Automated sales funnel: how the CRM texts, calls and reminds clients

Without an automated sales funnel, some requests get lost without anyone noticing. A manager forgot to remind a client about the appointment — the client didn't come, and the specialist's time was wasted. A request from an ad waited two hours for a call — the client had already bought from a competitor. Losses like these eat up part of the ad budget every day.

An autofunnel is a scenario that the platform runs by itself with a lead, that is, with a request or a client in the CRM. The lead lands on the right funnel stage — a step of the sale such as “Booked” or “Refusal”. From there, the platform messages the lead, calls, updates the card and notifies the manager.

This is what sales automation in a CRM looks like without a developer. Clients value autofunnels for four things:

• A callback on a new request within seconds, not an hour later.
• Everything in one scheme: calls, SMS, messengers and the CRM are already in your account, no integrations needed.
• Reminders and follow-ups by the stage date — about a visit, a payment or a webinar.
• The CRM runs itself: the stage, the owner and the card fields change without a manager.

Most often, an autofunnel works together with a voice bot. The bot calls and sets the stage based on the conversation, and the autofunnel does the rest — more in the article AI voice bot for business.

Watch the two-and-a-half-minute video, and below you'll find the step-by-step setup.

Why businesses need an automated sales funnel: examples by niche

• A clinic, salon or car service: the day before the visit, the robot calls and asks, “Are you coming?” A “yes” sets the “Confirmed” stage, and “reschedule” connects the client with the administrator. Fewer no-shows — more revenue from the same advertising.
• Real estate and services: on a new request, the platform reaches a manager within seconds and connects them with the client. The client has no time to go to a competitor, and the lead is assigned to whoever picked up.
• An online school: a webinar link goes to the messenger, and an hour before the broadcast — a reminder call. Those who haven't paid after the broadcast are followed up by an AI chatbot in the chat. More payments without manual work.
• An old database: leads at the “Refusal” stage for over 30 days get an SMS with a promotion. The funnel moves those who reply “yes” to your own stage, for example “Re-engage”, and assigns a manager. Sales from your database — without new ad spend.

How an automated sales funnel works

1. “Launch conditions” is the first block of the scheme. Filters by funnel stage, stage date, source and CRM fields select the leads.
2. The “Running” status means the funnel picks up such leads by itself and takes them through the scheme. “Stopped” means it doesn't pick up new leads by itself.
3. Blocks run from top to bottom. Forks split the chain into branches by the result: “Condition”, “IVR menu”, “Chat bot” waiting for an answer, and calls.
4. At the end of a branch, you put “Repeat the funnel” (run the scenario for the lead again) or “Do not repeat the funnel”. When you save, the platform offers to close a branch that has no end.

There are three kinds of blocks, and each has its own article. Messages: Telegram lead notifications, SMS and emails to the client. Calls: automated appointment reminder calls and callbacks on requests. Logic: forks, waits and stage changes — that's CRM workflow automation.

How to set up an automated sales funnel: step by step

1. 1
   Create a funnel

   Open “AI bot” → “Autofunnels” and click “Add autofunnel”.
2. 2
   Pick a template

   Choose it in the “Autofunnel template” field. You can skip the name: the template's name will be used. Click “Create”, and the new card is highlighted in the list.
3. 3
   Open the scheme

   Click the card, and the editor opens full screen.
4. 4
   Select leads

   In the “Launch conditions” block, click “Add filter”, choose “Funnel stage” and tick a stage. The “Matching leads” counter shows how many leads will enter the scenario.
5. 5
   Add blocks

   Click “+” in the block header and choose a block in the “Add a block” window. The new block goes right after the current one.
6. 6
   Save the scheme

   With the “Save” button at the bottom of the screen. The platform offers to close branches with no continuation with a “Do not repeat the funnel” or “Repeat the funnel” block. Your choice saves the scheme right away.
7. 7
   Launch the funnel

   In the card's “…” menu, choose “Start”. The status changes right away.

Where to start with your first funnel

Your first scenario depends on the task: for one business, callbacks on requests matter more, for another — appointment reminders. If you don't know where to start, write to support (the “Help” → “Support” menu). We'll arrange a free online meeting and suggest how to set up a funnel for your goal.

Simple scenarios — a notification to the manager, an SMS, a reminder — are easy to build yourself. Complex schemes with forks by the client's answers, repeats and several channels can be left to us: order a turnkey setup — the button is at the end of the article.

Launch conditions: which leads the funnel takes

The “Add filter” window has “Standard” fields and “CRM fields”. First come “Funnel stage”, “Stages ever set”, “Stage date” and “Capture type”. Then the source, the lead owner, the last call, payment and others.

The stage date is a date linked to the stage, for example the visit time. “Stage date — Within 1 d” means the visit is tomorrow, time to remind. “More than 3 d ago” means the lead is stuck at the stage, time to follow up. The “No dates” checkbox adds leads that don't have this date.

Autofunnel scheme editor

• Move the scheme by dragging an empty spot, and move blocks by their header.
• The arrow in the header collapses a block, and “Expand all blocks” opens all of them at once.
• At the bottom of a block, there's a summary: what it will do or what's missing.
• “Backups” keep previous versions of the scheme: pick a version and click “Roll back”.

List, folders and speed

The list shows the number of leads matching the conditions, the speed and the status of each funnel. Folders with funnels are visible to all users of the project.

In the “…” → “Settings” menu, you set “Calls per minute for one employee” — from 1 to 200. There you also set how many seconds to ring the client: from 10 to 60, 19 by default. For WhatsApp, set a processing range — a random pause between leads, so you get flagged as spam less often.

A ready funnel can be copied into this or another project: “…” → “Copy”. If the project belongs to another account, the copy is confirmed there in the “Accept an autofunnel copy?” window.

Read also: How to set up Telegram lead notifications and SMS to clients, Automated appointment reminder calls and instant lead callback, CRM workflow automation: conditions, waits and stage changes