When to use it
A prospect replies. You want to respond within the hour — speed matters in outbound — but the reply still needs to be specific. Email AI suggests reply drafts you edit and send.
The workflow
- Read the reply yourself first. Never send a response to a message you haven't personally read — AI misses nuance, objections, and buying signals.
- Generate the reply draft.
- Edit for substance. Answer their actual question; acknowledge what they said; advance the next step (proposing a specific time beats "let me know your availability").
- Send promptly. Reply speed is a real advantage.
What to watch for
- Buying signals — "we're evaluating tools in Q1" deserves a calendar link and a manager heads-up, not a generic "happy to chat!"
- Objections — AI handles objections politely but shallowly. Your rebuttal needs the specific context of their business.
- Referrals — if the reply says "talk to Jane", the AI draft won't know who Jane is. Handle routing yourself.
Auto-replies are not replies
Don't use reply generation on out-of-office or automated responses — PersistIQ's triggers already pause the campaign for those. Wait for the human to come back.