If you’re a sales rep, you know dropping the ball on follow-ups costs you money—plain and simple. But with a packed inbox and a million things to do, it’s easy for leads to slip through the cracks. This is for anyone who’s tried to keep up with manual reminders or sticky notes and just wants something that actually works. Here’s how to set up automated follow up reminders in Cheapinboxes and save yourself some headaches.
Why bother with automated reminders?
Let’s be blunt: nobody’s memory is perfect. Most deals are lost because reps don’t follow up enough. Automated reminders don’t just nag you—they free your brain up for actual selling.
What you’ll get out of this: - Fewer leads slipping through the cracks - More consistent follow-ups (without annoying your prospects) - Less time spent setting calendar reminders or digging through old emails
If you’re already drowning in “productivity tools,” don’t worry—this is not another “all-in-one solution” that promises the moon. Cheapinboxes is simple, and the reminders feature is actually useful if you set it up right.
Step 1: Get your Cheapinboxes account set up
Skip this if you’re already using Cheapinboxes. Otherwise:
- Sign up: Go to the Cheapinboxes website and create an account. They have a free trial, which is fine for testing.
- Connect your email: This is non-negotiable. The platform can’t automate reminders if it doesn’t see your inbox. OAuth login for Gmail and Outlook are supported. Avoid IMAP unless you love troubleshooting.
- Import your contacts/leads: You can upload a CSV, connect your CRM, or just add people manually. Don’t overthink this—start with 10-20 leads to get the hang of it.
Pro tip: Clean up your contact list before you import. Bad data = bad reminders.
Step 2: Understand how follow up reminders work in Cheapinboxes
Before you turn on automation, know what you’re dealing with. Cheapinboxes does NOT send emails to your leads automatically. Instead, it reminds you (the sales rep) when it’s time to follow up, so you stay in control.
You’ll see reminders: - In your Cheapinboxes dashboard - As email notifications (if you want) - Or as push notifications (if you install the mobile app)
You can customize how and when you get pinged. But don’t go nuts with notification settings—you’ll just start ignoring them.
Step 3: Set up your default follow-up sequence
This is worth taking five minutes to do right, so you’re not making decisions every time.
- Go to Settings > Reminders > Follow-up Sequences.
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If your account looks different, search for “Reminders” in the sidebar.
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Create a new sequence.
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Name it something you’ll remember, like “New Inbound Lead” or “Demo Request.”
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Define the steps.
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Example sequence:
- Day 0: Initial reply (manual)
- Day 2: 1st follow-up reminder
- Day 5: 2nd follow-up reminder
- Day 10: Last-chance follow-up reminder
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Set the action type for each step.
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Most reps stick to a simple “remind me to follow up” action. Don’t automate emails unless you’re sure your templates don’t sound like spam.
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Choose your notification method.
- Start with email reminders. If you miss those, add dashboard popups or push notifications later.
Honest take: You don’t need a 7-step sequence to start. Three reminders is plenty for most deals. More than that, and you’re just annoying people.
Step 4: Assign sequences to your leads
Automation is only as good as the data you put in. Here’s how to attach your nice new sequence to actual leads.
- Open your leads list (Contacts or Deals view).
- Bulk-select the leads you want to assign. Don’t try to automate every lead in your database on day one—pick your hottest opportunities or new inbound leads.
- Click “Assign Sequence” and choose the one you just made.
Now, Cheapinboxes will start the clock for each selected lead—no manual tracking needed. You’ll get a reminder when it’s time to follow up, and you can snooze or mark done as you go.
Step 5: Actually use the reminders (and tweak as you go)
This is where most automation fails: people set it up, then ignore the reminders anyway. Here’s what works:
- Check your reminders each morning. Make it a routine—5 minutes, tops. Knock out the quick follow-ups first.
- Snooze reminders if you get a response or need more time. Don’t let your reminders pile up. Mark them as done or snooze for a day or two.
- Adjust the timing. If you keep getting reminded too soon (or too late), edit your sequence. Pay attention to what actually gets responses.
What to ignore: - Don’t obsess over “perfect” timing. You’ll figure out what works for your deals after a couple of weeks. - Don’t add endless steps—three to four follow-ups is enough.
Step 6: Optional—Integrate with your calendar or CRM
If you’re already living in your calendar or use a CRM, Cheapinboxes can plug in (sort of). Here’s the reality:
- Calendar integration: You can sync reminders to Google Calendar or Outlook, but the setup is clunky. Only bother if you reliably check your calendar more than email.
- CRM integration: If you’re using HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive, there are basic integrations. Don’t expect miracles—Cheapinboxes will push follow-up tasks, but you’ll still manage reminders inside Cheapinboxes.
Pro tip: Start simple. Fancy integrations are cool, but they break more often than they help at first. Once you trust the basic reminder flow, try connecting your calendar or CRM.
Troubleshooting: Common pitfalls and what to skip
- Too many notifications? Dial it back. If you’re getting 20+ reminder emails a day, you’ll just ignore them all.
- Reminders not showing up? Double-check your notification settings and make sure your email is connected.
- Leads not getting assigned to sequences? Make sure you actually selected them and saved. The UI can be finicky.
- Forget to mark reminders complete? Build a 5-minute end-of-day routine to clear out old reminders.
Biggest trap: Overcomplicating things. You don’t need a reminder for every single contact. Focus on your active pipeline.
Summary: Don’t overthink it—just start
Automated follow up reminders in Cheapinboxes are a lifesaver if you keep it simple. Set up one or two basic sequences, assign them to your real leads, and actually use the reminders. Don’t get sucked into endless tweaking or chasing perfect automation—just get your follow-ups done and adjust as you go. The best system is the one you’ll actually use.
Now go close some deals, and let Cheapinboxes do the nagging for you.