or client data concerns: - Name and email are personal contact information. - Budget and timeline may be commercially sensitive. - Project notes may include confidential business plans. - Do not expose full notes in Slack. Internal data concerns: - Lead score and priority should remain internal. - Duplicate review notes should remain internal. - Rejection reasons should not appear in client-facing drafts. Retention notes: - Keep backup log only as long as operationally needed. - Define who can access lead logs. - Periodically archive old lead records. External message review: - All client emails remain drafts until approved. - Confirm recipient, name, facts, and links before sending. Avoid sending into AI tools: - Passwords. - API keys. - Payment details. - Private contracts. - Sensitive internal judgment notes. 11. QA Test Plan | Test case | Input | Expected result | Failure condition | Pass/fail criteria | Tester | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Complete lead | All fields provided | Notion record, Sheets row, Slack alert, Gmail draft, task | Any action missing | All expected outputs created | Ops | | Missing budget | Budget blank | Missing-info flag and budget question | Lead rejected or no flag | Flag appears and draft asks politely | Sales | | Missing timeline | Timeline blank | Timeline question added | Draft ignores timeline | Draft includes timeline question | Sales | | Invalid email | Bad email | No Gmail draft, manual review flag | Draft created to invalid address | External draft blocked | Ops | | Duplicate email | Same email existing | Possible duplicate gate | New record created silently | Duplicate review appears | Sales | | Similar company | Company spelled differently | Possible duplicate note if lookup supports | Wrong automatic merge | No auto-merge without review | Ops | | High-budget lead | Budget above threshold | Owner notification | Normal priority only | Owner review gate appears | Studio owner | | Low-detail notes | Short vague notes | Summary states uncertainty | AI invents project details | No invented facts | Sales | | Slack privacy | Long notes with sensitive content | Slack shows short safe summary | Full notes posted | Slack message limited | Ops | | Gmail draft review | Ready lead | Draft created but not sent | Email auto-sent | Draft only | Sales | | Calendly link | Approved link present | Draft includes correct link if appropriate | Wrong link | Link matches approved value | Sales | | Notion failure | Temporarily disconnect Notion | Sheets backup and admin alert | Lead lost | Raw lead retained | Ops | | Sheets failure | Sheet unavailable | Slack admin alert and Notion still created if possible | Run stops silently | Failure logged | Ops | | AI output check | Prompt module runs | Structured output | Freeform unusable output | Required fields present | Ops | | Follow-up task | Lead created | Task assigned due next business day | No owner/date | Owner and date exist | Sales | | Partial success status | Simulate one failed action | Status shows partial | Status remains success | Partial logged | Ops | 12. Implementation Roadmap | Phase | Tasks | Setup requirements | Acceptance criteria | Effort level | Dependency | Go/no-go decision | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Phase 1: Intake and logging | Connect Typeform, create Sheets log, map raw fields | Typeform and Sheets access | Every submission creates backup row | Low | Form fields finalized | Go if raw logging works | | Phase 2: CRM creation | Create Notion database fields and record action | Notion database schema | Complete lead creates Notion item | Medium | Field mapping approved | Go if CRM item accurate | | Phase 3: Duplicate check | Search by email/company and flag possible duplicates | Notion lookup setup | Duplicate gate triggers | Medium | CRM records available | Go if no auto-merge risk | | Phase 4: AI modules | Add summary, category, missing-info, draft modules | Approved AI tool and prompts | Outputs are structured and reviewable | Medium | Prompt review complete | Go if hallucination risk controlled | | Phase 5: Notifications and drafts | Add Slack alert and Gmail draft | Slack/Gmail permissions | Internal alert and draft created | Medium | Privacy fields approved | Go if no auto-send | | Phase 6: Follow-up tasks | Create Notion task and owner assignment | Owner mapping | Task appears with due date | Low | Owner list | Go if owner/date correct | | Phase 7: QA and launch | Run test plan, fix failures, train operator | Test submissions | All critical tests pass | Medium | All phases built | Go if manual fallback documented | 13. Operator SOP Daily checks: 1. Open Google Sheets backup log. 2. Filter for failed or partial runs. 3. Open Notion leads marked "Needs review." 4. Check Slack alerts for new leads. 5. Review Gmail drafts before sending. 6. Confirm follow-up tasks have owners. Weekly checks: 1. Review duplicate warnings. 2. Check lead category accuracy. 3. Review missing-info patterns. 4. Confirm Zapier task usage. 5. Update approved Calendly link if needed. 6. Archive stale draft replies. Handling failed runs: 1. Read failure alert. 2. Find raw submission in Google Sheets. 3. Manually create or update Notion record. 4. Manually draft email if needed. 5. Mark run recovered. 6. Log the cause. Approving queued items: 1. Open lead record. 2. Check AI summary against original notes. 3. Review category and priority. 4. Open Gmail draft. 5. Verify recipient, name, project type, missing questions, and link. 6. Edit and send only after approval. Updating records: 1. Change status only after human review. 2. Add notes for manual decisions. 3. Mark duplicate decisions. 4. Update follow-up due dates. Pausing automation: 1. Turn off Zapier workflow. 2. Post internal note in Slack. 3. Monitor Typeform manually. 4. Re-enable only after testing. Escalating issues: - Privacy exposure: notify owner immediately. - Wrong draft recipient: stop sending and review logs. - Notion schema failure: notify automation admin. - Repeated AI quality issue: disable AI module until reviewed. 14. Monitoring And Maintenance Checklist Metrics to monitor: - New submissions per week. - Successful runs. - Partial or failed runs. - Duplicate warnings. - Drafts approved. - Drafts rejected. - Missing budget or timeline frequency. - Average time to first human review. Logs to review: - Google Sheets raw submission log. - Zapier run history. - Notion CRM updates. - Slack failure alerts. - Gmail draft creation logs if available. Alerts to configure: - Workflow failure. - Notion record creation failure. - Gmail draft failure. - Duplicate found. - High-budget lead. - Missing required email. Monthly maintenance: - Review field mapping. - Test Typeform changes. - Check Notion schema. - Confirm Slack channel membership. - Confirm approved Calendly link. - Review AI prompt quality. - Archive old logs. Tool limit checks: - Zapier task usage. - Typeform response limits. - Notion API limits. - Gmail sending or draft limits. - AI usage limits. Data quality checks: - Email format. - Required fields. - Duplicate rates. - Category accuracy. - Missing field patterns. Documentation reminders: - Update SOP after tool changes. - Save screenshots of workflow setup. - Record prompt changes. - Version the automation blueprint. 15. Client Or Team Handoff Summary Plain-English summary: This automation captures inbound website leads from Typeform, logs them in Google Sheets, creates or updates Notion CRM records, flags possible duplicates, drafts internal summaries and client replies, posts safe Slack alerts, and creates follow-up tasks. Client-facing emails remain human-approved drafts. What has been automated: - Intake capture. - Backup logging. - CRM record creation. - Duplicate flagging. - AI-assisted summary and category. - Slack notification. - Gmail draft creation. - Follow-up task creation. What still requires human judgment: - Final lead qualification. - Duplicate merge decisions. - Email approval. - Pricing or proposal decisions. - Booking decision. - Any rejection or sensitive response. Required accounts and permissions: - Typeform access. - Zapier access. - Notion database permissions. - Google Sheets permissions. - Slack posting permission. - Gmail draft permission. - Calendly link approval. Launch checklist: - Test complete lead. - Test missing fields. - Test duplicate. - Test Notion failure. - Test Gmail draft creation. - Confirm no email auto-send. - Train operator. - Document fallback. Training notes: - Review AI outputs against original form data. - Keep Slack alerts privacy-safe. - Use Google Sheets as recovery source. - Never send drafts without checking facts and links. Known limitations: - Duplicate detection may miss fuzzy matches. - AI categorization is assistive, not final. - Tool outages require manual fallback. - Form field changes can break mapping. Next improvement ideas: - Add call prep document. - Add proposal brief generator. - Add post-call follow-up. - Add reporting dashboard. - Add onboarding workflow after lead conversion. 16. Build Notes For No-Code Implementers Naming conventions: - Zap name: Lead Intake - Typeform to Notion CRM - Draft Reply. - Notion database: Leads CRM. - Google Sheet: Lead Intake Backup Log. - Slack channel: #sales-leads. - Gmail label: Lead Drafts. Workspace structure: - Automation overview. - Field mapping. - Prompt modules. - Test cases. - SOP. - Screenshots. - Change log. Versioning: - Version prompt modules as v1, v2, v3. - Record field mapping changes by date. - Keep old prompt copies for rollback. Rollback plan: 1. Turn off workflow. 2. Process leads manually from Typeform. 3. Use Google Sheets log to recover missed submissions. 4. Revert to previous prompt module. 5. Retest before relaunch. Documentation format: - One-page overview. - Step-by-step setup guide. - Field mapping table. - QA test results. - Operator SOP. Screenshots or Loom videos to capture: - Typeform trigger setup. - Google Sheets log row. - Notion database fields. - Duplicate lookup step. - AI module settings. - Slack message preview. - Gmail draft action. - Failed-run recovery path.