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Customer service

Lost property logging and enquiry matching

Lost property automation keeps a log of found items and matches each customer enquiry against it. A member of staff confirms the match and checks ownership, then the customer receives collection or postage details by email.

An example of how the studio would build it. No live services are connected.

From a found item and a worried customer to a confirmed return.

  1. Step 01

    Item logged

    Staff record each found item with a photo, where and when it was found, using a short Google Form on a shared device.

  2. Step 02

    Loss reported

    A customer describes what they lost, when they visited and where they were, through a form on your website.

  3. Step 03

    Matches suggested

    Compare category, colour, date and location in Airtable and list the closest logged items.

  4. Step 04

    Person confirms

    A member of staff reviews the matches and asks the customer for a detail only the owner would know.

  5. Step 05

    Return arranged

    Send collection details from Gmail, or postage options if they can’t come back, and mark the item as claimed.

The result

Lost items find their owners without long email threads or rummaging through boxes.

Photos and full descriptions of found items are never shared with the person enquiring, so items only go to people who can describe them. Each item can be claimed once, and nothing is released or posted until a member of staff confirms the match.

Before we connect it.

Where this is useful

Useful for gyms, venues, theatres, hotels, leisure centres and attractions where items are left behind every day and enquiries arrive by phone, email and social media. A sensible first version logs found items and enquiries in one Airtable base with suggested matches, and leaves every reply to staff.

What we need to connect

  1. 01A short Google Form for staff to log found items, with photo upload, used on a shared device signed in to your Google account.
  2. 02An Airtable base for items and enquiries, plus a form on your website or a link you can send to customers who call.
  3. 03Your lost property policy: how long items are kept, how valuables and ID are handled, whether you post items and what happens to unclaimed ones.

What needs careful handling

Valuables such as phones, wallets, keys and bank cards need extra care, so they are flagged in the log and handled by a manager in line with your policy. Descriptions are often vague, such as a black jacket, so matches are suggestions only and the owner is asked for a detail that wasn’t in their report. Items past your keeping period are listed for a person to decide on, so nothing is donated or thrown away automatically.

Questions people ask.

Why not just use a spreadsheet?

Many venues start with one, and it works until several staff are logging items and answering enquiries at once. A form keeps entries consistent, photos stay attached to the right item and suggested matches save scrolling. If a spreadsheet is enough for you, we will say so.

What about items with personal details, like bank cards?

These are logged without recording card numbers or other sensitive details, flagged as valuables and kept securely. Your policy decides whether they are returned, passed to the issuer or destroyed after a set time, and a manager makes that call.

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