The problem
When a client's fixed rate ends, contacting them in good time helps them avoid reverting to a worse rate, and a missed review is a missed duty of care. If 25 deals end each month and diarising each review takes 6 minutes, that's 150 minutes, 2.5 hours a month.
What the AI does
Each client's rate expiry date and review date are recorded first in your CRM or case system, which is the primary diary, and the adviser who owns the client checks them. A Google Sheet is a backup list, with columns for a client reference, the expiry date, the review date (you decide how long before the rate ends) and a tick showing it is in the CRM. A two-step Zapier automation turns each new row into a Google Calendar event. The software doesn't decide whether to contact a client or what to recommend.
A worked example
A two-adviser mortgage practice in Reading has about 300 clients on its books and about 25 deals ending each month. Each adviser records the expiry date in the CRM and then adds a sheet row to create the backup calendar reminder.
Before
6 minutes to diarise each of 25 expiries by hand: 150 minutes, 2.5 hours a month
After
About 3 minutes to add a sheet row and tick the CRM check: 75 minutes, about 1.3 hours a month
What it's worth
The value here isn't monetary: it is a backup prompt behind the CRM, so the monthly value is set at nil. The reminders also save about 1.3 hours a month (3 minutes x 25 = 75 minutes), which isn't priced. Zapier's Free plan allows two-step Zaps and 100 tasks a month, so 25 a month fits. This assumes free Google accounts for Sheets and Calendar.
How to set it up
- Record every rate expiry and review date first in your CRM, with the adviser who owns the client.
- Agree in writing how far ahead you review each client and who makes the contact.
- Create a Google Sheet with columns for client reference, expiry date, review date and a tick showing the CRM entry is done.
- In Zapier, start a Zap on each new row and add one action: create a Google Calendar event on a shared calendar.
- Test with a dummy row and check the right date appears with notifications on.
What goes wrong
- Never rely on this alone. The CRM entry and the adviser's review come first; the sheet is a backup.
- Zapier can fail silently. Compare the sheet, the calendar and the CRM every week.
- Zapier's Free plan allows only two-step Zaps and 100 tasks a month. More steps need Pro: $19.99 (about £15) a month billed annually.
- Use client references, not names, in the calendar, because shared calendars show more people than you expect.