# Follow-Up Calls After Free Samples Ship

> How to run a short AI follow-up call after a free sample or specimen book is delivered: confirm receipt, highlight features, capture needs, set next step.

Source: https://edesy.in/blog/sample-delivery-follow-up-calls-ai-2026

**Sending free samples is expensive; not knowing what happened after delivery is worse.** A short AI
follow-up call closes the loop: did it arrive, did everything in the pack reach the right person,
and what do they need next? In one deployment, a CBSE exam-prep book publisher calls teachers after
their specimen book and thank-you gift are delivered. This post covers how to design that call.

> **Run follow-up calls for your sampling programme:** [Start free on Edesy](https://voice-agent.edesy.in/?utm_source=edesy.in&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=sample-delivery-follow-up-calls-ai-2026) — Rs 50 free credit, no demo needed.

## Why follow up at all

A courier update tells you a parcel was delivered. It doesn't tell you:

- whether the right person received it (a school office, a family member, a guard);
- whether everything in the pack arrived;
- whether the person has looked at it, or needs something else;
- who is worth a visit from your sales team.

A person can make these calls, but the list is long and each call is short, which makes it a good
fit for an AI agent.

## The call, in five steps

1. **Confirm delivery.** "Namaste, aapko hamari taraf se book mil gayi?"
2. **Confirm the full pack.** If there was a gift or a second item, ask about it separately.
   A "yes" to the book doesn't mean the gift arrived.
3. **One or two features, not a pitch.** Point out the one thing most people miss: a new chapter
   pattern, practice section or free online resource.
4. **Capture any need.** More copies, another class or subject, a price list, a visit.
5. **Agree the next action** and close politely.

Keep it **under a minute**. The person already knows who you are; they don't need the full
introduction again.

## What to record after every call

Set up post-call extraction so each call becomes a row with the same fields:

| Field | Example values |
|---|---|
| Call outcome | Reached, wrong person, callback, not interested |
| Delivery status | Received, not received, received by someone else |
| Item acknowledged | Yes / no |
| Gift or extra acknowledged | Yes / no / not applicable |
| Features mentioned | Which ones the agent covered |
| Requirement raised | More copies, other subject, price list, visit |
| Next action | Send details on WhatsApp, sales visit, none |
| Call score | 1 to 5 |

"Not received" rows go straight to your dispatch team. "Requirement raised" rows go to sales. Export
to CSV or Google Sheets, or send them to your CRM by webhook.

## Count the dials you didn't connect

Follow-up lists have a lot of unanswered calls. In the first days of one campaign, about half the
dials went unanswered. If unanswered calls don't produce a row, your dashboard only shows the people
who picked up, and every rate looks better than it is.

Make sure each dial is counted, answered or not, and use retries by outcome within a sensible
calling window. Only then can you say how many recipients you actually reached.

## Common mistakes

- **Re-pitching the product.** The sample already did that. Ask, don't sell.
- **One question covering two items.** "Did you get the book and gift?" gets a single "haan". Ask
  about each separately.
- **Treating "received" as "reached".** A family member saying it arrived is not the same as the
  person confirming it. Record who answered.
- **No hand-off.** If nobody acts on "not received" or "wants a visit" within a day, the call was
  wasted.

## Cost

On Edesy, calls are billed per started minute at Rs 4-6 per minute depending on your prepaid
top-up, and unanswered calls are free. A follow-up call that stays under a minute costs one minute.

## Try it

Start with one delivery batch, listen to 30 calls, then fix the script before scaling.
[Create a free account](https://voice-agent.edesy.in/?utm_source=edesy.in&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=sample-delivery-follow-up-calls-ai-2026)
or [talk to us](https://edesy.in/contact). See how the first call in this programme works in
[how a publisher verifies teachers with AI calls](https://edesy.in/ai-voice-assistant/case-studies/publisher-teacher-verification-calls).

## Related reading

- [How a publisher reaches teachers with AI calls](https://edesy.in/blog/publisher-teacher-outreach-ai-calls-2026)
- [WhatsApp follow-up after an AI voice call](https://edesy.in/blog/whatsapp-follow-up-after-ai-call-2026)
- [Score every AI call automatically](https://edesy.in/blog/score-every-ai-call-automatically-2026)
- [Stop free-sample misuse with AI calls](https://edesy.in/blog/stop-free-sample-abuse-ai-verification-calls-2026)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is a post-delivery follow-up call for a free sample?

A short outbound call made after a free sample or specimen copy is delivered. The agent confirms it arrived, checks everything in the pack was received, points out one or two features, asks if the person needs anything else, and agrees a next step.

### How long should the follow-up call be?

Under a minute for most people. The person already knows you, so the call only needs to confirm receipt, add one useful point and capture any requirement. Longer calls get cut off.

### What should be recorded after each call?

The call outcome, delivery status, whether the item and any gift were acknowledged, which features were mentioned, any requirement raised, the agreed next action and a simple call score. These become columns you can filter and export.

### What happens when the person doesn't pick up?

Unanswered calls are retried by outcome within your calling window, and every dial is still counted, so you can see how many people you actually reached. Unanswered calls are free on Edesy.

### Can the follow-up continue on WhatsApp?

Yes. If the person wants a catalogue, a second sample or a price list, a WhatsApp message can go out after the call with the details.