Enquiry Acknowledgement Email Template: Auto-Replies That Don't Sound Like a Robot

BOTrento Team11 October 20267 min read

What an acknowledgement must do, and what it must not promise

Think of the acknowledgement as a receipt that also tells the client what happens next. It buys you time, but only if the client believes a proper answer is coming.

Four jobs

• Confirm receipt. One sentence is enough. If your tool can, repeat the subject so the email doesn't feel like a blanket reply.
• Set a concrete expectation. Say when they'll hear from you and who will get in touch. Give a day or a time window instead of "shortly".
• Ask for what's missing. This could be the date, location, quantities, budget range, or delivery or pick-up. If they send it straight away, your personal reply can include a provisional price instead of more questions.
• Offer a route for urgent cases. A phone number is enough.

What to leave out

• Anything that sounds like a confirmation, such as "Your date is noted". An automatic message can't check availability.
• Prices or discounts. These belong in a quote with the scope and assumptions spelled out.
• Marketing. The client asked a question, so don't send them a brochure.
• Requests for more personal data than you need. Ask only for what helps you quote. That's good GDPR practice, and it also keeps the email short.

How to word the response time so you can keep it

Clients remember the response time, and missing it in your very first message damages trust before you've even sent a quote. Base the promise on a normal busy week, count in working days, and say clearly that the promise covers a first personal answer, not necessarily a full quote.

If you know you reply too slowly today, fix the process before you write the promise. Our short guide on replying to sales enquiries faster covers the basics.

Three enquiry acknowledgement templates to copy

Fill in the brackets and keep the length. Each template fits on a phone screen.

1. Standard auto-reply

Subject: We've received your enquiry

Hello,

Thank you for getting in touch with [Company]. Your enquiry has reached our sales team, and you'll get a personal reply by the end of the next working day.

To help us send a provisional price straight away, just reply with anything you haven't mentioned yet: [date or period], [location], [quantity or scope], and a rough budget if you have one.

If it's urgent, call us on [phone], [days and hours].

Kind regards,
[Name or team], [Company]

2. Out of hours, weekends and peak season

Subject: Thanks for your enquiry: personal reply by [day]

Hello,

Thank you for your message. [Our office is closed until [day] / This is our busiest time of year.] Your enquiry is safely with us, and you'll hear from us personally by [day, time] at the latest.

If your date is within the next [number] days, please call [phone] and we'll check it with you directly.

Kind regards,
[Company]

3. Semi-automatic, with a name (events and rentals)

Use this when someone on the team sends a prepared reply within minutes and adds only the client's name and the specific questions.

Subject: Re: [their subject]

Hello [Name],

Thanks for your enquiry about [event type / equipment] on [date]. I'm looking after it and will come back to you by [day, time] with availability and a provisional price.

So I can prepare the right option, could you confirm:
– [number of guests / units]
– [venue or delivery address]
– [set-up time / pick-up or delivery]

The date isn't reserved until we confirm it in writing.

Best regards,
[Name], [Company], [direct phone]

For the personal reply that comes next, use our five templates for replying to sales enquiries. If you run events, see also the peak-season process for event agency enquiries.

When to switch from automatic to personal

An auto-reply works as a first touch, but it never answers the enquiry. In these cases, hand over to a person straight away and skip the auto-reply if your tool allows it:

• Existing clients and open deals. Exclude known senders or domains from the rule.
• Replies to your own quote. Deals are often won or lost at this stage.
• Short-notice dates. Someone needs to check availability by hand.
• Complaints, or problems during a job.
• Large or unusual requests, such as tenders or framework agreements.

The rule of thumb is to automate the receipt but never the decision. Once someone has replied, the next risk is silence after the quote. Our guide on how to stop forgetting quote follow-ups picks up from there.

Setting it up: a step-by-step checklist

1. Pick the address. Put the auto-reply only on the inbox that receives enquiries (sales@ or info@). Don't use it on personal mailboxes.
2. Choose the tool. You can use a rule in Outlook or Gmail, or the confirmation email from your website form. Form confirmations can often repeat the client's own answers.
3. Write the response time promise in working days.
4. Add three or four "missing detail" questions specific to your business.
5. Exclude existing clients and replies to your own threads.
6. Prepare the out-of-hours and peak-season versions in advance.
7. Test it from a personal address and read it on a phone.
8. Make someone responsible for keeping the promise.

How BOTrento handles what comes after the acknowledgement

The auto-reply is the easy part. The harder part is making sure every personal reply goes out on time, even when the team is out on jobs. BOTrento Chief of Staff is a managed process for enquiries, quotes and follow-ups:

• It monitors your enquiry inbox. IMAP mailboxes connect directly, while Gmail, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 work through forwarding or import for now. It also reads the CSV/XLSX data you upload from your CRM or spreadsheets.
• Every working day it shows a morning overview, Today 1+3, in the app and by email.
• It drafts personal replies, quotes and follow-ups in English, Czech, German or French.
• It picks up promises such as "we'll get back to you by Friday" and reminds you before you miss them.
• A person approves everything. BOTrento never sends anything on its own and never confirms dates or bookings.

AI is included in every plan. You can see a walkthrough of the process, or read how it works for equipment rental and event and production companies. The 14-day free trial needs no card and no API key of your own, and the 14 days only start once your data is first uploaded. Plans are listed on the pricing page.