Make a strong first impression the moment a new contact enters your CRM. When you add a new contact, your CRM gives you the option to immediately send a follow-up email — an introduction, a welcome message, or an invitation to book an appointment — directly from the contact record. This keeps your outreach timely and personal without requiring you to switch to a separate email tool.

Why Sending a Follow-Up Email Immediately Increases Engagement

The first few minutes after a new contact enters your business are the highest-value window for outreach. Studies consistently show that response rates drop significantly the longer you wait to follow up with a new lead. Sending an introduction or welcome email immediately after adding a contact keeps your business top of mind and signals professionalism before a competitor has the chance to reach out.

Your CRM makes this easy by prompting you to send a follow-up email the moment you save a new contact — no switching tabs, no drafting from scratch. You can introduce yourself, invite the contact to book an appointment, or send a custom follow-up message, all from the same screen where you entered their information. For businesses that rely on quick lead response, this feature turns a routine data entry step into an immediate revenue opportunity.

How to Add a Contact and Send a Follow-Up Email

Follow the steps below to add a new contact to your CRM and send a follow-up email directly from the contact record.

1. Click Contacts in the left-hand navigation. Then click People from the Contacts submenu. The People page opens and displays your full list of existing contacts.

   

   The screenshot above shows the left-hand navigation with Contacts expanded. People appears as a submenu item. The People page on the right displays existing contact records with names, email addresses, and phone numbers. The Add a Contact button is visible in the upper area of the page.

2. Click Add a Contact. The Add a Contact form opens.

   

   The screenshot above shows the Add a Contact button on the People page. Clicking this button opens a contact entry form where you can enter the new contact's name, email address, phone number, and any other relevant details.

3. Fill in the contact's details on the Add a Contact form — at minimum, enter the contact's first name, last name, and email address. Then click Save to create the contact record.

   

   The screenshot above shows the Add a Contact form with the contact's name and email address entered. The Save button appears at the bottom of the form. After clicking Save, the contact record is created and a follow-up action prompt appears automatically.

4. After saving the contact, a follow-up action prompt appears on screen. Select one of the available email actions to send immediately:

   • Introduce yourself — sends a pre-written introduction email from your account to the new contact

   • Invite to set appointment — sends an email inviting the contact to book an appointment with you

   If you do not want to send a follow-up email at this time, click the close button (displayed as an X) to dismiss the prompt and return to the contact record.

   

   The screenshot above shows the follow-up action prompt that appears automatically after a new contact is saved. The two email action buttons — Introduce yourself and Invite to set appointment — are displayed in the center of the prompt. The close button appears in the upper right corner of the prompt for dismissing the action without sending an email.

5. Review the pre-populated email that opens. The email body is editable — update the subject line, body text, or signature as needed to personalize the message for this contact before sending.

6. Click Send to deliver the follow-up email to the contact. The email is sent immediately from your connected email account and is logged on the contact's activity timeline.

   

   The screenshot above shows the follow-up email composition screen. The subject line and body text are pre-populated based on the action you selected in the previous step. Both fields are editable before sending. The Send button appears at the bottom of the screen. After clicking Send, the email is delivered to the contact and logged on their activity timeline in your CRM.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this article cover?

This article covers adding a new contact to your CRM and sending a follow-up email — an introduction or appointment invitation — directly from the contact record immediately after saving. This article does not cover importing multiple contacts in bulk, editing an existing contact record, or setting up automated follow-up email sequences. To learn how to import contacts from a spreadsheet, see How to Import Contacts into Your CRM. To learn how to set up an automated follow-up sequence, see How to Create an Automated Email Sequence.

Can I send a follow-up email to an existing contact, not just a new one?

Yes. To send an email to an existing contact, open the contact record and use the email action options available on the contact record directly. The follow-up prompt described in this article appears automatically only when a new contact is saved for the first time.

Can I customize the introduction or appointment invitation email before sending?

Yes. After selecting an email action from the follow-up prompt, the email composition screen opens with a pre-populated subject line and body text. You can edit the subject line, body, and signature before clicking Send. Changes made at this step apply only to this individual email and do not modify the default template.

Where is the follow-up email logged after it is sent?

The follow-up email is logged automatically on the contact's activity timeline inside the contact record. You can view sent emails, timestamps, and delivery status from the activity timeline at any time after sending.

What if I close the follow-up prompt without sending an email?

Clicking the close button dismisses the follow-up prompt without sending any email. The contact record is saved regardless of whether you send a follow-up email. You can return to the contact record at any time to send an email manually from the contact's activity options.