How are you currently handling lead response when you're unavailable?

Question

Question for agents here specifically:

When a lead comes in through your website or a listing platform, and you're in a showing, on a call, or simply off for the evening, what actually happens?

Is there something in place that acknowledges them automatically, or does the lead just wait?

I've been curious whether most agents have solved this or whether it's still largely a manual process. Would love to hear what's actually working in practice.

Andrea Fernandes · Answer

@Brandon Vukelich  — Follow Up Boss synced with automatic text and email going out 24/7 is exactly the setup that closes the overnight gap. The drip campaign as a fallback until connection is made is smart too — the lead never goes cold regardless of when they came in. That's the model most agents are missing.

@Bret Wallace — "they just want to know their message did not disappear" is honestly the most accurate way I've heard it put. That's the entire job of the overnight acknowledgment — not to sell, not to qualify, just to confirm receipt and set the expectation. Everything else can wait until morning.

Andrea Fernandes · Answer

@Bret Wallace Bret, that's honestly a really solid approach — the quick manual text to keep things warm shows you actually care about the lead experience, and you're right that people understand busy.The part I'm curious about though: what happens when it's midnight and the lead comes in from Zillow or your website? The manual text isn't always possible at 2am. Is that just a gap you accept, or do you have something else covering that window?

Bret Wallace · Answer

@Andrea Fernandes That overnight window is the hard part.

I do think automation can help there. If a lead comes in at midnight or 2 a.m., I don't see anything wrong with an automatic reply that confirms the message came through and lets them know I will follow up personally in the morning.

The key is not pretending the automation is the real conversation. It should not act like it knows their situation or start overpromising. Just acknowledge the inquiry, maybe ask one simple question, and set the expectation that a real person will follow up.

Most people understand that agents sleep too. They just want to know their message did not disappear.

Brandon Vukelich · Answer

I have Follow Up Boss and it is synced with my leads. So a text and email immediately goes out 24/7 with more info and links to my social media + my calendar. No more manual responses unless I'm truly not working on anything at that moment, which in that case I will pick up or make the call asap. Either way, then they all go on a text/email drip campaign until we connect further.

Bret Wallace · Answer

Most of the time, I try not to let the lead sit cold.

If I am in a showing or with another client, they may get a quick text first. Something simple. I got your message, I’m tied up for a bit, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

That is usually enough to keep the conversation warm until I can call or reply properly. I do not think automation is bad, but it should not feel like the whole relationship is being handed off to a robot.

The best setup, at least for me, is quick acknowledgment and then real follow-up. People understand busy. They just do not like feeling ignored.