Texts. DMs. Silence.

Reply-Never Rachel runs a neighborhood bistro that people genuinely love. Great food. Friendly staff. Loyal regulars.

But she has a problem: She's terrible at responding to customers.

Someone texts asking about gluten-free options? She reads it during service, thinks "I'll reply after close," then forgets.

Someone DMs on Instagram asking about private events? She sees it on her phone, means to respond later, never does.

Someone emails about catering? It sits in her inbox for four days until they've already booked another restaurant.

According to research from Drift, 82% of consumers expect an immediate response to sales or marketing questions. After 10 minutes, your chances of converting that lead drop by 400%.

Rachel is losing customers not because her product is bad, but because her response time is terrible.

YOUR ONE STRATEGY LAB THING TODAY: 'Response Time Is Revenue'

The problem isn't you. It's that you're trying to be human in a world that expects instant responses.

Solution? Automation that feels human.

HERE'S HOW UNIFIED COMMUNICATION WORKS:

All your channels (text, Instagram DM, Facebook Messenger, Google Business Messages, email, website chat) flow into ONE inbox.

But here's the key: Before you even see the message, smart auto-responders handle routine questions instantly:

Customer texts: "What are your hours?"

Instant auto-reply: "We're open Tue-Thu 5-10pm, Fri-Sat 5-11pm, closed Sun-Mon! Want to make a reservation?"

Instagram DM: "Do you have outdoor seating?"

Instant auto-reply: "Yes! We have a beautiful patio (weather permitting). I'm sending you our menu now. Anything else?"

Email inquiry: "Can you do private events?"

Instant auto-reply: "Absolutely! Here's our private dining package [PDF attached]. What date are you considering?"

The system captures their response, creates a lead, and flags it for you to follow up personally when you have 10 minutes.

WHAT'S POSSIBLE IN 30 DAYS:

- Response time drops to under 2 minutes (automated)

- Capture every private event inquiry ($500-$3,000 each)

- Stop checking 6 different apps constantly

- Check ONE inbox for 10 minutes, twice a day

YOUR ACTION STEP: Count how many platforms customers can reach you on. Now honestly assess how fast you respond to each. Every hour of delay is a customer choosing someone faster.

Want the auto-responder templates? We've built them for every common restaurant question. Grab them inside Strategy Lab. → lab.jlittrell.com

We got this,

Jason | The Strategy Lab

P.S. You can't be on your phone during service. But your customers don't know that. They just know you didn't respond. Automation closes that gap.

P.P.S. We're breaking down unified inbox systems on this week's Strategy Lab Podcast - how to set it up, what to automate, what to keep human.

#strategylab #wegotthis