The Auto Follow-Up feature in HighLevel’s Conversation AI empowers your bot to automatically send timely outbound messages to contacts who have gone inactive, asked for a follow-up, or stopped responding—eliminating manual follow-up tasks and complex workflows. This smart automation helps you boost engagement and close more deals, all while maintaining natural, responsive conversations.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What is Auto Follow-Up in Conversation AI?
- Key Benefits of Auto Follow-Up
- How To Setup Auto Follow-Up in Conversation AI
- Smart Detection of Drop-Off Scenarios
- Dynamic Channel Switching
- Full Visibility in AI Response Info
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Articles
What is Auto Follow-Up in Conversation AI?
Auto Follow-Up is an intelligent automation tool within HighLevel’s Conversation AI that detects when a contact drops off, becomes inactive, or requests a future follow-up, and then schedules and sends follow-up messages automatically. By leveraging AI, the system recognizes common drop-off scenarios—such as a user saying they’re busy, asking for a specific follow-up time, or simply not replying—and ensures that your leads remain engaged without requiring manual intervention.
Key Benefits of Auto Follow-Up
Auto Follow-Up delivers several user-focused advantages designed to streamline communication and maximize results.
- Reduces manual workload by automating follow-up messages, freeing up your team’s time.
- Boosts engagement with timely, personalized outreach that keeps conversations alive.
- Minimizes lead leakage by ensuring no contact is forgotten or left unengaged.
- Supports custom messaging so you can use AI-generated follow-ups or craft your own.
- Integrates with workflows to tag contacts, assign conversations, or notify users as needed.
- Respects business hours by only sending follow-ups during your defined working hours.
- Switches channels dynamically to maximize deliverability (e.g., from Live Chat to SMS).
- Provides full visibility with all scheduled follow-ups displayed in the Response Info panel.
How To Setup Auto Follow-Up in Conversation AI
Proper setup of Auto Follow-Up ensures your Conversation AI bot can re-engage leads effectively and in alignment with your business needs. Follow these steps to enable and configure Auto Follow-Up:
Note: Do not trigger another followup through a workflow—this breaks the follow-up logic.
Step 1: Navigate to the Conversation AI Bot
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Log in to your HighLevel account.
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From the left-hand menu, click on AI Agents.
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Select Conversation AI.
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Choose one of the following:
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Create a new bot. (Follow this guide to setup a new bot: Setting Up Conversation AI)
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Click on the three dots beside the name of an existing bot and then on Edit.
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Step 2: Open Bot Goals
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Inside the selected bot, click on Bot Goals in the top navigation.
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Scroll down until you find Set Up Your Actions.
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Under this section, click on Auto Followup.
Step 3: Enable Follow-Up Scenarios
Each follow-up scenario defines when the bot should send follow-ups. HighLevel currently supports 3 main scenarios:
Scenario 1: Contact Stopped Responding
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Toggle ON the Enable scenario button.
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You can now add up to 5 follow-up sequences for this condition.
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For each sequence:
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Set the delay time in hours, days, or minutes.
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Choose Let AI Send the Message (Auto-generate contextual messages based on the conversation).
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Or, turn OFF and enter a Custom message manually.
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Trigger a Workflow (Optional) : Toggle ON if you want to trigger an existing workflow and select it from the list.
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Click on the + Add Followup button to add a new sequence.
Scenario 2: Contact Marked as Busy
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Toggle ON the Enable scenario button.
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You can now add up to 5 follow-up sequences for this condition.
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Repeat the same configuration steps as above:
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Set delay time
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Choose AI-generated or Custom message
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Assign a Trigger Workflow (optional)
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Scenario 3: Contact Requested a Follow-Up
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Toggle ON the Enable scenario button.
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You can now add up to 5 follow-up sequences for this condition.
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Repeat the same process:
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Set delay time (The first sequence for this scenario will be pre-set as per the contact’s request)
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Choose AI-generated or Custom message
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Assign a Trigger Workflow (optional)
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Step 4: Follow-Up Settings
To improve engagement and respect timing preferences, configure these advanced options:
A. Set Follow-Up Working Hours
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Click on Follow-Up Settings.
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Enable Working Hours toggle.
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Set the specific hours when follow-up messages should be sent (e.g., 9 AM – 6 PM).
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If disabled, messages will send regardless of time.
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Click on Save.
Note: This setting ONLY applies to follow-up messages, not to the main AI agent conversations.
B. Enable Dynamic Channel Switching
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Click on Follow-Up Settings.
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Enable Dynamic Channel Switching.
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This allows the AI to automatically switch to another available channel if the original one becomes inactive.
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For example, if the contact doesn’t respond on Live Chat, the bot may follow up via SMS, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, or WhatsApp, depending on available channels.
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Click on Save.
Step 5: Save Your Follow-Up Settings
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Finally, click the global Save button to confirm and activate the Follow-Up Actions for the bot.
Smart Detection of Drop-Off Scenarios
Auto Follow-Up uses AI to recognize when a contact has disengaged, is busy, or requests a later follow-up, ensuring no opportunity slips through the cracks.
- Detects when a contact stops replying after a set interval.
- Identifies “busy” responses (e.g., “I’m driving”).
- Recognizes requests for follow-up at a specific time and schedules accordingly.
Dynamic Channel Switching
To maximize engagement, Auto Follow-Up can switch channels if a contact is unresponsive, helping you reach contacts where they’re most likely to reply.
- Switches from Live Chat to SMS if chat is inactive and a phone number is available.
- On platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp, switches to SMS if no response within 24 hours.
- This feature is optional and can be disabled.
Full Visibility in AI Response Info
All scheduled follow-ups are displayed in the Response Info panel, giving you complete transparency and control over your automated outreach.
- Easily track which follow-ups are pending and why.
- Maintain oversight of all automated communication.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What happens if a contact replies before the scheduled follow-up?
The follow-up schedule is automatically reset and no further follow-up messages are sent for that conversation.
Q: Can I customize the follow-up messages sent by the bot?
Yes, you can use AI-generated messages or write your own custom follow-up messages.
Q: What channels does Auto Follow-Up support for messaging?
Auto Follow-Up works across Live Chat, SMS, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, with dynamic channel switching available as needed.
Q: How do I prevent my contacts from being overwhelmed by follow-ups?
Use realistic delay intervals and avoid sending too many follow-ups in a short period to maintain a positive user experience.
Q: Where can I see all scheduled follow-ups?
All scheduled follow-ups are visible in the Response Info panel for full transparency.
Q: What happens if the bot is inactive?
No follow-up messages will be sent if the bot is inactive.
Related Articles
- Conversation AI Bot – Explained
- Setting Up Conversation AI
- How to Use Conversation AI to Book Appointments
- Conversation AI Bot Dashboard
- Advanced Settings Overview – Conversation AI
- Training Your Conversation AI Bot