Controlling the AI assistant — when it texts, when it stops, when to take over
The AI works leads by text and books appointments. It stops when a lead replies to a workflow, when you take over, or when the disposition turns it off. Knowing which of those applies is how you avoid it talking over you.
Who this is for
Everyone whose leads the AI touches.
What it's for
The assistant works leads by text — answering questions, handling objections, and booking appointments onto the assigned agent's calendar. It's an assistant, not a closer: its job is to get a real conversation onto your calendar, not to sell the policy.
The three ways it stops
First, a workflow set to cancel on reply stops its sequence the moment the lead replies — so an automated drip doesn't keep firing at someone who's now in a real conversation.
Second, you taking over. When you reply manually, you're in the conversation.
Third, the disposition. Cold puts the conversation dormant. That's the one people don't expect — see the dispositions article.
What happens when a rep has no calendar connected
The AI still books. What it loses is the ability to see what's already on that rep's calendar, so it falls back to your generic booking slots.
Two consequences, both silent. It can book a lead on top of something the rep is already doing, because it genuinely cannot see the conflict. And the appointment won't appear on their Google Calendar, so there's no phone reminder — the CRM is the only place it exists.
If reps start showing up to double-booked hours, or say an appointment 'never made it to my calendar', check calendar connections first.
Getting the tone right
The AI draws on how you've described your products — what the product is, who it's for, talking points, and objection responses. Vague product descriptions produce vague texts. Writing that content the way you'd actually explain it to a customer, in plain language rather than industry shorthand, is the highest-leverage thing you can do to improve what your leads receive.
How this differs by setup
Solo agent You run everything yourself.
Captive agency The agency owns the numbers, the A2P brand and the bill.
Independent agent You're in an agency but buy your own number and register your own EIN.
Troubleshooting
| AI creates tasks instead of booking | Assigned agent has no connected calendar, so availability is unknown. Connect Google Calendar for that agent. |
|---|---|
| AI stopped texting a lead for no clear reason | Almost always the disposition — cold puts the conversation dormant. Check the lead's disposition; setting it to interested/callback resumes texting. |
| AI and a rep both texting the same lead | A workflow without cancel-on-reply continuing alongside a live conversation. Enable cancel-on-reply on that workflow. |
Related
Where this lives in the app
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