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Sales teams: the first 24 hours after a meeting
The first 24 hours after a meeting come down to three jobs: share your card and get the other person's details, reply briefly the same day the notification arrives, and try a second channel the next day. This guide covers the window that opens after Save Contact, the notification and the end-of-day check.
Contents
Plans: Save Contact, QR codes, the contact form and NFC are in Starter and higher; the notification bell and analytics in every plan; the CRM connection in Pro and higher.
The first 24 hours after a meeting come down to three jobs: share your card and get the other person's details before you part, send a short reply the same day once the notification arrives, and try a second channel the next day if there is no answer. With a digital business card, the other person saves you with Save Contact; if the card's contact form is on, a "Share your details too" window opens right after. Whatever they leave becomes a lead in the panel, and you are notified through the bell and by email.
This guide walks through a sales rep's first day after a meeting: the last five minutes at the table, what the notification contains, the first reply, the end-of-day check and the setup a sales manager needs. For how the form works in general, see lead capture with a digital business card; for a feature summary, see the contact form page.
Why 24 hours?
The day after a meeting, the other person still remembers what you talked about. A few days later the conversation blends into every other meeting they had that week. Follow-up rarely fails because of a weak pitch; it fails because the reply comes late or never comes: the paper card stays in a bag, the name in the notebook gets read a week later. Twenty-four hours is a limit that keeps the reply both quick and realistic.
Hour 0: the last five minutes of the meeting
Cards change hands as the meeting wraps up, and those five minutes shape the next 24 hours. A typical scene:
- The rep opens the card's QR code on their phone, or the QR card image saved in the gallery. With an NFC card, they hold the card near the other person's phone.
- The customer scans the code and the card page opens in the phone's browser; there is nothing to install.
- The customer taps Save Contact. On an iPhone the add-contact screen opens; on Android they tap the downloaded file. The name, job title, company, phone and email are saved in one go.
- If the card's contact form is on, a "Share your details too" window opens straight after, saying the rep can get back to them. The customer types their name, optionally company and job title, and a phone number or email, then taps Send my details. One of phone or email is enough.
- The rep names a time on the spot: "I'll write to you before noon tomorrow."
The window opens by itself once per visit. If the customer taps Not now, the Share my details link and the Stay in Touch form at the bottom of the page remain available. Do not push someone who closes it; ask for their business card instead, or ask which channel they would like you to use.
If the meeting was online, the same flow works through a link. At the end of the call, paste your card link into the chat; when the other person opens it and taps Save Contact, the same window appears. In that case the notification's source line shows neither QR nor NFC, because the person reached the card through the link.
We cover how to get your QR code and card image onto your phone in card templates and the QR card image.
Hour 0–1: where the notification goes
When the customer sends their details, the lead is saved on the Leads screen in the panel and two notifications go out:
- Panel bell: the company's administrators and the user who owns the card get a "New lead" notification with the person's name and company, plus whose card it came through. Clicking it opens the related leads.
- Email: sent to the card owner, the company's first administrator and the email address on the card. Panel users receive it in their own panel language.
To make sure the rep is notified, set the card owner: the Card owner (user) field in the Publish and summary step of the card editor. Leads on a card without an owner are only notified to administrators and to the card's email address.
The notification email puts everything you need for a quick reply on one screen:
| In the email | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Subject: "shared their details" or "New request" | Tells you in the inbox whether the person left details after saving your contact or filled in the form |
| Which card | Shows whose meeting it was |
| Name, company, job title, phone, email and message | Everything needed to reply |
| Source: QR, NFC or event tag | Reminds you where the meeting took place |
| Contact consent | Shows whether the person ticked the box for updates |
| Call, WhatsApp and Email buttons | One-tap reply from your phone; WhatsApp only appears for numbers that can be mobiles |
| View requests in the panel | Opens all leads for the card |
Hours 1–4: the first reply
The first reply is a short confirmation, not a full proposal. Its job is to make sure the other person remembers you and to put a date on the next step. A sample message:
"Hello, thank you for today's meeting. The product catalogue we discussed is on my card. I can have the quote ready by Thursday; would a short call on Wednesday at 10:00 or 15:00 suit you?"
- Tie it to the meeting: mention the topic or the place in the first line. The event tag in the email's source line helps.
- Offer one next step: two time slots are easier to answer than an open "when suits you?".
- The card instead of an attachment: if the catalogue and price list are on your card, the card link is enough. See how to add a catalogue or PDF to a digital business card.
- Let them pick the channel: a call or WhatsApp if they left a phone number, email if they only left an email address.
End of the day: check the Leads screen
Open the Leads screen in the evening or the next morning. It shows leads from all the company's cards together and offers four filters:
- Period: the last 7, 30 or 90 days, or all;
- Card: just your own card;
- Event: leads from a tagged QR code downloaded for a fair or meeting;
- Search: name, company, email or phone.
The Card and source column shows whether a lead came through Mutual sharing, meaning after the person saved your contact, or through the Card form, along with the QR or NFC channel and the event tag where there is one. The end-of-day question is simple: has every lead from today had a reply?
Hour 24: the second touch
If the first message has had no answer, make a short second contact the next day through a different channel: a call if the email went unanswered, a message if the call did. The second touch should bring something new, such as a reference, a document or the date of the quote. Sending the same message again reads as pressure rather than a reminder.
If you work in your own CRM, the CRM connection in Pro and higher passes each new lead there too, so you can set the reminder for the second touch in the tool you already use.
The 24 hours at a glance
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Hour 0 | Share the card, Save Contact and the share-your-details window | The customer's phone |
| Hour 0–1 | See the notification | Panel bell and email |
| Hours 1–4 | Short confirmation and one next step | Call, WhatsApp and Email buttons in the email |
| End of day | Check today's leads | Leads screen |
| Hour 24 | Second touch if there is no answer | A different channel |
The card does not reveal people who leave no details
If a customer opens and saves your card but leaves no details, you cannot see them as a person. The Analytics screen counts how often the card was opened and which links were clicked; it does not show the identity of the visitor. Getting the other person's name and preferred channel during the meeting is still the rep's job; the window makes it easier but does not replace it. How to read the figures is covered in digital business card analytics.
What the sales manager sets up
- The form is on for sales cards: the Lead capture (mutual sharing) box in the Publish and summary step must be ticked; if it is off, the window does not open.
- Every card has an owner: without one, the bell does not reach the rep.
- The card's email address is correct: notifications go to the address on the card as well.
- Repeat submissions: if the same person sends the same details to the same card again within 10 minutes without adding anything, no new lead is created and no second notification is sent.
- Busy hours: if a card receives a lot of leads in a short time, email notifications pause for a while; leads are still saved and bell notifications keep coming. On busy days such as fairs, check the Leads screen regularly.
Common mistakes
- Showing the card and walking away: if the customer locks their phone before saving, you have nothing. Watch them save it.
- A long first message: squeezing the quote, the deck and the prices into it delays the reply.
- Cards without an owner: the bell does not reach the rep; the email only gets to them if the address on the card is theirs.
- No time for the reply: say when you will be in touch rather than "I'll get back to you"; the customer knows when to expect you and you have set yourself a deadline.
Frequently asked questions
What if the customer closes the window?
It does not open by itself again during that visit. The Share my details link and the form at the bottom of the card page stay available, so the customer can leave details whenever they like.
What should I check if no notification arrives?
First check that the Lead capture box is ticked and the card owner is set. The email may have landed in the spam folder. Each user can switch bell notifications off in their own preferences, so make sure "New leads" is on.
Which plan do I need?
Save Contact, QR codes and the contact form are in Starter and higher; the CRM connection in Pro and higher. Compare plans on the pricing page.
