How the AI Intro Works When You Add a Lead

Summary

Overview: When you add a lead yourself, you can tick Send AI intro message. Pippin then writes a personal first message to the lead and sends it by email or SMS. You can give Pippin some background in Lead Context so the intro mentions what the lead needs.

Prerequisites:

• For an email intro: your email inbox (Gmail or Zoho Mail) is connected and the lead has an Email Address.
• For an SMS intro: SMS is connected with your Twilio account, your plan includes SMS, and the lead has a Phone number.

How Pippin Decides

1. Pippin checks that it may contact the lead. It sends nothing if your workspace is read-only, or if you chose SMS and your plan doesn't include SMS.
2. Pippin builds the message from:
   • your Mission (or, if you haven't written one, a built-in description for your business type),
   • your tone and brand voice settings, such as traits, words to avoid, Keep replies short and Always include a call-to-action,
   • your Quote and intro instructions,
   • your guidance rules for that channel,
   • the attributes Pippin looks for when qualifying leads,
   • anything you typed in Lead Context.
3. For an email, Pippin opens with "Hi" and the lead's first name, asks one open question to invite a reply, keeps it to two or three short paragraphs, and signs off as Pippin from your business.
4. For an SMS, Pippin writes one short, plain-text message without a sign-off.
5. Pippin then checks your Automation level:
   • Under Review every reply, the intro waits in the Review Queue until someone approves it. Until then, the lead shows Reply Drafted.
   • Under Supervised or Full auto, the intro sends right away.
6. Once the intro is sent, the lead's status moves to Replied (on the board, the lead sits in the In Follow-Up column), and the message appears in the lead's conversation.

Limits

• Intros can go by Email or SMS only.
• SMS intros need the Growth plan and up. Email intros work on every plan.
• You can't send an AI intro and start a follow-up sequence at the same time. Choose one.
• If no email inbox (Gmail or Zoho Mail) or SMS is connected for the intro's channel, the intro is not sent.
• If Pippin's AI service is temporarily unavailable, the intro is not sent.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Open Add Lead

1. Go to Leads.
2. Select Add Lead.

Step 2: Enter the lead's details

1. Enter the First Name and Last Name.
2. Enter the Email Address for an email intro, or the Phone number for an SMS intro, for example +639171234567.
3. Choose a Score and Stage if you want.

Step 3: Turn on the intro

1. Tick Send AI intro message.
2. Under Channel, select Email or SMS. For SMS, the intro is texted to the Phone number above.
3. In Lead Context (optional), add what you know, for example "Wants a Cebu tour package for a group of 4 in May."
4. Select Add Lead at the bottom of the form.

Step 4: Check the intro

1. Open the lead in Inbox to see the intro in the conversation.
2. If you use Review every reply, open Review Queue, then select Approve & Send, Edit Before Sending or Reject.

Verify It Worked

Success criteria:

• The intro appears in the lead's conversation.
• The lead's status shows Replied.

Troubleshooting

Common errors

• "Email address is required to send an intro.": you chose Email but left the email empty. Fix: add an email address.
• "Phone number is required to send an intro.": you chose SMS but left the phone empty. Fix: add a phone number.
• "Enter a valid email address." or "Enter a valid phone number.": the format is wrong. Fix: correct it.
• Send AI intro message is greyed out: Start a follow-up sequence is ticked. Fix: untick it. The sequence's first message is sent right away, so an intro is not needed.
• The lead was added but no intro arrived: the intro may be waiting in the Review Queue (under Review every reply), your email inbox (Gmail or Zoho Mail) or SMS may not be connected, your workspace may be read-only, or your plan may not include SMS. Fix: check the Review Queue, then ask your Admin to check Settings › Channels and Settings › Billing. You can also send a message yourself from the Inbox.

Limitations & considerations

• Pippin doesn't search your knowledge base for the intro, so keep facts such as prices out of Lead Context unless you want them mentioned.

Next Steps & Related Resources

• Next steps:
  • How to Add a Lead Yourself
  • How to Put Leads on a Sequence
• Related articles:
  • Why Some Replies and Follow-Ups Wait for Approval
  • How to Set Quote Instructions and Default Currency
  • How to Write Pippin's Mission
  • How to Set Pippin's Tone of Voice
  • What Happens When a Customer Opts Out

Need more help? For more information and assistance, please send an email to support@pippify.ai.

Last Updated: 10/15/2026