The client brief
Clearview Window Cleaning gets quote requests through a website form. The owner copies each one into a sheet, emails the customer and texts his crew lead. It takes ten minutes a lead and he forgets half of them. Made-up client, fake data.
Your deliverables
- A one-page spec: trigger, steps, fields, who gets what, what happens when it fails
- A working automation on a free plan
- Before and after screenshots of it running
- A five-step SOP for the client
Do the task
List the manual steps
Every click the owner does today. That list is your automation.
Write the spec
Trigger: new form entry. Actions: add a row to the sheet, email the customer, notify the crew lead by email or Slack. List the fields you need.
Build the pieces
A Google Form for quote requests and a Google Sheet for leads. Test with fake names.
Build the automation
Form trigger, add row, send email, notify. Test each step before adding the next. Make's free plan handles multi-step flows. If you use Zapier, check what its free plan allows.
Test the edge cases
Missing phone number, typo in the email, two requests at once. Write down what happens.
Write the SOP
How to check it's running, how to pause it, and what to do when it breaks.
Screenshots to capture for your portfolio
- The spec
- The workflow canvas
- The sheet filling in by itself
- The confirmation email arriving
More tips
- Bonus: add an AI step that writes the customer reply or sorts jobs by size. Check the free plan limits first.
- Name every step clearly. The next person to open it will thank you.
- Record a 60-second screen video of a test entry going through. Clients love it.
- Never connect a client's real accounts for a mock. Use your own test accounts.
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