Lead follow-up automations

Aiva Chat can follow up with people for you: call a new lead back within seconds, text someone whose call you missed, ask a customer for a review, or call past customers who've gone quiet. The first three are workflow rules. Win-back is a campaign.

Workflow rules live under Admin & developer → Integrations, on the Workflow rules tab. The quickest way in is Start from a template: it opens a new rule already filled in. Nothing runs until you check it and click Create rule.

Before you start

• A phone number on your assistant. Calls and texts go out from your own Twilio number linked to the assistant. See Connect Twilio and a number.
• Texting registration. To text US numbers, your number needs A2P 10DLC registration. See Register for A2P 10DLC.
• Consent. Automated calls and texts to new leads need their agreement:
  • Form leads are only called or texted if they ticked the form's consent box.
  • Ad leads are only called or texted if your ad form's consent answer was sent as yes.
  • Website chat leads are never called or texted automatically.
  • Without consent, a rule can still email them or create a task.
• Do-not-contact and quiet hours. Nobody on your do-not-contact list is called or texted. Texts from rules are held overnight and sent when the 8 AM to 9 PM window opens in the recipient's time zone.

1. Call new leads within a minute

Pick one of these templates:

• Call new form leads within a minute: runs when a form is submitted.
• Call new ad leads within a minute: runs when a lead arrives from Facebook, Instagram or Google Local Services (see Web forms and lead capture).

Each template has two actions. AI calls the lead calls the person straight away, and a follow-up text thanks them and says you're calling. In the call action:

1. Choose the Assistant that makes the call.
2. Optionally fill in Why it's calling, such as "Thank them, find out what they need, and book an appointment." If you leave it empty, the assistant gets a sensible default.
3. Click Create rule.

The call goes out on the assistant's own number and opens by saying it's an AI. The assistant is told what the lead entered on the form. If the call can't go out straight away, for example outside calling hours, you get a Call back new lead task instead.

2. Text back missed calls

Pick one of these templates:

• Missed call text-back: texts the caller straight away ("Sorry we missed your call! How can we help?…") and adds a task to call them back. Replace <your booking link> with your own link. The rule won't save while the placeholder is still in the text.
• Missed call: offer to book by text: texts the caller an offer to book by replying, and the AI books, moves or cancels from their reply. It needs Booking by text turned on for the assistant on that number, under Bookings → Booking setup.

Both only run for incoming calls, so people a campaign called who didn't pick up are never texted.

3. Ask for a review after each appointment

Pick the Ask for a review after each appointment template. It runs when you mark an appointment completed.

1. Paste your Review link. For Google, find it in your Google Business Profile under "Ask for reviews". Any https review page works.
2. Edit the Text message if you like. {{reviewLink}} is replaced by your link, and {{firstName}} by the customer's first name. If you leave the link out, it's added at the end.
3. Click Create rule.

Each phone number is asked at most once every 90 days, so a regular customer isn't asked after every visit. A customer who booked through website chat is only texted if they gave consent to be texted.

4. Win back customers who've gone quiet

A win-back campaign has your assistant call customers you haven't been in touch with for a while, to check in and offer a booking.

1. In the sidebar, under Communication, open Campaigns.
2. Click Win back customers.
3. Set Quiet for at least: 2 months, 3 months, 6 months or 1 year. That means no call, text, appointment or campaign call since then.
4. Optionally, under Only contacts tagged, limit it to a tag such as "VIP".
5. Check the count. It shows how many customers will be called, a few names with when you were last in touch, and how many on your do-not-contact list are left out.
6. Give it a Campaign name, pick the Assistant, and adjust Why it's calling and What to say or offer (optional).
7. Tick Start calling now, or leave it unticked to start it later from Campaigns.
8. Confirm that these are existing customers who agreed to receive calls from you. This is recorded on each call.
9. Click Create campaign.

A campaign covers up to 500 customers. Calling hours, the do-not-contact list and your plan's campaign limits apply as for any campaign. See Outbound campaigns for how to follow its progress.

Other ready-made rules

The template list also includes Text to rebook after a no-show, Call back after a cancellation, and Task and alert for every form lead. You can change any rule after creating it, or turn off Active to pause it.

Troubleshooting

A new lead wasn't called. Check they gave consent, their number isn't on your do-not-contact list, and the assistant has a number to call from. Outside calling hours, look for a call-back task instead.

A text didn't go out at night. That's expected. Texts from rules wait until 8 AM in the recipient's time zone.

A customer didn't get a review request. They may have been asked in the last 90 days.

Next steps

• Web forms and lead capture
• Outbound campaigns
• SMS replies and opt-outs