Google Workspace and Apps Script: automating how you follow up on enquiries
An enquiry comes in through the website; a confirmation leaves from your own address, a meeting is offered, a reminder follows. Everything happens in the tools you already have.
5 min readIf your business uses Google Workspace, Apps Script can automate enquiry follow-up without adding software: a confirmation sent from your own address, the request logged in a spreadsheet, a meeting offered in your calendar, and a reminder if the client hasn’t booked. Everything stays in your tools.
Many small high-end teams already have everything they need: Gmail, Calendar, Sheets, Drive. What’s missing is the link between them. Apps Script, included in Google Workspace, creates it. See also our page on process automation.
The thread between your tools
Apps Script is a Google tool that makes your Workspace apps work together, by your rules. It can send an email, write to a spreadsheet, create an event, file a document, and run at a set time or when a request comes in.
One enquiry, end to end
| Step | What happens, with no one stepping in |
|---|---|
| 1. The website form is sent | The request arrives in your inbox, properly formatted |
| 2. Confirmation | The client gets an email from your address, with next steps |
| 3. Log | The request is recorded in a spreadsheet shared with the team |
| 4. Meeting | A link to your booking page is offered |
| 5. Reminder | If nothing is booked, a reminder goes out at the set time |
At our place
That’s exactly how our own enquiry process works: the form runs through Google Workspace, the prospect receives a confirmation, a 15-minute meeting is offered, then reminders go out if it isn’t booked. Emails come from our address, not an anonymous server, and land in spam less often.
Four precautions
A stable owner account. The script belongs to an account: use a business address, not that of an employee who might leave.
Google’s limits. The number of emails sent per day is capped. For enquiry follow-up, that’s rarely an issue; for bulk sends, an email marketing tool is better suited.
Personal information. Enquiries contain names and contact details. Limit what the form collects, share the spreadsheet only with those concerned, and factor in where Google stores your data in your Law 25 assessment.
Maintenance. A script needs upkeep: when a form changes or a rule evolves, it has to be adjusted.
When the thread is no longer enough
Apps Script suits small teams and simple processes very well. When enquiries run into the hundreds, several tools outside Google come into play, or clients need their own space, a client portal or integrations take over.
FAQ
Do we need to know how to code? To write it, yes. To use it, no: once set up, it works on its own.
Does Apps Script cost extra? It’s included in Google Workspace; there’s no additional software to pay for.
Is it secure? The script runs in your Google account, with the permissions you grant it. Keep them to what’s strictly needed.
The right tools often already exist; they just need to be connected. Tell us what gets lost between yours.