The short answer: turn on the Proposals waiting on a decision routine in alfred_. Every Monday at 8 AM it reads the quotes and proposals you sent from Gmail or Outlook in the last 60 days, PDF attachments included, checks each thread, and emails you only the ones still waiting on the client’s decision, oldest first, each with one short follow-up suggestion. It sends nothing itself.
The renewal nobody answered
You’re an account manager at a commercial lines agency. October is renewal season for a third of your book. For each client you marketed the account, compared carriers, and emailed a renewal proposal: a PDF comparing this year’s premium to the two best alternatives, with a note asking for a decision by the 25th.
Most clients answer. Some pick an option within a day. Some ask a question about a deductible. And a few say nothing at all. A client who says nothing on a renewal is the one who calls on the 2nd of next month asking why their certificate shows an expired policy.
The native ways, and where they stop
Your agency management system. If the renewal lives in your AMS with an activity and a follow-up date, it reminds you. The proposal email itself, and whether the client answered it, usually doesn’t make it back into the AMS until someone logs it.
Sent mail search. Search Sent for “renewal proposal” with an attachment and you see what you sent. You still open each thread to see who answered.
Flags and reminders. Flag each proposal as you send it. That works when you remember, and in October you have forty of them.
Turn on Proposals waiting on a decision
- Connect your Gmail or Outlook to alfred_. Sign in with Google or Microsoft; your password stays with them.
- On your desktop, open Routines, then Proposals waiting on a decision.
- Press Turn it on.
It runs every Monday at 8 AM in your time zone, emails you the list, and keeps it on the routine’s page. It reads the proposals, quotes, estimates and statements of work you sent in the last 60 days. The email or the attachment’s name is its proof that you sent a quote, so “Harbor-Logistics-2026-Renewal-Options.pdf” counts even when your note only says “attached for your review.” Then it reads the whole thread.
What Monday’s email looks like
Proposals waiting on a decision (3)
- Harbor Logistics, commercial auto and GL renewal. Sent Oct 6 (Harbor-Logistics-2026-Renewal-Options.pdf). No reply. Suggestion: the policy expires Nov 1; ask which option they’d like bound and offer a ten-minute call.
- Brightwater Dental, BOP renewal. Sent Oct 9. Their office manager replied Oct 10: “Dr. Kim will look this week.” Nothing since. Suggestion: ask whether Dr. Kim has had a chance, and mention the two options are held until the 25th.
- Northside Brewing, property and liquor liability. Sent Oct 13. No reply. Suggestion: a short note asking whether the second carrier’s higher deductible works for them.
Illustrative example, not output from a real run. The clients and files are invented, and the wording differs from run to run.
What it leaves out on purpose
- Quotes the client accepted or declined.
- Threads where the client asked you something; that one is waiting on you, not them.
- Quotes still inside a decision date the client gave you.
- Anything sent more than 60 days ago.
It creates no tasks, writes no drafts and sends nothing.
Where each step happens
- Desktop: turn it on from Routines, and read the list in the web app.
- Email, Monday at 8 AM: the list is waiting before the week fills up.
- Phone: to act on one without a laptop, text alfred_: “reply to Harbor Logistics’ renewal thread and ask which option they want bound.” It shows you the reply and waits for your yes.
The honest caveat
It reads the mail in the inboxes you connect and nothing else. A quote sent from a colleague’s mailbox, uploaded to a carrier portal, or emailed by your management system from its own address is not in your Sent folder, so it isn’t on the list. It tells you which quotes are waiting; the follow-up and the binding are still yours. alfred_ is a paid product, and routines run on the credits your plan includes; plans are on the pricing page.
