Section 7 · Next Best Action for Every Lead

7.1One simple instruction per record

Built in the POC

No.: 7.1
DMA's reference: Decision Book p.18
Phase: Phase 1
Autonomy: L1 · Recommend
DMA's decision: Yes

★ Marked "non-negotiable, build first" in the book.

What DMA asked for · Decision Book p.18

For every record, the AI gives one plain instruction: call today, email, wait, monitor, send a case study, find a new contact, or no action.

Why it matters to DMA: It turns 30,000 records into a list someone can work through each day, instead of a database nobody can face.

In our words, from DMA's Product Decision Book v3, page 18.

How we do it

Each night every account is scored from 0 to 100 by code, from the facts the AI found in DMA's notes and the CRM history. The AI never outputs a number.
Eight ordered rules then pick one next best action from exactly DMA's list: call today, email, wait, monitor, send case study, find new contact or no action. The first rule that matches wins. The rules are data in DMA's scoring settings and change only through an approved version.
Each action is written in words with the contact's name ("Win-back email to Dana") and a one-line reason that only restates the facts, plus a "could be wrong if" line code always fills in.
Calls and new contacts go to a person; emails are drafted for approval. The action and the reason are written onto the Nutshell account (AI Next Best Action, AI Reason) through the write gate.

The flow

It plays on its own while it's on screen; hover or use the controls to pause or step through.

Step 1 of 6

The record is read

Notes, deals, contacts and activity from the Nutshell mirror.

Nutshell
AI
Rule in code
Screen

Where the data goes

The same six stages on every page. Nothing reaches Nutshell except through the write gate.

1Nutshell
Source
Every account, deal, contact and note.
2Sync
Copies Nutshell changes into the bridge database
Keeps the mirror current; changed records are re-scored.
3Bridge database
A copy of the CRM data, plus what the AI works out
Stores facts, scores, the chosen action and the rule that picked it.
4AI
Claude models, only through DMA's own gateway
Finds facts and writes the one-line reason; code does the rest.
5Write gate
The only way back into Nutshell: checked, approved when needed, sent once
Writes AI Score, AI Tier, AI Next Best Action and AI Reason onto the account.
6Nutshell
The system of record
Reps see the instruction on the record they already use.

The tables behind it

Drawn from the POC's database catalogue: structure only, no data.

PK primary keyFK reference the database enforces (solid line)ID reference kept by id (dashed line)

Table	What it holds	Columns
ai.scores	One current score per account: tier, reason codes, the next best action, who does it, and until when.	20
ai.account_twin	The account's current picture, including the action in words.	16
ctrl.outbox	The write gate: each field change for Nutshell, approved before it is written.	28

How the tables connect (3)

Column	Points to	Kept by
ai.scores.prompt_id	agent.prompts	The application (by id)
ai.account_twin.prompt_id	agent.prompts	The application (by id)
ctrl.outbox.approval_id	ctrl.approvals	The database (foreign key)

Worked example

Synthetic demo data: every name, business and number is made up.

One instruction, on the screen and in the system

1 / 2

What you see

1.Every row carries one instruction

Today lists the revivable accounts, each with its reason and one next best action.

localhost:13301/

Today: the revivable accounts, each with its reason and one next best action.

What happens in the system

Bridge databaseai.scores
The action is stored with the rule number that chose it and whether a person or the AI carries it out.
Rule enginescoring config v1
Eight ordered rules, kept as data; a new version needs a person's approval.

The rules as they stand in the POC's scoring settings, and what they chose across the 292 synthetic accounts.

The eight rules, in order (first match wins)

#	When	Action	Who does it
1	Junk, suppressed, do-not-contact, a current client, or held out for measurement	No action	—
2	Tier A or B, and the main contact has left or their email bounced	Find new contact	A person confirms
3	Tier A with a buying reply, a meeting request or timing now, and a named owner	Call today	The owner
4	Lost to an incumbent or competitor, and their contract end is known	Wait	Until 60 days before the end
5	Tier A or B, email allowed, no touch for 90 days or more	Email	AI drafts, a person approves
6	Tier B with a "wants guarantees" or "bad past experience" objection	Send case study	AI drafts
7	Tier B or C that said "not now", or has too little data	Monitor	—
8	Anything else	No action	—

What the rules chose (synthetic data, one run)

Next best action	Accounts
Email	99
Find new contact	9
Monitor	7
Call today	2
No action	175

In the running POC

localhost:13301/

1 / 2Today: the revivable accounts, each with its reason and one next best action.

1The reason, in words, with the note it came from.
2The one instruction for this record.

Dashboard · Today. Captured from the running POC on September 25, 2026; synthetic data.

See it live

Opens the exact screen in the running POC, in a new tab.

Open	Where	What to try
Today	DMA AI dashboard	The Next best action column.
Accounts	DMA AI dashboard	Filter by tier; open any account to see its instruction and reason.

Status

Built in the POC

Built in the POC. This capability runs in the POC today, on synthetic data, end to end.