Reminder & Follow-Up Agent

The Problem

Following up with contacts (clients, leads, collaborators) is critical but easy to forget. An AI agent can review your contact list and draft personalized follow-up messages so nothing falls through the cracks.

What we’re building: An agent that takes a contact list with notes and generates personalized follow-up messages, reminders, and engagement suggestions.

The Approach

Our reminder agent will:

• Read a list of contacts with notes (last interaction, status, context)
• Identify who needs follow-up and why
• Draft personalized messages for each contact
• Suggest timing and channel for each follow-up

Build It

Step 1: Prepare your contact data

Create a simple list of contacts. You can use a spreadsheet or just plain text:

Contact List:
1. Ana Pérez - Met at tech conference on March 10 - Interested in our design services - No follow-up yet
2. Roberto Silva - Sent proposal on March 5 - Waiting for response - Budget: $2,000
3. Carmen Ruiz - Current client - Project delivered March 15 - Haven't asked for feedback
4. Diego Torres - Referred by Ana - Initial email sent March 12 - Opened but didn't reply
5. Lucia Mendoza - Past client from 2025 - Good relationship - Haven't been in touch for 3 months

Step 2: Set up your system prompt

Claude

Start a new conversation on claude.ai or create a Project with these instructions.

ChatGPT

Use Custom Instructions (Settings > Personalization > Custom Instructions) or paste the system prompt at the start of a new conversation at chatgpt.com.

If you have a paid plan (Plus, Team, or Enterprise), you can also create a Custom GPT with these instructions for reuse.

Gemini

Go to gemini.google.com and paste the system prompt at the start of a new conversation.

If you have Gemini Advanced, you can also create a Gem with these instructions for reuse.

Ollama

Create a Modelfile:

FROM llama3.2
SYSTEM """<paste system prompt below>"""

Run: ollama create reminder-agent -f Modelfile

LM Studio

Paste into the System Prompt field.

The system prompt:

You are a follow-up and relationship management assistant. You help users
maintain professional relationships by drafting timely, personalized
follow-up messages.

When given a contact list or contact information:

1. ANALYZE each contact:
   - Days since last interaction
   - Relationship stage (new lead, active prospect, current client, past client)
   - Urgency level (overdue, due soon, can wait)

2. PRIORITIZE contacts:
   - Flag overdue follow-ups
   - Identify opportunities (e.g., asking for referrals from happy clients)
   - Note contacts at risk of going cold

3. DRAFT messages for each contact:
   - Personalize based on context and relationship
   - Keep messages brief and natural (not salesy)
   - Include a clear purpose and call-to-action
   - Suggest the best channel (email, WhatsApp, phone call, LinkedIn)

4. CREATE a follow-up schedule:
   - When to send each message
   - When to follow up again if no response
   - Recurring reminders for relationship maintenance

Format the output as a clear action list with the drafted messages ready to
copy and paste. Mark urgency with indicators: 🔴 Overdue, 🟡 Due Soon, 🟢 Scheduled.

Step 3: Run the agent with your contacts

Paste your contact list into the conversation and ask:

Here's my current contact list. Please analyze each contact, prioritize
follow-ups, and draft messages for anyone who needs attention this week.
Today is [today's date].

Test It

• Update your contact list with real contacts and real dates
• Ask the agent to focus on a specific segment (e.g., “just my active prospects”)
• Try different tones: formal for corporate clients, casual for collaborators
• Ask for WhatsApp-style short messages vs. formal emails

Make It Better

• Add your business context: describe your services so messages reference what you actually offer
• Track results: after each batch, note which messages got responses and add that to the agent’s context
• Weekly ritual: every Monday, paste your updated contact list and get the week’s follow-up plan
• Seasonal campaigns: ask the agent to draft holiday greetings or special offers for past clients

Sample Output

Here’s what your agent should produce from the sample contact list (assuming today’s date is March 20):

## Follow-Up Action Plan — Week of March 20

### 🔴 Overdue

**1. Ana Pérez** — Met at tech conference (March 10 — 10 days ago)
- Status: New lead, NO follow-up sent yet
- Channel: Email
- Draft:

> Subject: Great meeting you at the tech conference
>
> Hola Ana,
>
> It was a pleasure meeting you at the tech conference last week. I really enjoyed our conversation about your upcoming projects.
>
> You mentioned you might be looking for design support — I'd love to learn more about what you have in mind. Would you be open to a quick 15-minute call this week?
>
> Looking forward to hearing from you,
> [Your name]

---

**2. Roberto Silva** — Proposal sent (March 5 — 15 days ago)
- Status: Active prospect, waiting on response — OVERDUE
- Channel: Email (short follow-up)
- Draft:

> Subject: Following up on our proposal
>
> Hi Roberto,
>
> I wanted to check in on the proposal I sent on March 5 for the $2,000 project. I understand these decisions take time — please let me know if you have any questions or if there's anything I can adjust.
>
> Happy to hop on a quick call if that would be helpful.
>
> Best,
> [Your name]

### 🟡 Due Soon

**3. Carmen Ruiz** — Project delivered (March 15 — 5 days ago)
- Status: Current client, no feedback requested yet
- Channel: WhatsApp (more personal)
- Draft:

> Hi Carmen! Just checking in — how's everything going with the project we delivered last week? I'd love to hear your feedback. If you're happy with the results, would you mind sharing a quick testimonial? 🙏

### 🟢 Scheduled

**4. Diego Torres** — Email opened but no reply (March 12 — 8 days ago)
- Status: Referred lead, needs gentle nudge
- Suggested: Wait 2 more days, then send short follow-up

**5. Lucia Mendoza** — Past client, 3+ months since contact
- Status: Relationship maintenance
- Suggested: Schedule for next week — send a casual check-in or share something useful

Troubleshooting

Messages sound too salesy or pushy. Add to your system prompt: “Write messages as if you’re following up with a colleague, not selling to a stranger. Be helpful, not pushy. Never use phrases like ‘just checking in’ or ‘touching base.’ Give a specific reason for each message.”

The agent doesn’t calculate dates correctly. Always include today’s date in your message: “Today is March 20, 2026.” Without this, the agent cannot accurately calculate how many days have passed.

The agent treats all contacts the same. Add relationship context: “New leads need faster follow-up (within 3-5 days). Active clients can wait a week. Past clients are for relationship maintenance (monthly).”

The messages are too long. Specify per channel: “Email follow-ups: 3-4 sentences max. WhatsApp: 1-2 sentences. LinkedIn: 2-3 sentences.”

Free Tools to Enhance This Project

• HubSpot CRM: Free tier includes contact management, email tracking, and a deal pipeline. Use it to store the contacts your agent helps you manage.
• Google Sheets: Free simple contact tracker. Create columns for Name, Last Contact, Status, Next Follow-Up.
• Brevo: Free CRM with 300 emails/day. Can actually send the follow-up emails your agent drafts.

Making It Better Over Time

1. Track what works: after sending follow-ups, note which ones got responses. Add winning patterns to your prompt: “Roberto responded to the short, direct follow-up. Use that style for all proposal follow-ups.”
2. Build follow-up cadences: add rules like “New leads: follow up at day 3, day 7, day 14. Active prospects: every 5 business days.”
3. Add seasonal context: “It’s December, include a brief holiday greeting in all messages” or “Conference season, mention the upcoming industry event.”