Follow-Up System #

Imagine a customer shows interest in your product, asks a few questions, and then goes silent. Without follow-ups, that lead is lost. The platform’s follow-up system automatically re-engages contacts who stop responding - sending friendly, well-timed messages to bring them back into the conversation.

Where this lives: open the AI Agents page, open the Agent you want, and go to its Follow-ups step — number 7 in the editor. Each Agent has its own schedule, delays, and templates, and they apply everywhere that Agent answers.

Pick the messages from the ones already in your template library, using the picker on each follow-up slot.

The Three Follow-Up Types at a Glance #

There are three different follow-up systems and they fire in different situations. Use this table to keep them straight:

Behaviour notes that trip people up #

• Warm cycles 2 and 3 only fire if the previous cycle got a reply. This is an explicit anti-spam guard - if Cycle 1’s follow-ups all go ignored, Cycles 2 and 3 are never sent. A contact has to re-engage and then go quiet again for the next cycle to unlock.
• Smart-skip: if the AI hands off the conversation to a human or detects that the conversation has ended (sale closed, contact opted out, frustration detected), no follow-up is scheduled for that contact.
• Recommended quick follow-up count: 1 to 2. The setting defaults to 1 and allows up to 3; 3 is on the aggressive side for the first 24 hours.

How Follow-Ups Work (The Big Picture) #

When a contact stops responding for a set period of time, the platform considers the conversation “stale.” The system automatically detects this and sends a follow-up message to nudge the contact back.

Here is a real-world example:

Day 1: A contact asks about your pricing, the bot answers, and then the contact goes quiet.

Day 2 (24 hours later): The platform sends a friendly follow-up: “Hey Sarah, just checking in! Let me know if you have any more questions about our plans.”

Day 5 (72 hours later): If Sarah still has not replied, a second follow-up highlights a benefit: “Sarah, many of our clients save 10+ hours per week with our service. Want me to show you how?”

Day 12 (7 days later): A final gentle message: “Hi Sarah, I don’t want to keep bothering you. If you’re ever ready to chat, I’m here!”

Why WhatsApp templates? WhatsApp requires that businesses use pre-approved message templates when sending messages outside of a 24-hour conversation window. The platform automatically generates and submits these templates for you, so you do not have to worry about the technical details.

The Warm-Lead Cycle System #

Follow-ups are organized into 3 cycles — Friendly & Helpful, Value Focused, and Final Attempt — each with up to 3 messages, for a maximum of 9 warm follow-up messages per contact. Each cycle has a different tone, and you choose how many messages (1-3) each enabled cycle sends.

Cycle 1: Friendly & Helpful #

The first cycle is casual and low-pressure. It acknowledges that the contact is busy and gently invites them back.

Example messages:

• “Hey Sarah, just checking in! Let me know if you still have any questions.”
• “Hi Sarah, I wanted to follow up on our chat. No rush - happy to help whenever you’re ready!”
• “Hey Sarah, still thinking it over? I’m here if you need any more info.”

Cycle 2: Value Focused #

The second cycle reminds the contact why they were interested in the first place, highlighting benefits or offers.

Example messages:

• “Hi Sarah, just a quick reminder that our free consultation is still available. Want me to set one up?”
• “Sarah, many of our customers in a similar situation found our service saved them hours every week. Want me to share more?”
• “Hi Sarah, I put together some information I think you’d find useful. Shall I send it over?”

Cycle 3: Final Attempt #

The third cycle is direct and respectful. It gives the contact one last chance to respond before the follow-ups stop.

Example messages:

• “Hi Sarah, I don’t want to keep bothering you. If you’re no longer interested, no worries at all!”
• “Sarah, this is my last follow-up. If now isn’t the right time, I completely understand.”
• “Hey Sarah, I’ll leave you be after this. If things change, you know where to find me!”

Timing Between Follow-Ups #

Each follow-up in a cycle has its own delay, in hours, that you set individually — the app suggests defaults matching the classic timing:

You can adjust every delay on the agent’s Follow-ups step — each one must be at least 1 hour and each cycle’s first delay must be at least 24 hours after the conversation goes quiet.

Quick Follow-Ups (Within the First 24 Hours) #

Sometimes 24 hours is too long to wait - especially for hot leads or time-sensitive conversations. Quick follow-ups let you send messages within the first 24 hours after a contact goes quiet.

When to use quick follow-ups:

• A high-value lead stops responding mid-conversation
• There is a limited-time offer or event registration deadline
• You want to re-engage quickly while the conversation is still fresh

How they work:

Quick follow-ups are sent at shorter intervals (for example, 3 hours, 6 hours, and 12 hours after the contact goes quiet — each one is set with a slider and must fall later than the one before it). Because they are sent within WhatsApp’s 24-hour conversation window, they do not need template approval - they are sent as regular messages, personalized to the conversation the AI generates them from.

Once the 24-hour window closes without a response, the platform switches to the standard 3-cycle template system described above.

Why can’t I preview the exact message beforehand? A quick follow-up is written by the AI at the moment it is sent — not when it is scheduled. It uses the conversation as it stands right then (the latest messages, the contact’s language, and what any earlier follow-ups already said, so it never repeats itself). That keeps the message fresh if the conversation moves on in the meantime, but it also means the “Next follow-up” indicator in the chat panel shows the timing only — there is no pre-written text behind it to preview or edit. The follow-up is written under the same instructions and tone as your agent’s normal replies. If you want fully pre-written, editable follow-up messages, those are the template-based cycle and cold-lead follow-ups described on this page.

On Instagram and Messenger, quick follow-ups are the only follow-ups that can land. Both channels only allow a message within 24 hours of the contact’s last message to you, and neither supports templates to reopen the conversation. Keep every delay inside 24 hours (they are measured from the contact’s last message, so 8/16/23 all fit) and the follow-ups go out; anything past the window is skipped. For contacts who have been quiet longer than a day, WhatsApp is the route — its template cycles can reopen the conversation. If your agent captures phone numbers in these chats (it saves them to the contact automatically), an automation can make that hop for you: see the worked example.

Settings (on the agent’s Follow-ups step):

Recommended count: 1-2. The maximum of 3 is on the aggressive side for the first 24 hours. Most users keep this at 1 or 2 to avoid coming across as pushy while the conversation is still fresh.

Cold Lead Follow-Ups (For Contacts Who Never Responded) #

Cold lead follow-ups are for contacts you messaged first — through a Broadcast — who never replied at all. These contacts need a different approach than someone who was already chatting with you.

Example scenario:

1. Day 0: You launch a Broadcast and the contact receives your opening message
2. The contact does not respond
3. 6 hours later: The platform sends the first cold follow-up: “Hi John, just wanted to make sure you saw my message. We’re offering a free strategy session this month - interested?”
4. Contact still does not respond
5. Day 10 (7 days after the first follow-up): The second and final cold follow-up is sent
6. The contact is marked as “follow-up exhausted” - no more messages are sent

Key differences from regular follow-ups:

• Only 2 follow-up messages (not 9) — this is a hard cap and cannot be raised
• Uses its own separate message templates
• Only applies to contacts who never responded at all
• Its own separate timing, configured in hours from the initial send (see defaults below)
• Off by default — switch the section on yourself when you have a send going out

Auto-Generated Templates #

You do not need to write follow-up messages from scratch. From the agent’s Follow-ups step, click Generate AI templates and the platform generates templates based on that Agent’s AI instructions, company info, and conversation context. It runs on any Agent, including one you created a minute ago or duplicated from another.

How it works:

1. Enable follow-ups on the Follow-ups tab.
2. Click Generate AI templates. A progress indicator shows how many templates have been generated so far.
3. The platform generates personalized message templates for all enabled cycles (and cold-lead templates, where cold-lead follow-ups apply).
4. Templates include the contact’s name and relevant details.
5. Templates are submitted to WhatsApp for approval automatically.
6. Once approved, they are ready to use. You can Regenerate at any time — regenerating replaces the whole set with a fresh one.

What gets generated:

Total: Up to 11 templates generated each time (9 warm + 2 cold, where cold-lead follow-ups apply).

On the cold-lead pair. Generate AI templates writes the whole set for whichever follow-up types are in play — that part works from any Agent. The cold-lead templates are only generated where cold-lead follow-ups themselves apply, which is where reaching out first applies (see the note above).

Tip: Always review the auto-generated templates before they go for approval — each cycle and cold-lead slot has its own template picker, so you can swap in a different approved template or pick one you already wrote. Make sure the wording matches your brand voice and contains accurate information.

Follow-Ups Match Your Customer’s Language #

A conversation that started in Spanish should stay in Spanish - even the automated follow-ups. The platform handles this for you automatically.

Your follow-up templates are written once, in your agent’s primary language. When it is time to send one, the platform looks at the language the conversation has actually been happening in and sends the follow-up in that language.

Here is what that looks like:

A contact chats with your bot entirely in Dutch, then goes quiet. Two days later the follow-up goes out in Dutch as well - not in the language the template was originally written in. The customer never sees a sudden switch to another language.

How it works on each channel:

If the conversation does not contain a clear language signal yet (for example the contact has only sent an emoji, a number, or a link), the platform falls back to your agent’s primary language.

This applies to every follow-up type that uses templates - the warm 3-cycle system and cold-lead follow-ups - as well as the personalised quick follow-ups, which are already written in the conversation’s language when they are generated.

Your language rules win. If your agent’s AI Instructions set an explicit language rule (for example “always reply in English” or “stick to English and Hindi only”), follow-ups obey that rule — it takes priority over whatever language the conversation looks like it is in.

Shared content doesn’t count as a language signal. When a contact shares a reel, post, or video, its caption or audio transcription lands in the conversation — often song lyrics in a completely different language. The platform ignores that shared content when deciding which language the contact speaks; only what the contact actually typed (or said in a voice note) counts. So a customer who chats in English but forwards a Punjabi-music reel still gets their follow-up in English.

When Follow-Ups Stop Automatically #

Follow-ups stop on their own when any of these happen:

Stopping Follow-Ups for Specific Contacts (e.g. Existing Customers) #

Once someone buys from you, you probably don’t want them receiving automated follow-ups anymore - but you usually do still want the AI to answer them when they write in with a question. That is exactly what the Follow-ups switch does.

Open Chats, select the conversation, and in the contact panel on the right under Preferences, switch off Follow-ups. From that moment:

• No more follow-ups of any kind are sent to that contact - quick, cycle, or cold-lead.
• The AI keeps replying normally whenever the contact messages you.
• It stays off until you switch it back on. If the contact writes again weeks later, follow-ups do not restart on their own.

The contact keeps the same agent, so an agent that handles both pre-sale questions and after-sale support keeps working for them.

Turning it off automatically. You don’t have to do this by hand for every customer:

• From your own system - update the contact through the API and set follow_ups_disabled to true (see Contacts API). Most people fire this from their checkout or payment webhook.
• From an automation - use the Update Contact action and set the same field, for example on an automation that runs when you tag someone as a customer.

How this differs from the other switches #

To pause the AI for several contacts at once, select the conversations on the Chats page using the checkboxes and click Pause AI. Note this pauses the AI as well, not only follow-ups.

AI-Requested Follow-Ups #

Sometimes a contact will tell the bot to follow up later - for example, “Message me tomorrow” or “Check back next week.” The AI bot can handle this automatically.

When the bot detects this kind of request, it schedules a follow-up for the exact time the contact mentioned. This is different from the automatic stale-conversation follow-ups above - these are specifically requested by the contact. The same happens when the bot itself promises to check back later.

What the follow-up looks like depends on the channel:

• WhatsApp Web, Instagram (Personal), SMS, Telegram, the chat widget and other channels - the follow-up goes out as a message the AI writes at send time, in the conversation’s language, whether it is due in a few hours or a few weeks (up to 30 days ahead). No template is needed.
• WhatsApp Business (official API) - within 24 hours the AI writes the message. Further out, WhatsApp requires an approved template, so the bot uses your warm-lead cycle templates. If none are set up, the bot tells the contact it can’t set that reminder and offers an alternative, rather than promising something it can’t send.
• Instagram DMs and Messenger - Meta only allows a message within 24 hours of the contact’s last message, so the bot can only schedule follow-ups inside that window. For a later date it says so plainly, and may ask for a phone number or WhatsApp so the team can reach the contact there.

Whatever the channel, the bot never mentions templates, limits or internal settings to the contact. It either confirms the follow-up in the conversation’s language or explains plainly that it can’t set one that far out.

How to Set Up Follow-Ups #

Setting up follow-ups on an Agent #

1. Open AI Agents — in the main menu down the left side of the screen, under AI Studio, click AI Agents.
2. Open your agent, then click the Follow-ups step.

3. Flip “Enable automatic follow-ups” on. This unlocks the rest of the step — the quick follow-up card with its count and delay controls, and the cycle settings:

4. Pick a template for each follow-up slot using the picker on the slot.
5. Review and adjust the settings below to match your needs.
6. Publish the agent so the change goes live.

If your plan doesn’t include automatic follow-ups, the Follow-ups step shows a short explainer instead of the settings — check your subscription to unlock it.

All Follow-Up Settings #

Cold-Lead Follow-Ups (A Separate System) #

Cold-lead follow-ups are a separate system from the warm 3×3 cycles and quick follow-ups described above. They exist for one specific situation: you sent the first message — through a Broadcast — and the contact never responded at all.

The other follow-up systems all assume the contact has already replied at least once. Cold-lead follow-ups handle the case where there is no conversation yet - only a single outbound message sitting in silence.

Why It Needs Its Own System #

The warm follow-up cycles use the conversation history to personalise each message. A contact who never replied has no conversation to draw from, so the messaging style is different: shorter, more focused on the original offer, and stricter on quantity to avoid looking like spam.

How Cold-Lead Follow-Ups Work #

The clock starts the moment your Broadcast sends its first message to a contact. From that point, two follow-up attempts are scheduled.

1. Day 0 - Outbound sent. Your Broadcast sends its opening message. The contact does not respond.
2. First follow-up - after the “stale threshold” (configurable). The first cold-lead follow-up is sent once the contact has been silent for the configured number of hours.
3. Second follow-up - after the second delay. If still no reply, the second and final cold-lead follow-up is sent.
4. Marked as exhausted. After the second message, the contact is flagged “cold-lead exhausted” and the system stops sending. No third attempt is ever made.

If the contact replies at any point during this window, all remaining cold-lead follow-ups are cancelled immediately and the conversation moves to the regular follow-up logic.

Default Behaviour #

The exact default delay hours shown when you first turn this on may differ from what earlier versions of this guide described. Treat the values pre-filled in your own agent’s Follow-ups step as authoritative, and adjust them to fit your offer — nothing sends until you enable this section and save.

The two-message cap is deliberate. Contacts who have never engaged with your brand are the most likely to flag messages as spam, so the platform limits how aggressively you can re-contact them.

Configuring Cold-Lead Follow-Ups #

You will find these options on the agent’s Follow-ups step, under the Cold lead follow-ups section.

Templates for Cold Leads #

Cold-lead follow-ups use their own dedicated set of message templates - they do not share templates with the warm cycles.

• 2 templates are generated (one per follow-up slot)
• Only “General” template type is supported. Smart Followup templates rely on conversation history, which cold leads do not have
• Templates are auto-generated based on the Agent’s AI instructions and submitted for WhatsApp approval automatically
• You can regenerate or replace them at any time from the same template picker used for the warm cycles

When Cold-Lead Follow-Ups Stop #

The system halts cold-lead follow-ups in the same situations as other follow-ups, plus a few specific to this flow:

When To Use This #

Turn on cold-lead follow-ups when:

• You run a Broadcast and most contacts are seeing your message for the first time
• You expect a meaningful share of contacts to ignore the initial message
• Your offer is worth two extra nudges spaced several days apart

Leave it off when:

• You never message anyone first - this system has nothing to act on
• You only want to engage contacts who have already shown interest
• Your messaging is high-volume and you are worried about spam complaints

Best Practices #

1. Start with the default settings. The suggested timing (24 hours, 3 days, 7 days for warm cycles) works well for most accounts. Adjust only after you see how your contacts respond.

2. Turn on auto follow-ups. Let the AI handle stale conversation detection automatically. It checks regularly, so you do not need to monitor conversations manually.

3. Enable cold lead follow-ups if you send Broadcasts. Many contacts will not respond to the first message. Two additional follow-ups give you more chances to start a conversation.

4. Review your templates before approval. The auto-generated messages are a great starting point, but always check that they match your brand voice and contain accurate details.

5. Monitor your results. Track how many contacts re-engage after each cycle from the Broadcast’s stats. If Cycle 3 never brings anyone back, consider adjusting your messaging or timing.

6. Do not overdo it. Nine messages across three cycles is the maximum for good reason. Too many follow-ups can annoy contacts and hurt your reputation.

Next Steps #

• Campaigns Have Moved to Broadcasts & Agents — where the old campaign steps ended up, including this one.
• AI Agents — the persona and knowledge that shape what a follow-up message says, separate from its schedule.
• WhatsApp Message Templates — more on how template approval works.