Send yourself AI-drafted website lead replies with OpenAI and Gmail

Quick overview

This workflow captures website enquiries via an n8n Form, uses OpenAI to draft a first reply in your business voice, and sends you a Gmail alert containing the lead details, the suggested response, and a one-click mailto link to reply manually.

How it works

1. Triggers when a visitor submits the n8n Form with their name, email, phone, and enquiry message.
2. Adds your business context (business name, services, service area, sign-off name, reply rules, and target alert email) to the submission data.
3. Sends the lead details and your business context to the OpenAI Chat Completions API to generate a short, friendly draft reply while instructing the model to treat the customer message as data.
4. Cleans up the generated text, falls back to a safe default reply if no usable AI output is returned, and builds an HTML email that includes a pre-filled “Reply now” mailto link to the lead.
5. Sends the formatted alert email to your chosen inbox using Gmail, without sending anything directly to the customer.

Setup

1. Add an OpenAI API credential and ensure the workflow can call the Chat Completions endpoint.
2. Add a Gmail credential with permission to send email from the account you want to receive alerts.
3. In “Your business details”, fill in your business name, services, service area, sign-off name, and the alertEmail address, and optionally adjust replyRules and the OpenAI model.
4. Activate the workflow and share or embed the n8n Form production URL on your website.