Responding to Leads
The Conversations inbox is where you manage every inbound lead. Understanding when the AI is handling a conversation versus when you need to step in is the most important thing to get right in your first week.
How the Conversations Inbox Works
Every lead that comes through the system — chatbot, missed-call text-back, or a nurture reply — lands as a conversation thread in the Conversations tab. Each thread shows:
- The contact's name and phone number
- Which channel they came in on (SMS, webchat)
- The full message history, including any AI exchanges
- A status indicator showing whether the AI is active or the conversation is waiting for you
Conversations are sorted by most recent activity. Unread messages are bolded. You can filter by channel (SMS, email, chat) or by open/unread status.
When the AI Is Handling the Conversation
The AI chatbot handles the initial exchange on website conversations. For missed-call text-backs, the AI sends the first message but does not continue the conversation autonomously — once the lead replies, the thread is open and waiting for a human response.
The AI is actively handling a conversation when:
- It's a chatbot conversation still in the qualification phase
- The lead is asking questions the AI is configured to answer (services, pricing ranges, scheduling)
- The contact hasn't indicated they want to speak to a person
You can watch the conversation happen in real time in the inbox. You do not need to respond while the AI is active.
When to Jump In Manually
Step into the conversation yourself when:
- The lead asks a question the AI flagged as outside its scope
- The lead explicitly asks to speak to a person
- The lead is clearly ready to book and you want to close it personally
- The conversation has gone quiet for more than a few hours and the lead hasn't booked
- The lead has a complaint, an unusual situation, or a large job that warrants personal attention
There is no penalty for jumping in. Your response simply takes over the thread. The AI will not send additional messages once a human has responded, unless you re-enable AI for that conversation.
How to Take Over a Conversation
- Open the conversation in the Conversations inbox
- Type your response in the message box at the bottom of the thread
- Select your channel (SMS or email) and hit Send
- The AI will step back automatically once you've engaged
If you want to explicitly disable the AI for a specific conversation, look for the AI toggle at the top of the conversation thread and turn it off. This ensures the AI doesn't send any follow-up messages while you're working the lead.
Best Practices for Response Time
Speed is a competitive advantage in home services. Here's what the data shows:
| Response Time | Impact |
|---|---|
| Under 5 minutes | Highest conversion rate; lead is still actively looking |
| 5–60 minutes | Good; most competitors won't respond this fast |
| 1–4 hours | Acceptable; still better than most |
| Same day | Declining probability the lead is still available |
| Next day or later | Most leads have already called someone else |
The missed-call text-back handles the critical first response automatically. Your job is to follow up on any threads that become active — especially if a lead has replied to a text-back or asked a detailed question in the chatbot.
Set up mobile notifications in your TechForce portal so you get an alert any time a new conversation comes in. Most business owners miss leads simply because they didn't know they arrived.
Ending a Conversation
When a lead has booked, declined, or otherwise resolved, move them to the appropriate pipeline stage and close the conversation thread. Keeping your inbox clean makes it easier to spot new active leads.
If a lead says they're not interested, respect the request and do not send additional follow-ups manually. The nurture sequence will handle automated outreach based on the exit conditions you've configured with TechForce.