Volume Reach

Speed-to-Lead Trigger

When a lead replies to your SMS with intent (interested, wants a callback, ready to talk), the AI calls them back within 30 seconds.

Overview

Speed-to-Lead is the SMS-reply twin of Lead Arrived. It listens for inbound SMS messages, runs them through an AI classifier, and when the reply signals genuine interest (e.g. "yes call me", "please reach out", "I'm interested"), it dials the lead back within 30 seconds.

This is the highest-conversion moment in any outbound campaign: the lead has just confirmed they want to talk. Letting that signal sit for 5 minutes (let alone overnight) kills the deal. The trigger removes the gap.

This page covers the settings page at /automation/speed-to-lead.

When the trigger fires

Outbound SMS to a contact (campaign, broadcast, or 1:1)
    ↓
Contact replies via SMS
    ↓
AI classifies the reply (INTERESTED, NOT_INTERESTED, APPOINTMENT_SCHEDULED, etc.)
    ↓
Reply classified as INTERESTED → Speed-to-Lead trigger fires (this page's settings apply here)
    ↓
AI voice agent dials within 30 seconds

The trigger only fires on INTERESTED outcomes by default. Other outcomes (NOT_INTERESTED, NEEDS_HUMAN, WRONG_PERSON) do NOT trigger a callback — they update the conversation state in your inbox for human follow-up.

Setup walkthrough

  1. Go to Automation → Speed-to-Lead in the sidebar.
  2. Pick the voice agent that will handle callbacks. Two choices:
    • Use my default agent — your account default
    • Use a dedicated agent (recommended) — a "calling-back" persona that's shorter, warmer, and acknowledges the prior SMS conversation rather than re-pitching from scratch
  3. Configure trigger behavior in the panel below: enable/disable, rate limit, quiet hours, retry, require consent.
  4. Click Save. Settings apply to the very next inbound SMS classified as INTERESTED.

Settings reference

Default voice agent

When set, every speed-to-lead callback uses your chosen agent. Falls back to your account default if left as "Use my default."

A dedicated speed-to-lead agent typically opens with something like "Hey, this is {Agent} from {Company} — I saw you replied to our message about {prior context}. Got a couple minutes?" — much shorter than a first-touch pitch.

You can create one from the Speed-to-Lead page directly via the "Create speed-to-lead agent from template" link — pre-filled with a callback-optimized prompt.

These five fields work identically to the Lead Arrived trigger. See the Lead Arrived settings reference for full details on each.

Defaults:

  • Trigger enabled: on
  • Rate limit: 5 callbacks per hour
  • Quiet hours: off (set explicit start + end times to enable)
  • Retry on no-answer: on (1h → 4h → 24h backoff, max 3 retries)
  • Require consent: off

Settings are stored per-trigger, so your Speed-to-Lead quiet hours can differ from your Lead Arrived quiet hours (uncommon, but supported).

How it differs from Lead Arrived

Both triggers share the same UI shell and settings model. The differences:

Lead ArrivedSpeed-to-Lead
Fired byInbound webhook to /api/v1/leads/inboundInbound SMS reply classified as INTERESTED
Default response time5 seconds30 seconds (waits for AI classifier)
Idempotency window24 hours (CRMs sometimes re-fire the same lead)1 hour (SMS replies are rarely re-fired)
Agent override scopeSet on /automation/lead-arrivedSet on /automation/speed-to-lead
Typical use caseFresh inbound leads from CRM, forms, ZapierRe-engaging prior outbound contacts

Both triggers respect the same global agent default if no override is set, and both honor the same consent + quiet-hours + rate-limit logic.

TCPA reminder

The same TCPA best practices apply here. Speed-to-Lead callbacks fire to phone numbers that already replied to your SMS — meaning consent is usually implicit (they messaged you back). Still:

  • Quiet hours still matter — a lead who replied at 11pm doesn't expect a callback at 11:05pm.
  • Require consent is a stricter setting; turn on only if your business profile requires it (most don't).
  • The reply itself is logged in the conversation history as evidence the lead engaged.

Common pitfalls

  • Replies not triggering callbacks — the AI classifier may be marking the reply as NOT_INTERESTED. Check the AI Activity Log under Conversations to see how each reply was classified.
  • Wrong agent answering — verify your speed-to-lead agent override on this page, OR check that your account default agent is the one you intended.
  • Multiple callbacks for the same lead — the 1-hour idempotency window means a lead can re-trigger after 60 minutes if they reply again. Increase the rate limit OR add a CRM-side check if this is a problem.
  • Quiet hours blocking legitimate replies — if a lead replies at 8:55pm and your quiet hours start at 9pm, the callback is deferred to the next window-open. The lead will hear from your AI in the morning, not in the moment. Some operators choose to disable quiet hours for Speed-to-Lead specifically (the lead just messaged, after all) while keeping them on for Lead Arrived (cold inbound).

Related

Lead Arrived TriggerDrip Sequences