> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.patagon.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.patagon.ai/en/agent-optimization/how-follow-up-works.md). # How Follow-Up Works For rating definitions, see the [ILA lead rating system](/en/agent-optimization/ila-rating-system.md). Follow-Up is a native Patagon AI feature that lets the AI agent automatically re-contact leads who haven't replied, using a message template approved by Meta. The core logic is built around the WhatsApp 24-hour window. Whenever a lead sends a message, a 24-hour window opens during which the agent can reply with free text. When that window expires, meaning the lead has gone 24 hours without sending any message, the agent loses permission to send free text. This is exactly when Follow-Up steps in: through an approved template, it reopens the conversation within WhatsApp's rules and gives the agent a fresh opportunity to engage the lead. ### Where to configure Path in the app: `Agent → Capabilities → Features → click the "Follow-Up" card` Clicking the card opens the **"Follow-Up Configuration"** modal with all the parameters detailed below. ### The 5 configuration fields (detailed) #### 1. Enable Follow-Up (Main toggle) **What it does:** Turns the entire automatic follow-up feature on or off for this agent. * **On:** The agent will automatically send follow-up messages to leads who haven't replied, within the configured conditions. * **Off:** No automatic follow-up is sent. Re-engagement is entirely the team's manual responsibility. ⚠️ **Note:** The recommended default state is **On**. Only turn it off if your team has a structured manual re-engagement process. #### 2. Initial Delay **What it does:** Sets how long the agent waits, counted from the lead's last message, before firing the first follow-up. * **Default value:** 60 minutes * **Configurable unit:** Minutes or Hours **In practice:** If a lead sends a message at 10:00 and stops replying, and the Initial Delay is set to 60 minutes, the agent will send the first follow-up at 11:00. This applies as long as the lead is still within the active 24h window. #### 3. Maximum Follow-Ups **What it does:** Sets the maximum number of follow-up attempts the agent can send to a single lead within the "Budget Expiration" period. * **Default value:** 1 **Important:** This number applies within the budget window. When the budget renews, the counter resets and the agent can try again. **In practice:** With the default of 1, the agent makes only 1 follow-up attempt per 24h cycle. If you want to be more persistent, you can raise this number, but be careful not to get flagged as spam by WhatsApp. #### 4. Budget Expiration **What it does:** Sets the time window that controls when the "attempt budget" renews. * **Default value:** 24 hours **How it works in practice (the most frequent question on Slack):** The "budget" is an internal Patagon AI control, independent from the WhatsApp 24h window. It works like this: ``` Lead goes silent ↓ Initial Delay expires (e.g. 60 min) ↓ Agent sends 1 follow-up (within the "Maximum Follow-Ups" limit) ↓ 24h pass (Budget Expiration) ↓ Budget RENEWS → agent can try again ``` In other words: yes, the budget renews every 24 hours. The "Maximum Follow-Ups" counter resets each time "Budget Expiration" is reached. This lets the agent keep trying to re-engage the lead periodically, as long as there is a technical way to deliver the message (within the active window or via an approved template after 24h). #### 5. Filter by Lead Rating **What it does:** Lets you restrict automatic follow-ups to leads with certain scores (stars) only. **How to enable:** The "Filter by Lead Rating" toggle inside the Follow-Up Configuration modal. When enabled, five checkboxes appear. The follow-up filter accepts 1★ through 5★: * ⭐ 1 star: No Info * ⭐ 2 stars: Engaged / Not Potential Yet * ⭐ 3 stars: Good Potential * ⭐ 4 stars: MQL * ⭐ 5 stars: SQL 0★ Anti-ICP / Disqualified leads are intentionally ineligible for automated follow-up, so 0★ does not appear as a selectable rating. **Example configuration for follow-up only on leads with 3+ stars:** 1. Go to `Agent → Capabilities → Features → Follow-Up` 2. Enable the "Filter by Lead Rating" toggle 3. Uncheck stars 1 and 2: 1★ leads provided no useful qualification or ICP information; 2★ leads are talking and sharing some useful data but are not potential yet 4. Keep stars 3, 4, and 5 checked 5. Click "Save Changes" 💡 **Tip:** For high-volume teams, filtering to 3★ or higher ensures the agent concentrates re-engagement effort on leads with real conversion potential. ### What happens when the lead replies and then stops interacting again? This is one of the most frequent questions. The behavior is as follows. **Scenario:** Lead replied on Monday, stopped interacting, and a new silence window begins. ``` Lead replies (any message) ↓ New 24h window opens (timer resets to zero) ↓ Lead stops interacting again ↓ Initial Delay starts counting again ↓ If still within the active 24h window: → Agent sends follow-up via free text (no template needed) If the 24h window has already expired: → Agent can only use a Meta-approved template → Requires "Follow-Ups after 24h" to be enabled (see below) ``` **Critical point:** Every time the lead sends a message, the 24h timer resets to zero. This means each lead interaction "reopens" the window and restarts the follow-up cycle. ### Post-24h follow-up with a Meta-approved template This is the second section of the Follow-Up Configuration modal. #### How to enable 1. Go to `Agent → Capabilities → Features → Follow-Up` 2. Scroll down to the "Follow-Ups after 24h" section 3. Enable the "Enable follow-ups after 24h" toggle 4. Click "+ Add Follow-Up" 5. A "Template" dropdown will appear. Select the Meta-approved template you want to use 6. Click "Save Changes" #### Prerequisite: have a Meta-approved template Without an approved template, the selection dropdown will be empty (or show the error "Failed to load templates"). The process to create templates is: 1. Go to Meta Business Manager → Account Tools → Message Templates 2. Click Create Template and select the category: Marketing, Utility, or Authentication 3. Write the message (use `{{1}}` for name, `{{2}}` for date, etc.) 4. Submit for Meta review (approval takes from a few minutes to 24 hours) 5. Once approved, the template syncs automatically in Patagon AI at `Agent → Capabilities → Templates` ✅ You can also create templates directly in the app at `Agent → Capabilities → Templates tab → "+ New Template" button`. The app has an editor with the fields Name, Language, Category, Header, Body, Footer, and Buttons, and submits them to Meta for approval automatically. ⚠️ You can also sync templates that already exist in Meta using the "Sync from WhatsApp" button. ### Why there is no send-time configuration **Direct answer:** it's a documented limitation, not a bug. Patagon AI does not offer a time-window setting (e.g. "send follow-ups only from 9am to 6pm") for two reasons. The follow-up is tied to the WhatsApp 24h timer, which is relative to the moment of the lead's last interaction and not to a fixed time of day. A lead who interacted at 11pm will have their timer expiring at 11pm the next day, which would make a fixed-time setting imprecise by nature. In addition, Meta's policy for approved templates does not distinguish send time. Delivery is controlled by the availability of the WhatsApp Business API. **The only time setting available:** the Time Zone field at `Agent → General → Settings → Location`. It is used as a reference for dates and appointments mentioned in conversations and does not control when follow-ups are sent. **Practical alternative:** If send time is critical for your business, the recommended approach is to use Campaigns (`Leads → Campaigns`) combined with manual lead export. That way you control exactly when to fire the message, outside the agent's automatic flow. ### Visual summary: full follow-up flow ``` LEAD MAKES CONTACT ↓ Agent replies (within the active 24h window) ↓ Lead stops replying ↓ [Initial Delay] passes (default: 60 min) ↓ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ SCORE FILTER (if enabled): │ │ Lead has 0★, 1★, or 2★? → NO follow-up │ │ Lead has 3★, 4★ or 5★? → SENDS follow-up │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ↓ Agent sends follow-up (via free text, since still within the active 24h window) ↓ [Maximum Follow-Ups] reached within the Budget Expiration period (24h)? → YES: stops trying in this cycle → NO: can try more times ↓ 24h window EXPIRES (timer reaches 0) ↓ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ "Follow-Ups after 24h" enabled? │ │ YES → Sends Meta-approved template │ │ NO → Lead gets no automatic contact │ │ (re-engagement must be manual │ │ via Campaigns) │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ↓ Lead replies to the template? → YES: new 24h window opens, cycle restarts → NO: budget renews every 24h and the agent can try again with another template (if configured) ``` ### Quick reference table | Field | Default value | Unit / Options | Function | | --------------------- | ---------------- | ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | | Enable Follow-Up | On (recommended) | Toggle on/off | Turns all automatic follow-up on or off | | Initial Delay | 60 minutes | Minutes or Hours | Wait time after the lead's last message before the 1st follow-up | | Maximum Follow-Ups | 1 | Integer | Attempts allowed per budget cycle | | Budget Expiration | 24 hours | Hours | Period after which the attempt counter resets | | Filter by Lead Rating | Off | Stars 1 to 5 | Restricts automatic follow-up by lead score; 0★ is ineligible | | Follow-Ups after 24h | Off | Toggle + template | Allows re-engagement via approved template after the 24h window | ### Recommended configuration checklist * \[ ] Enable the "Enable Follow-Up" toggle * \[ ] Set "Initial Delay" (recommended: 60 min for the first touch, or customize) * \[ ] Set "Maximum Follow-Ups" (default: 1; avoid more than 3 to reduce spam risk) * \[ ] Confirm "Budget Expiration" is set to 24 hours * \[ ] Decide whether to enable the rating filter (for 3★+, uncheck 1★ No Info and 2★ Engaged / Not Potential Yet) * \[ ] For post-window follow-up: create and approve a template in Meta, enable "Follow-Ups after 24h", and select the template --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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