Last updated: October 15, 2026
An inquiry-management spreadsheet should make owner, deadline and next action updateable. Paste the header below into Excel or Google Sheets and restrict personal data and access. This is a proposed operating ledger, not a claim that FORMLOVA exports these columns automatically.
Copy this header
received_at inquiry_id source company name email category summary business_status owner priority first_reply_due_at last_updated_at next_action management_url notes
Prioritize business_status, owner, first_reply_due_at and next_action. The inquiry ID is an organizer-managed identifier. Avoid copying full messages, addresses and phone numbers into a widely shared sheet; keep details in the authorized source.
Spreadsheet business states
| State | Meaning | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| New | Work not started | Owner and reply deadline |
| In progress | Work started | Next action |
| Awaiting reply | Dependency outstanding | Who/what/when |
| Complete | Required work finished | Completion evidence |
| Excluded | Tests or out-of-scope material | Reason and mistakes |
These five spreadsheet categories are not FORMLOVA's enum. FORMLOVA uses new / in_progress / resolved / spam. Keep waiting, ownership and dates in retained tags/notes or the external ledger.
Connect intake fields to ledger responsibilities
This is a proposed trial, not an operation or result measured for this rewrite. Use a private test draft first.
Create a private inquiry form with name, email, category and message. Map spreadsheet columns to data collected in the form versus information maintained by the owner. Explain that basic export contains form fields and submission time, not automatic owner/status/response-ID columns. Do not publish, send or update actual responses.
Before proceeding, check:
- Are collected fields separate from management columns?
- Is there a method to preserve owner/deadline additions during later exports?
- Is the intake clear on mobile and desktop?
Create a free intake that supports your spreadsheet
Free includes forms, review and CSV/Excel export. Maintain ledger additions separately; custom replies/native Sheets sync need Standard or above.
Register, verify your email, connect a supported AI client, and paste the proposed request above. Check the saved draft before publishing. AI-client account and usage requirements apply separately.
The original diagram describes the spreadsheet business categories; it does not add native FORMLOVA statuses.
Define reply deadlines
Set category-specific promises, keeping received time separate from deadline. Next-business-day buying enquiries or three-business-day recruiting replies are hypothetical examples, not universal standards. Use your actual working hours, holidays and capacity, and align the recipient-facing promise with the ledger.
Avoid spreadsheet failure modes
| Problem | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Personal copies | One source and update owner |
| Colour-only states | Explicit values and definitions |
| Stalled in-progress rows | Next action and last update |
| Overwriting with new CSV | Separate collected data from management columns and reconcile |
| Sales/tests counted as outcomes | Preserve exclusion reason and reporting rule |
MCP email displays are masked. Do not manually join them to raw addresses; use an authorized full export and organizer identifiers. Restrict access to management/edit links too.
If FORMLOVA becomes the source
Response search and four-status updates are available on Free. Identify actual responses, preserve notes/tags, update and retrieve again. Spreadsheet owner/waiting columns do not automatically become native FORMLOVA fields or synchronize.
Basic CSV/Excel output is form fields plus submission time. Decide how to reconcile duplicates and retain management columns. Native Sheets sync/custom replies need Standard or above, teams need Premium. Notification is not completion; Free notifications are a six-hour owner digest outside outgoing-mail quota.
Stay in Excel or move to another system?
A small, reliably maintained queue may be fine in a spreadsheet. Reassess when ownership changes, permissions, history, multiple entry points and send records make one source difficult to maintain. Test one inquiry from receipt to completion before adding another table.
Questions and decision
Can I use Excel or Sheets? The column model works in either; choose collaboration, access and backup for your environment.
Is this a direct FORMLOVA export? No. It maps collected data to organizer-maintained management fields.
Start with the header and an owner/deadline convention. Use the free draft above to test the intake-to-ledger connection.
Related Guides and References
- Inquiry Management From a Contact Form
- Inquiry Management with Office 365 and Teams
- Form Response Status Management
- Export Responses to CSV or Sync Them to Google Sheets
- Contact Form Operations Guide
- Prevent Missed Contact Form Replies
- Inquiry Owner Assignment
- Unhandled Inquiry Digest
- Inquiry Auto-Reply + Escalation
- Contact Form Spam and Sales Defense
- Microsoft Support: Create a table in Excel
- Google Docs Editors Help: Create, edit, and format spreadsheets
- Tayori: Inquiry management system overview
- formrun official site
Disclosure and Verification
This guide is written by FORMLOVA’s developer. Product status, export, masking, notification and plan boundaries were checked against current specification/code on October 15, 2026. Business examples are hypothetical, not new execution results.
