How do I log lead-platform alerts in a Google Sheet?
Use a Gmail search that matches the platform’s alert emails, including copies you forward from another inbox. A small Apps Script then stars and labels each message, adds a row with the arrival time and minutes to log, and remembers message IDs so it never logs the same alert twice.
Lead platforms such as Bark, Checkatrade and MyBuilder email you when a new lead arrives. On a busy day those emails get buried. Logging them in a sheet with arrival times tells you how quickly you are noticing leads.
Step by step
- Turn on alerts in the platformIn Bark, turn on lead notifications. Bark’s help says acting quickly gives you the best chance of winning the job.
- Write the Gmail searchMatch the sender domain and, for forwarded copies, the domain in the subject or body, for example: (from:(bark.com OR checkatrade.com) OR "bark.com" OR "checkatrade.com") newer_than:2d.
- Log per message, not per threadGmail groups alerts with the same subject into one thread. Loop over every message in each thread and remember message IDs you have logged.
- Write the rowRecord arrival time, platform, sender, subject, whether it was forwarded, logged-at time and minutes to log.
- Star and label itStar the message so it stands out and turn on Gmail app notifications for starred mail.
- Run it on a timerA time-driven trigger every few minutes is enough. Test by forwarding yourself an old alert.
Two pitfalls we found in testing
- Forwarded alerts are missed. If the alert reaches another inbox and you forward it, it comes from your own address, so a search on the platform’s sender alone will not find it.
- Only the first alert in a thread gets logged. Alerts with the same subject thread together. Labelling the thread as “done” hides later alerts.
Both were caught in our alert logger demo and fixed by searching the body too and logging per message.
What this can’t do
You reply to the customer inside the platform. Logging cuts the time it takes to notice a lead, not the reply itself. Sender formats for Checkatrade and MyBuilder should be confirmed against your first real alert.