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Setting Up and Managing Email and Text Auto-Responders for Leads

Send automatic email and text replies to new leads the moment they come in with the Sierra Interactive CRM.

Table of Contents 

  1. Before You Begin

  2. Access Auto-Responders

  3. Edit an Auto-Responder

  4. Activate or Deactivate an Auto-Responder

  5. Connect Auto-Responders to Lead Routing

  6. Best Practices

  7. Troubleshooting Common Issues

  8. FAQs

Before You Begin 

Depending on which auto-responder types you want to use, confirm the following prerequisites are in place:

Requirement Needed For Setup Guide
Sierra Dialer enabled at the account level Text auto-responders Mastering the Sierra Dialer
Sierra Dialer connected at the user level Text auto-responders Getting Started with Your Sierra Dialer (Agent Guide)
Email account connected in your user profile Email auto-responders Connect Your Email to Sierra

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Access Auto-Responders

  1. Click the gear icon in the upper-right corner of your Sierra CRM.
  2. Select Auto Responders.

gear_auto_responder

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Edit an Auto-Responder

From the Auto Responders dashboard:

  1. Locate the auto-responder you want to change.
  2. Click Edit.autoresponder_edit
  3. Update the email content, text message content, or both.
    1. Fill in your message content.
      • For text messages: You can configure up to two messages per auto-responder.
        • Message 1 — sent immediately or can be delayed
        • Message 2 — optional; can be delayed 1–20 minutes after Message 1
          autoresponder_text
  4. Save your changes.

💡When drafting your messages, use merge fields to save time and personalize your messages.

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Activate or Deactivate an Auto-Responder 

From the Auto Responders dashboard:

  1. Locate the auto-responder you want to update.
  2. Toggle its status to Active or Inactive.
    autoresponder_activate

⚠️ An auto-responder will not send unless it is marked Active and either selected in your Lead Routing Rules or triggered by a listing page form

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Connect Auto-Responders to Lead Routing 

Auto-responders work in two ways depending on where the lead comes from.

Standard leads (via Lead Routing Rules)

For most lead sources, auto-responders are triggered through your Lead Routing Rules:

  1. Open the Lead Routing Rule you want to update.
  2. In the auto-responder setting, select Use Corresponding Auto-Responder (When Active).auto_responder_routing
  3. Save the rule.

Listing Detail Page forms (automatic)

If a lead submits a Request More Info or Schedule a Showing form on a listing detail page, the corresponding auto-responder fires automatically no Lead Routing Rule configuration needed as long as the auto-responder is active.

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Best Practices

  • Keep text messages short and action-oriented. Leads are more likely to respond to a clear next step.
  • Use a warm, conversational tone in email auto-responders; avoid sounding templated.
  • Test different delays for Message 2 (try 5, 10, and 15 minutes) to find what improves engagement for your audience.
  • Review and refresh your auto-responder copy periodically.
  • Confirm your auto-responders are active before launching a new lead source or campaign.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

  • Auto-responder not sending Confirm the auto-responder is set to Active. If it's tied to a lead routing rule, verify the rule is configured to use it. See Configuring Lead Routing Rules.
  • Text message not delivered Confirm the Sierra Dialer is enabled at the account level and that the sending user has connected their profile to the Dialer.
  • Email auto-responder not sending Confirm the sending user has connected their email account in their Sierra profile. See Connect Your Email to Sierra.

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FAQs 

  • Can I send both an email and a text auto-responder for the same lead?
    Yes. As long as both are created, active, and selected in your Lead Routing Rules (or triggered by a listing page form), both will send.

  • How many text messages can I include in one auto-responder?
    Up to two. Message 1 sends immediately; Message 2 is optional and can be delayed 1–20 minutes.

  • Do I need to configure Lead Routing Rules for listing page auto-responders?
    No. Auto-responders tied to Request More Info and Schedule a Showing forms fire automatically when active — no routing rule required.

  • How do I turn off auto-responders? 
    You will need to toggle the auto-responder to "inactive."

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