Friday, 4:30. Before the account call on Monday you want to know where each client stands. So you open the CRM for the stage, the inbox for what they last said, the project tool for what is done, and the calendar for what is next. Per client. It is an hour you spend every week putting together a page nobody else will write for you.
That page has a fixed shape, which is why it can be built for you.
What a useful client update contains
| Section | Where it comes from | Example |
|---|---|---|
| What changed | CRM, email | The deal moved to Contract signed. Luis sent the signed SOW. |
| Waiting on you | Nobody answered Karen about the start date. | |
| Waiting on them | The revised quote went out Tuesday. No reply. | |
| What is next | Calendar, project tool | Walkthrough Thursday at 10. Onboarding is 3 of 8 done. |
Doing it by hand
It can be done in about fifteen minutes per client:
- CRM: open the deal, note the stage, amount and last activity.
- Email: search the client’s domain across your inboxes for this week. Note anything unanswered in either direction.
- Calendar: find the next meeting.
- Write four lines, one per section above.
The method is sound. The cost is that it scales with the number of clients, and it is the first thing dropped in a busy week.
Having it built for you
alfred_ is an AI assistant for client-facing teams, and each person on the team gets their own. With your email, calendar and HubSpot or Salesforce connected, the update is a routine: you describe it once and it runs on the schedule you set.
Friday client update · Latest · Today at 5:00 PM
Harbor Facilities: one thing needs you
Checked 38 emails, the HubSpot deal and the Notion project page.
The deal moved to Contract signedHarbor Facilities · $48,000
Onboarding checklist is 3 of 8 doneHarbor onboarding · Notion
Luis sent the signed SOWLuis Ortega · Thursday 10:42 AMNo one answered Karen about the start dateKaren Liu · WednesdayNeeds youThat run checked 38 emails, the HubSpot deal and the project page. Three things changed. One needs you: nobody answered Karen about the start date. And it ends by saying it changed nothing in Gmail, HubSpot or Notion. It is a report, delivered by email at the time you set.
To set it up, describe it on the Routines page:
Every Friday at 5, give me an update on Harbor Facilities: what changed in the deal, any email nobody answered, and what is on the calendar next week.
Use Test it now to see one run before you turn it on.
The update you send the client: a Friday template
The report above is for you. Most firms also send each client a short update at the end of the week. Here is a template that fits in one screen:
Subject: [Client] weekly update, week of [date]
Hi [name],
Summary: [one line: on track / one thing to decide / one risk]
Done this week
- [outcome, not activity]
- [outcome]
Next week
- [what happens, with dates]
Needed from you
- [decision or approval, with the date you need it by]
Risks or changes
- [anything that moves the timeline, budget or scope; say it early]
Budget / scope: [hours or spend to date vs plan, if you track it]
[sign-off]A few rules that keep it useful: send it on the same day every week, write outcomes rather than activity (“homepage approved”, not “worked on homepage”), and put anything the client has to decide in its own section so it doesn’t get lost.
Have alfred_ draft one per client
The same routine can draft the client-facing version from the week’s email and meetings, using your template:
Every Friday at 3, draft an update for each active client from this week’s email and meetings, using my weekly template, and send me the drafts.
You get one draft per client. Read each one, change what you want, and send it from your own email. alfred_ does not send client updates on its own.
Other ways to do it
Notion has a Client Reporting Agent template that drafts a status report for each active client from a Notion workspace, on Notion’s Business or Enterprise plan with Notion Mail. It works from the tasks and client list you keep in Notion; alfred_ works from your email, calendar and CRM.
When you want it right now
A routine is for the update you want every week. For the update you want before a call in ten minutes, ask:
What stage is the Northwind opportunity in?
Checking SalesforceChecked SalesforceThe Northwind renewal is in Proposal, $64,000, closing October 15. Tom is the contact.
What stage is the Northwind opportunity in?
Asking in chat reads everything you have connected, including Slack and Microsoft Teams, so “what did the team say about the renewal?” is part of the same conversation.
What did the team say about the renewal?
Searching Teams for renewalChecked TeamsTeams
Northwind renewal · Tom Reyes · Tue 10:18 AM
Northwind renewal · Priya Shah · Tue 10:41 AM
Tom is in for another year if the rate holds. Priya said she'll send the paperwork once you confirm.
What did the team say about the renewal?
What to know
- It reads; it does not edit. A change to a CRM record is shown to you first and waits for your yes.
- The update comes to you. What goes to the client is sent by you.
- Routines use credits. They run on the credits in your plan; asking in chat does not need a routine.
Plans start at $29.99 a month with a 7-day free trial. More is on the Routines page.
