# Build an AI Job Follow-Up Agent for Electricians > Build an n8n AI agent that writes a follow-up after each finished electrical job, with next steps, and saves it to Google Sheets. Free, step by step. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n · Updated 2026-11-03 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) ## Practice it step by step [Start the free practice](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-ai-agent-electrical) [Take the free module: why it matters, practice and a quick check →](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/ai-for-trades/5) You do every step yourself in a practice copy of n8n. It checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, about 12 minutes, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Open full screen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-ai-agent-electrical) Free · Live now · [AI Automation for Electricians](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/industry/electrical) · [n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/n8n) · OpenAI · Google Sheets · ~12 min · 72 steps · Intermediate Updated November 3, 2026. Built against the tool’s current screens and checked step by step. [How we check this lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about#how-we-check) An electrical job is not really done when the crew leaves. There is an inspection to schedule, a new breaker to explain and a customer who will need you again. In this free lesson you build an [AI agent](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-agent) in [n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/n8n) for Oak & Wire Electric that writes a follow-up for each finished job and tracks the next step in Google Sheets. ## At a glance | Question | Answer | | --- | --- | | What you build | Build an AI agent for Oak & Wire Electric that writes follow-up messages after completed jobs and tracks them in Google Sheets — chat trigger, AI Agent, system prompt, model, memory, and the Sheets tool. | | Tools | n8n | | Time | About 12 minutes, 72 steps in 12 parts | | Level | Intermediate | | Cost | Free | | Ways to learn it | [Practice it step by step](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-ai-agent-electrical), watch the video | ### The 12 parts, in short 1. Get n8n: Go to n8n.io, Enter your email, Sign up. 2. API key: Add credit first, Ten dollars is plenty, Now the key, Create a secret key, and 4 more steps. 3. New workflow: Start a new workflow. 4. Chat trigger: Add the first step, Trigger on a chat message, Back to the canvas. 5. AI Agent: Add the next node, Open the AI nodes, Add the AI Agent. 6. System prompt: Open the options, Add a system message, Write the system prompt, Back to the canvas. 7. Chat model: Give the agent a brain, Pick OpenAI, Open the credentials, Create a new credential, and 5 more steps. 8. Memory: Add memory, Simple Memory, Back to the canvas. 9. Sheets tool: Add a tool, Search for Sheets, Add Google Sheets. 10. Create the spreadsheet: Back to the canvas, Open Google Sheets, Name the spreadsheet, Type the first column header, and 6 more steps. 11. Configure Sheets: Add a credential, Create a new credential, Sign in with Google, Choose your account, and 16 more steps. 12. Test the agent: Open the chat, Ask for follow-ups, Send the message, Save to the sheet, and 1 more step. **Start here first:** [n8n AI Agent Tutorial: Save Social Media Ideas to Google Sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-ai-agent-tutorial-google-sheets). This Electrical version follows the same build with its own example business, Oak & Wire Electric. ## Build an AI Job Follow-Up Agent for Electricians: video walkthrough The whole lesson in 8:25, narrated step by step. **Simulated practice environment.** Recorded in Stepthrough’s simulated practice environment, not the live tool. Practice it yourself free at learn.ynteractive.com. 8:25 · 12 chapters · 72 steps · narrated with the lesson’s own voice-over ### Chapters Click a chapter to jump the video there. 1. [0:00 Intro: what you'll build](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=0#watch) 2. [0:11 Get n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=11#watch) 3. [0:47 API key](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=47#watch) 4. [1:57 Chat trigger](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=117#watch) 5. [2:31 AI Agent](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=151#watch) 6. [2:48 System prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=168#watch) 7. [3:32 Chat model](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=212#watch) 8. [4:21 Memory](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=261#watch) 9. [4:38 Sheets tool](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=278#watch) 10. [5:12 Create the spreadsheet](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=312#watch) 11. [6:02 Configure Sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=362#watch) 12. [7:42 Test the agent](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=462#watch) ### Now do it yourself, free Watching is the warm-up. The interactive lesson puts you in a practice copy of n8n: you do every step yourself, it checks your work, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Nothing touches your real accounts. [Practice “Build an AI Job Follow-Up Agent for Electricians” step by step](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-ai-agent-electrical?after=video) ### Full transcript #### Intro: what you'll build [0:00](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=0#watch) Now we automate. You'll build an AI agent in n8n for oak and wire electric. It writes a follow-up after every finished job and saves each one to Google Sheets. Let's build it. #### Get n8n [0:10](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=10#watch) In the last lesson you built a Custom GPT that writes bid descriptions for your electrical jobs. That is great for one person. But what if you want the AI to write a follow-up after every finished job, save it to a spreadsheet, and let your whole team review it? That is what we are building now. First, you need an n8n account. Click get started free. [0:30](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=30#watch) Type an email address. This is just practice, so anything works — it won't actually send anything. [0:36](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=36#watch) Now click continue. In the real n8n, it sends you a six digit code, then asks for a name, a password, and an account name. Go do that in your own browser later, then come back and we will build. #### API key [0:46](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=46#watch) Your agent needs a brain, and that means an [API key](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/api-key) from OpenAI. Go to platform dot openai dot com — that is the developer side, not ChatGPT, and it bills completely separately. Before you make a key, put some money on the account. A brand new key with a zero balance just returns errors. Click add to credit balance. [1:04](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=64#watch) Ten dollars goes a very long way. You are charged per request, not per month, and writing follow-up messages costs fractions of a cent per request. Click continue — in your own account it asks for a card at this point. [1:16](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=76#watch) Balance sorted. Now go to [API](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/api) keys in the left menu. [1:19](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=79#watch) Click create new secret key. [1:21](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=81#watch) Name it after whatever is going to use it. Future you, staring at a list of forty keys, will thank you. I am calling this one n8n agent. [1:29](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=89#watch) Default project, all permissions — that is fine for this. Create the key. [1:33](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=93#watch) Now pay attention, because this is the only time you will ever see this key. Copy it and paste it into n8n, or into your password manager. If you lose it, you do not get it back — you delete it and make another. [1:45](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=105#watch) Click done. One last warning — this key can spend your money. Never commit it to code, never paste it into a chat, and if it ever shows up on screen while you are recording, revoke it before you publish. #### Chat trigger [1:56](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=116#watch) Now you are inside n8n. This overview page lists every workflow you have. Top right, click create workflow, and you land on an empty canvas. [2:04](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=124#watch) Every workflow needs a trigger — the thing that kicks it off. We want a chat trigger so you can talk to the agent and ask it for follow-up messages. Click add first step. [2:13](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=133#watch) A panel slides in with every way a workflow can start — manually, on a schedule, on a webhook. We want on chat message, so we can have a conversation with the agent. [2:22](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=142#watch) n8n opens the node so you can configure it. There is nothing we need to change here, so close it with the X in the top right and get back to the canvas. #### AI Agent [2:30](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=150#watch) Now we decide what happens when a message comes in. Click the plus on the right edge of the trigger. [2:35](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=155#watch) There it is — AI Agent. This is the piece that can plan and then carry out actions using whatever tools you give it. You tell it which jobs you finished, and it can write the follow-ups and save them to a spreadsheet — all in one step. #### System prompt [2:47](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=167#watch) Right now this agent has no personality and no orders. It does not know it works for Oak and Wire Electric. Scroll down to options and click add option. [2:55](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=175#watch) Pick system message. This is the standing instruction — the thing the agent reads before every single request. It is where we tell it who Oak and Wire Electric is, what the tone should sound like, and how to format each follow-up. [3:07](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=187#watch) Here is the actual prompt. Notice what it does: it describes Oak and Wire Electric, lists the services, sets the tone, and tells the agent exactly what format to return — customer, job completed, follow-up message, next step, and send via. It also tells the agent to use the Google Sheets tool when you ask it to save the follow-ups. Click paste system prompt. [3:27](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=207#watch) That gives the agent everything it needs to know about Oak and Wire Electric. Close the node. #### Chat model [3:32](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=212#watch) See that red triangle on the agent? It is complaining because it has no model. An agent can plan, but it cannot think without a language model underneath it. Click the plus under chat model. [3:42](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=222#watch) OpenAI chat model. This is where that API key finally gets used. [3:46](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=226#watch) And here is where that key you copied finally goes. Click the credential dropdown. [3:50](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=230#watch) You want create new credential, right at the bottom. [3:53](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=233#watch) Paste the key straight in. This is the one moment it matters that you copied it — remember, OpenAI never shows it to you again. [4:00](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=240#watch) Hit save. n8n tests the connection straight away, and from now on this credential is available to every node in every workflow — you only do this once. [4:09](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=249#watch) Now the model dropdown. [4:11](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=251#watch) GPT five mini. Fast, cheap, and plenty for writing follow-up messages. Do not reach for the expensive model until you have a reason. [4:18](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=258#watch) That is the brain wired in. Close it up. #### Memory [4:21](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=261#watch) Next, memory. Without this, every message starts from nothing — you could not say save those follow-ups to the sheet, because it would not remember what follow-ups you were talking about. Click the plus under memory. [4:31](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=271#watch) Simple memory is fine here — it keeps the recent conversation inside n8n, no database, no extra credentials. #### Sheets tool [4:38](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=278#watch) And now the good part — tools. This is what separates an agent from a chatbot. A chatbot just talks. An agent does things. We are going to give it access to Google Sheets so it can save every follow-up directly into a spreadsheet your team can review. Click the plus under tool. [4:54](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=294#watch) Google Sheets tool. Now the agent can write rows into a real spreadsheet. You would point it at a sheet with columns for customer, job completed, follow-up message, next step, and send via — matching exactly what the system prompt tells it to generate. When you say save those follow-ups, the agent writes each one as a row. #### Create the spreadsheet [5:12](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=312#watch) Before we set this up, we need to actually create the spreadsheet. Close this node for now — we are going to hop over to Google Sheets and make one. [5:19](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=319#watch) Switch to Google Sheets. You need to create the spreadsheet that this node will write to. [5:23](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=323#watch) First, name it so you can find it later. Click the title up top — it says untitled spreadsheet — and type Job Follow-Ups. [5:30](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=330#watch) Now set up the column headers. These need to match what the system prompt tells the agent to generate. In A1, type Customer. [5:37](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=337#watch) B1 — Job Completed. [5:38](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=338#watch) C1 — Follow-Up Message. [5:40](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=340#watch) D1 — Next Step. [5:42](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=342#watch) And E1 — Send Via. Five columns, matching exactly what the system prompt tells the agent to generate. When the agent saves follow-ups, each one becomes a row in this sheet. [5:52](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=352#watch) The spreadsheet is ready. Switch back to n8n and connect the Google Sheets node to it. [5:56](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=356#watch) Double click the Google Sheets node to open it back up. Now we can connect it to the spreadsheet we just made. #### Configure Sheets [6:02](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=362#watch) Now we need to connect this to a real Google account. Click the credential dropdown. [6:06](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=366#watch) Create new credential — this one uses Google OAuth instead of an API key, so it is going to open a sign-in window. [6:13](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=373#watch) Click sign in with Google. This opens the Google account chooser so you can pick which account to connect. [6:19](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=379#watch) Pick the Google account you want n8n to use. This is the account that owns the spreadsheet. [6:24](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=384#watch) Google is asking what n8n is allowed to do. Check the first box — this lets n8n read and write your spreadsheets. [6:31](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=391#watch) Second box — n8n needs Drive access so it can find your spreadsheets by name. [6:36](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=396#watch) Last one — this lets Google connect to n8n as an external service. Check it. [6:41](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=401#watch) All three checked. Click continue and Google hands the credential back to n8n. [6:45](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=405#watch) Now we tell the node what to do. By default it reads rows, but we want to add rows. Click the operation dropdown. [6:51](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=411#watch) Append row. Every time the agent writes a follow-up, it adds a new row to the bottom of the sheet. [6:56](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=416#watch) Now pick the spreadsheet. Click the document dropdown. [6:59](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=419#watch) Job Follow-Ups — that is the sheet we set up with columns for customer, job completed, follow-up message, next step, and send via. [7:06](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=426#watch) Now pick which tab inside that spreadsheet. Click the sheet dropdown. [7:10](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=430#watch) Sheet one — it is the only tab, so this is simple. [7:13](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=433#watch) Now the columns. Each column has a purple button — click it and the AI agent figures out what data goes there. Click the purple button next to Customer. [7:20](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=440#watch) Job Completed. Same thing — click the purple button. [7:24](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=444#watch) Follow-Up Message. [7:25](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=445#watch) Next Step. [7:26](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=446#watch) And Send Via. Each one is now set to defined automatically by the model — the agent reads your column headers and figures out what goes where. [7:33](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=453#watch) The sheets tool is fully wired up — credential, operation, spreadsheet, sheet, and column mapping. Close it and let us test this thing. #### Test the agent [7:42](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=462#watch) Everything is connected. Time to see if it works. Click open chat at the bottom of the canvas. [7:46](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=466#watch) Give it this week's finished jobs. Type this prompt and see what comes back. [7:50](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=470#watch) Send it off. The agent reads your system prompt, thinks about Oak and Wire Electric, and writes three follow-ups with the exact format you asked for. [7:59](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=479#watch) It came back with three follow-ups — one for each job — each with a message, a next step, and how to send it. Now tell it to save them to the sheet. This is where the Google Sheets tool kicks in. [8:09](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=489#watch) Send it. The agent uses the Google Sheets tool to write each follow-up as a row — customer, job, message, next step, send via — exactly like the system prompt told it to. [8:19](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrician-job-follow-up-ai-agent-n8n?t=499#watch) Simple as that. We show you and you do it. Sign up below to learn AI automation for free. ## What you will build An AI agent you talk to in a chat window. You paste the week's finished jobs: Dana, 200-amp panel upgrade. Marcus, Level 2 EV charger. Priya, whole-home surge protector. The agent writes a message for each one and a next step for the office. Dana's email says her panel is installed and labeled and that the township inspection is the last step, with the next step to confirm the date once it is scheduled. Marcus gets a text saying his charger is on its own 240-volt circuit and to check the breaker labeled EV Charger if it ever stops charging, with a check-in planned after two weeks. Priya's email explains the indicator light on her surge protector, and the next step flags GFCI/AFCI updates for the next visit. When you say 'save those', the agent writes each one to a sheet called Job Follow-Ups with Customer, Job Completed, Follow-Up Message, Next Step and Send Via columns. ## Who this is for Owners and office managers at small electrical contractors, residential or light commercial, who lose track of open inspections and never get around to checking in after an install. It builds on the electrical bid writer lesson, but you can start here. ## What the system prompt tells the agent It describes Oak & Wire's real services: panel upgrades, EV chargers, surge protection, GFCI/AFCI updates, lighting retrofits and troubleshooting. It says the customers are homeowners and small business owners, and the tone should be that of the electrician who did the work. Each message thanks the customer, confirms what was done, mentions anything they should know, such as when the inspection is scheduled or how to reset a GFCI, and invites questions. Most important for an electrical company: never invent prices, dates or inspection results. The agent only uses details you give it. ## Why it works The Next Step column turns follow-ups into a to-do list. Open inspections, two-week check-ins and future upgrade opportunities are all in one place instead of in someone's head. The Google Sheets tool is what lets the agent act instead of just chat, and Simple Memory lets you say 'save those' without repeating the list. ## Why electrical jobs need a different kind of follow-up An HVAC or plumbing follow-up is mostly a thank-you and a care tip. An electrical job often has loose ends after the crew leaves. A panel upgrade is not finished until the township inspection passes. A new EV charger raises the question of what to do when it stops charging, and the answer is usually a tripped breaker, not a service call. A surge protector has an indicator light the customer should know about. That is why this agent returns a Next Step for every job, not just a message. It tells the office what still needs doing: confirm the inspection date, check in after two weeks, raise GFCI/AFCI updates at the next visit. The Send Via column lets the agent match the channel to the job, with a quick text for a charger that is ready to use and an email for a panel upgrade with an inspection still pending. Because the system prompt forbids made-up dates and results, the message about the inspection says you will be in touch once it is on the calendar, rather than guessing. ## How to use this in your electrical business Swap in your services and your safety tips. On Friday, paste in the week's closed jobs and let the agent draft the batch. Panel upgrades get a reminder about the inspection. EV charger customers get the breaker tip that saves you a service call. Commercial customers can get email while homeowners get text. The sheet becomes the list you work from when you call back about inspections and future work. ## Try it yourself, free Reading the steps is a start. Doing them is how it sticks. The interactive module walks you through every click in a practice copy of n8n, checks each step, and never touches your real accounts. [Start “Build an AI Job Follow-Up Agent for Electricians”](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-ai-agent-electrical) ## Step by step: Build an AI Job Follow-Up Agent for Electricians All 72 steps of the interactive module, in order. In the module you watch each one, then do it yourself in a practice copy that checks your work. ### 1. Get n8n 1. **Go to n8n.io.** Start at **n8n.io**. Click **Get started free**. In the last lesson you built a Custom GPT that writes bid descriptions for your electrical jobs. That is great for one person. But what if you want the AI to write a follow-up after every finished job, save it to a spreadsheet, and let your whole team review it? That is what we are building now. First, you need an n8n account. 2. **Enter your email.** Type any email address — this is practice, so a fake one is fine. This is just practice, so anything works — it won't actually send anything. 3. **Sign up.** Click **Continue**. n8n emails you a code, then asks for a name and password — do that part on your own and come back here. In the real n8n, it sends you a six digit code, then asks for a name, a password, and an account name. Go do that in your own browser later, then come back and we will build. ### 2. API key 4. **Add credit first.** Practice only: no card, no charge. Your agent needs a model to think with, and in the real world that is an OpenAI key with a little credit behind it. This is **platform.openai.com → Billing**. Click **Add to credit balance**. (Rather not spend anything later? New n8n accounts include free credits: pick **Gateway credits** on the model step instead of a key.) Your agent needs a brain, and that means an API key from OpenAI. Go to platform dot openai dot com — that is the developer side, not ChatGPT, and it bills completely separately. Before you make a key, put some money on the account. A brand new key with a zero balance just returns errors. If you would rather not spend anything yet, n8n gives every new account free credits. In your own n8n, you can pick gateway credits on the model step and skip the key. 5. **Ten dollars is plenty.** Ten dollars goes a long way — you pay per request, not per month. Click **Continue**. In your own account you add a card here. Ten dollars goes a very long way. You are charged per request, not per month, and writing follow-up messages costs fractions of a cent per request. 6. **Now the key.** Balance sorted. Click **API Keys** in the left menu. Balance sorted. Now go to API keys in the left menu. 7. **Create a secret key.** Click **+ Create new secret key**. 8. **Name the key.** Name it after what will use it. Type **n8n agent**. Name it after whatever is going to use it. Future you, staring at a list of forty keys, will thank you. I am calling this one n8n agent. 9. **Create it.** Leave Project and Permissions alone and click **Create secret key**. Default project, all permissions — that is fine for this. Create the key. 10. **Copy it now.** This is the only time OpenAI shows you the key. Click **Copy**, then paste it somewhere safe. Now pay attention, because this is the only time you will ever see this key. Copy it and paste it into n8n, or into your password manager. If you lose it, you do not get it back — you delete it and make another. 11. **Back to n8n.** Click **Done**. Treat that key like a password — never paste it into a chat, a repo, or a screen recording. One last warning — this key can spend your money. Never commit it to code, never paste it into a chat, and if it ever shows up on screen while you are recording, revoke it before you publish. ### 3. New workflow 12. **Start a new workflow.** This is your n8n home. Click **Create workflow** in the top right. Now you are inside n8n. This overview page lists every workflow you have. Top right, click create workflow, and you land on an empty canvas. ### 4. Chat trigger 13. **Add the first step.** Every workflow starts with a trigger. Click **Add first step…** Every workflow needs a trigger — the thing that kicks it off. We want a chat trigger so you can talk to the agent and ask it for follow-up messages. 14. **Trigger on a chat message.** The trigger panel opened on the right. Pick **On chat message** near the bottom. A panel slides in with every way a workflow can start — manually, on a schedule, on a webhook. We want on chat message, so we can have a conversation with the agent. 15. **Back to the canvas.** n8n opens the node so you can configure it. Nothing to change here — click the **×** in the top right. n8n opens the node so you can configure it. There is nothing we need to change here, so close it with the X in the top right and get back to the canvas. ### 5. AI Agent 16. **Add the next node.** Click the **+** on the right edge of the trigger node. Now we decide what happens when a message comes in. 17. **Open the AI nodes.** The **What happens next?** panel opens with categories. Click **AI** at the top. A panel opens and asks what happens next. The agent lives under AI, right at the top. 18. **Add the AI Agent.** In **AI Nodes**, click **AI Agent** — it makes a plan and carries it out using the tools you give it. There it is — AI Agent. This is the piece that can plan and then carry out actions using whatever tools you give it. You tell it which jobs you finished, and it can write the follow-ups and save them to a spreadsheet — all in one step. ### 6. System prompt 19. **Open the options.** The agent has no personality yet. Click **+ Add Option** under Options. Right now this agent has no personality and no orders. It does not know it works for Oak and Wire Electric. 20. **Add a system message.** Choose **System Message**. This is the standing instruction the agent follows every time. Pick system message. This is the standing instruction — the thing the agent reads before every single request. It is where we tell it who Oak and Wire Electric is, what the tone should sound like, and how to format each follow-up. 21. **Write the system prompt.** The box starts with **You are a helpful assistant**. Replace it with the standing instruction: it is long, so just Paste in the system prompt on the box. Here is the actual prompt. Notice what it does: it describes Oak and Wire Electric, lists the services, sets the tone, and tells the agent exactly what format to return — customer, job completed, follow-up message, next step, and send via. It also tells the agent to use the Google Sheets tool when you ask it to save the follow-ups. ```text You are a customer follow-up assistant for Oak & Wire Electric. Oak & Wire Electric is a small residential and light-commercial electrical contractor. We do panel upgrades, EV charger installs, whole-home surge protection, GFCI/AFCI updates, lighting retrofits, and troubleshooting. The customers are homeowners and small business owners whose job we just finished. The tone should be friendly, clear, professional, and short. Write like the electrician who did the work, not like a salesperson. Your job is to write a follow-up message for each completed job the user gives you. Each message should thank the customer, confirm what was done, mention anything they should know (for example, when the inspection is scheduled or how to reset a GFCI), and invite them to reach out with questions. For each job, return: - Customer - Job Completed - Follow-Up Message - Next Step - Send Via (Text or Email) When the user asks you to save the follow-ups, use the Google Sheets tool to store each one. Do not invent prices, dates, or inspection results. Only use details the user gives you. ``` 22. **Back to the canvas.** That tells the agent who it works for and how to format each follow-up. Close the node with the **×**. That gives the agent everything it needs to know about Oak and Wire Electric. Close the node. ### 7. Chat model 23. **Give the agent a brain.** The agent has a red warning: it has no model. Click the **+** under **Chat Model**. See that red triangle on the agent? It is complaining because it has no model. An agent can plan, but it cannot think without a language model underneath it. 24. **Pick OpenAI.** Click **OpenAI Chat Model**. OpenAI chat model. This is where that API key finally gets used. 25. **Open the credentials.** Here is where that key goes. Click the **Credential** dropdown. And here is where that key you copied finally goes. 26. **Create a new credential.** Click **+ Create new credential** at the bottom of the list. (Free credits instead? Pick **Gateway credits** in your own n8n.) You want create new credential, right at the bottom. In your own n8n, if you skipped the key, you would pick gateway credits here instead. 27. **Paste the key.** Paste in the API key on the field to drop in the key you copied from OpenAI. This is the one moment it matters that you copied it — remember, OpenAI never shows it to you again. 28. **Save the credential.** Click **Save**. n8n tests the connection and stores the key for every future node. n8n tests the connection straight away, and from now on this credential is available to every node in every workflow — you only do this once. 29. **Open the model list.** A new credential leaves **Model** on **Select a model...**. Click the **Model** dropdown. Now the model dropdown. 30. **Choose the model.** Pick **gpt-5-mini** — fast and cheap, plenty for this. (The list is long: type **gpt-5-mini** in **Search...** to find it.) GPT five mini. Fast, cheap, and plenty for writing follow-up messages. Do not reach for the expensive model until you have a reason. 31. **Back to the canvas.** The model is wired up. Close the node with the **×**. That is the brain wired in. Close it up. ### 8. Memory 32. **Add memory.** Without memory the agent forgets each message. Click the **+** under **Memory**. Next, memory. Without this, every message starts from nothing — you could not say save those follow-ups to the sheet, because it would not remember what follow-ups you were talking about. 33. **Simple Memory.** Pick **Simple Memory**. It keeps the recent conversation in n8n itself. Simple memory is fine here — it keeps the recent conversation inside n8n, no database, no extra credentials. 34. **Back to the canvas.** n8n opens **Simple Memory** so you can set it up. The defaults are fine (it keeps the last 5 messages). Close it with the **×**. n8n opens simple memory so you can set it up. The defaults are fine. It keeps the last five messages. Close it with the X. ### 9. Sheets tool 35. **Add a tool.** Tools are how the agent acts on the world. Click the **+** under **Tool**. And now the good part — tools. This is what separates an agent from a chatbot. A chatbot just talks. An agent does things. We are going to give it access to Google Sheets so it can save every follow-up directly into a spreadsheet your team can review. 36. **Search for Sheets.** Google Sheets is not in **Recommended Tools**. In **Search nodes...**, type **sheets**. Google Sheets is not in the recommended tools, so search for it. 37. **Add Google Sheets.** Click **Google Sheets Tool** — read, update and write data to Google Sheets. Google Sheets tool. Now the agent can write rows into a real spreadsheet. You would point it at a sheet with columns for customer, job completed, follow-up message, next step, and send via — matching exactly what the system prompt tells it to generate. When you say save those follow-ups, the agent writes each one as a row. ### 10. Create the spreadsheet 38. **Back to the canvas.** Before we configure this node, we need a spreadsheet for the agent to write to. Close the node — we will come back. Before we set this up, we need to actually create the spreadsheet. Close this node for now — we are going to hop over to Google Sheets and make one. 39. **Open Google Sheets.** Click the **Google Sheets** tab to create a new blank spreadsheet. Switch to Google Sheets. You need to create the spreadsheet that this node will write to. 40. **Name the spreadsheet.** Click the title and rename it to **Job Follow-Ups**. First, name it so you can find it later. 41. **Type the first column header.** In cell **A1**, type **Customer**. Now set up the column headers. These need to match what the system prompt tells the agent to generate. In A1, type Customer. 42. **Job Completed.** In cell **B1**, type **Job Completed**. B1 — Job Completed. 43. **Follow-Up Message.** In cell **C1**, type **Follow-Up Message**. C1 — Follow-Up Message. 44. **Next Step.** In cell **D1**, type **Next Step**. D1 — Next Step. 45. **Send Via.** In cell **E1**, type **Send Via**. That is all five columns — matching the system prompt. And E1 — Send Via. Five columns, matching exactly what the system prompt tells the agent to generate. When the agent saves follow-ups, each one becomes a row in this sheet. 46. **Back to n8n.** The spreadsheet is ready. Click the **n8n** tab to go back and connect it. The spreadsheet is ready. Switch back to n8n and connect the Google Sheets node to it. 47. **Open the Sheets node.** Double-click the Google Sheets node (n8n named it **Get row(s) in sheet in Google Sheets**) to configure it. Double click the Google Sheets node to open it back up. Now we can connect it to the spreadsheet we just made. ### 11. Configure Sheets 48. **Add a credential.** The Sheets node needs a Google account. Click the **Credential** dropdown. Now we need to connect this to a real Google account. 49. **Create a new credential.** Click **+ Create new credential** to sign in with Google. Create new credential — this one uses Google OAuth instead of an API key, so it is going to open a sign-in window. 50. **Sign in with Google.** Click **Sign in with Google** to connect your account. This opens the Google account chooser so you can pick which account to connect. 51. **Choose your account.** Click your **Google account** to continue. Pick the Google account you want n8n to use. This is the account that owns the spreadsheet. 52. **Allow Sheets access.** Google needs permission. Check **See, edit, create, and delete all your Google Sheets spreadsheets**. Google is asking what n8n is allowed to do. Check the first box — this lets n8n read and write your spreadsheets. 53. **Allow Drive access.** Check **See, edit, create, and delete all of your Google Drive files**. Second box — n8n needs Drive access so it can find your spreadsheets by name. 54. **Allow external service.** Check **Connect to an external service**. Last one — this lets Google connect to n8n as an external service. Check it. 55. **Sign in.** All three are checked. Click **Continue** to complete the Google sign-in. All three checked. 56. **Pick the operation.** Now tell n8n what to do with the sheet. Click the **Operation** dropdown. Now we tell the node what to do. By default it reads rows, but we want to add rows. 57. **Append Row.** Pick **Append Row** — the agent will add a new row for each follow-up. Append row. Every time the agent writes a follow-up, it adds a new row to the bottom of the sheet. 58. **Choose the spreadsheet.** Click the **Document** dropdown to pick which spreadsheet to write to. Now pick the spreadsheet. 59. **Job Follow-Ups.** Click **Job Follow-Ups** — the sheet we set up for Oak & Wire. Job Follow-Ups — that is the sheet we set up with columns for customer, job completed, follow-up message, next step, and send via. 60. **Pick the sheet tab.** Click the **Sheet** dropdown to choose which tab inside the spreadsheet. Now pick which tab inside that spreadsheet. 61. **Sheet1.** Click **Sheet1**. Sheet one — it is the only tab, so this is simple. 62. **Map the Customer column.** Under **Values to Send**, click the **✦** button next to **Customer** — the AI agent will fill this in automatically. Now the columns. Each column has a purple button — click it and the AI agent figures out what data goes there. 63. **Map the Job Completed column.** Click the **✦** button next to **Job Completed**. Job Completed. Same thing — click the purple button. 64. **Map the Follow-Up Message column.** Click the **✦** button next to **Follow-Up Message**. Follow-Up Message. 65. **Map the Next Step column.** Click the **✦** button next to **Next Step**. Next Step. 66. **Map the Send Via column.** Click the **✦** button next to **Send Via**. And Send Via. Each one is now set to defined automatically by the model — the agent reads your column headers and figures out what goes where. 67. **Back to the canvas.** Google Sheets is fully configured. Close the node with the **×**. The sheets tool is fully wired up — credential, operation, spreadsheet, sheet, and column mapping. Close it and let us test this thing. ### 12. Test the agent 68. **Open the chat.** Time to test. Click **Open chat** at the bottom of the canvas. Everything is connected. Time to see if it works. 69. **Ask for follow-ups.** Type a prompt — give the agent this week's finished jobs. Give it this week's finished jobs. 70. **Send the message.** Click the **send arrow** to talk to the agent. Send it off. The agent reads your system prompt, thinks about Oak and Wire Electric, and writes three follow-ups with the exact format you asked for. 71. **Save to the sheet.** Now tell the agent to save those follow-ups to Google Sheets. It came back with three follow-ups — one for each job — each with a message, a next step, and how to send it. Now tell it to save them to the sheet. This is where the Google Sheets tool kicks in. 72. **Send it.** Click the **send arrow** — the agent will use the Google Sheets tool to write the rows. Send it. The agent uses the Google Sheets tool to write each follow-up as a row — customer, job, message, next step, send via — exactly like the system prompt told it to. [All free Stepthrough videos](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/videos) ## Frequently asked questions **Can the agent make up an inspection date?** It is told not to. The system prompt says never invent prices, dates or inspection results and only use details the user gives it. **What do I need to build this for real?** Your own n8n account, an OpenAI API key with some credit (the lesson suggests ten dollars, charged per request) and a Google account. Stepthrough itself is free. Check each tool's current pricing. **Is this an n8n tutorial for beginners?** Yes. It is 69 short steps, about 12 minutes, and every long prompt is pasted for you. **How does the interactive lesson work?** Each step is shown to you first on the left (Watch). Then you do it yourself in a practice copy on the right (Your turn), and every click is checked. If you get stuck, press Do it for me. It is a practice copy, so no real accounts are touched. **Does it send the messages?** No. It writes them, picks text or email, and saves them to Google Sheets for you to review and send. [Start this module free](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-ai-agent-electrical) - Next in AI Automation for Electricians: [Build an AI Quote Request Form for Electrical Contractors](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/electrical-quote-request-form-ai-lovable-n8n) ## More n8n tutorials - [Lovable + n8n: Build a Web App with an AI Backend](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/lovable-n8n-web-app-ai-backend): Build a contact form in Lovable and connect it to an n8n workflow — webhook trigger, AI Agent, Google Sheets, Gmail, and a Respond node that ties it all together. - [AI Receipt Extractor: Receipts to Google Sheets with n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-receipt-extractor-n8n-google-sheets): Drop a photo of a receipt into an n8n chat. An AI agent reads it, pulls out the date, vendor and amount, picks a category, and adds a row to Google Sheets. - [n8n AI Email Responder: Draft Gmail Replies Automatically](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-email-responder-gmail-drafts-n8n): Build an n8n agent that watches your Gmail, reads each new customer email, and writes a reply as a draft in the same thread, ready for you to check and send. - [Daily Job Alerts: Email Each Tech Their Jobs from Google Sheets with n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-daily-job-alerts-google-sheets-gmail): Every morning at 7, n8n reads a plumbing company's jobs sheet, skips anything not assigned yet, and emails each job to the tech it's assigned to — customer, address… - [Gmail AI Triage: Auto-Label Every Email and Draft Replies](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/gmail-ai-triage-labels-drafts-n8n): Build an n8n workflow that reads each new email, sorts it as a lead, a client or an invoice with a Text Classifier, adds the matching Gmail label, and drafts a reply to… - [A Support Agent That Answers from Your Own Docs](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/support-agent-answers-from-your-docs-n8n): Turn an n8n chat agent into a support agent that answers only from your policies in a Google Doc, refuses what it should, and hands off to a person by email. ## From the blog - [Estimate vs Quote: What's the Difference (and AI Replies)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/quote-vs-estimate): An estimate is an approximate price; a quote is a firm price for a set scope. The difference, why it matters, and how an AI reply stays an estimate. - [AI for Electricians: Quote Generator, Follow-Ups, More Jobs](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/ai-for-electricians): AI for electricians: an AI electrical quote generator, follow-ups on estimates and leads, and ways to book more jobs, with free hands-on lessons. - [Automate Customer Follow-Ups After Every Service Call](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/customer-follow-up-after-service-call): Customer follow-up after a service call, done every time: an n8n AI agent drafts each message with a job-specific tip and saves it for review. [All blog posts](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog) ## Visual guides This lesson’s key ideas as quick visual guides: swipe through the slides, or read the same guide as text. - [An AI follow-up agent for electrical jobs](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/electrical-inspection-date-myth): An electrical job isn't really done when the crew leaves. There's an inspection to schedule, a new breaker to explain and a customer who'll need you again. - [Build your first AI agent in n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/agent-can-act-quote): ChatGPT answers. An agent does something with the answer. - [5 Steps to an n8n AI Agent That Saves to Google Sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/5-steps-n8n-ai-agent-google-sheets): A visual guide: build an n8n AI agent that writes social media ideas and saves each one as a Google Sheets row, in 5 steps from the free lesson. [All visual guides](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual) ## Free cheat sheets Print it or save the PDF: the key steps and checks from this lesson on one page, free. - [n8n AI Agent to Google Sheets Cheat Sheet](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/cheat-sheets/n8n-ai-agent-google-sheets): A free one-page cheat sheet for an n8n AI agent: chat trigger, AI Agent, system message, OpenAI model, Simple Memory and a Google Sheets tool. - [Lovable + n8n Form Flow Cheat Sheet](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/cheat-sheets/lovable-n8n-form-flow): A free one-page cheat sheet: a Lovable form posts to an n8n webhook, and an AI Agent logs it in Google Sheets and replies by Gmail. - [AI Glossary Cheat Sheet: 30 Terms in Plain English](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/cheat-sheets/ai-glossary-top-30): A free one-page cheat sheet of 30 AI and automation terms in plain English: models, prompts, n8n workflows, apps and data. [All free printable cheat sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/cheat-sheets) ## Terms in this lesson Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson. A/B testing · [AI agent](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-agent) · [AI model](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-model) · [API key](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/api-key) · [Append row](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/append-row) · [Buyer persona](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/buyer-persona) · [Chat Trigger](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/chat-trigger) · [Customer acquisition cost (CAC)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/customer-acquisition-cost) [The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) ## Related prompts - [Case study interview questions prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/case-study-interview-questions-prompt): Plan a client interview that gets a case study's before, during and after story in their own words, with follow-up probes and… - [Email subject lines prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/email-subject-lines-prompt): Get ten honest subject lines for a finished email, each with preview text and a character count, grouped by approach so you can… - [SEO meta description prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/seo-meta-description-prompt): Write short search-result descriptions for your web pages: what the page offers, who it is for and one reason to click, inside… - [Service call follow-up message prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/service-call-follow-up-message-prompt): Write short follow-ups for a batch of finished jobs: thanks by name, what was done, one approved care tip per job, and any real… [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) ## More terms on this topic [Tool calling](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/tool-calling) ## More prompts on this topic - [Job description prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/job-description-prompt): Turn a manager's rough notes into a clear job description for your files: ranked duties, required vs preferred skills, work… - [Technician on the way text prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/technician-on-the-way-text-prompt): Write the "your tech is on the way" text: who's coming, the arrival estimate dispatch gave you, what to have ready, and how to… - [Upsell offer email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/upsell-offer-email-prompt): Offer an existing customer one related service that fits what they bought or told you, with your real price, the reason it fits… ## Browse related tutorials [AI for Electrical (2)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/industry/electrical) · [n8n tutorials (56)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/n8n)