Overview
The Fullpath Lead Handling Agent is a paid Activation Product that uses an AI agent to intake, engage, and qualify incoming Sales leads on behalf of a dealership, with the goal of setting appointments and stopping the clock for immediate quality follow-up. The agent reaches shoppers through SMS outreach (for internet and incoming phone leads) and through Email campaigns delivered via Audience Activation templates.
The Design Your Agent page is where dealership personnel configure how the agent speaks, acts, and communicates with incoming Internet Sales leads. Users may ask the agent in chat to change follow-up cadence, tone, or content — including different rules per scenario (e.g. lead source, lead status, etc).
Where to Find It
Dashboard > Activation > Lead Handling > Design Your Agent
https://dashboard.fullpath.com/lead-handling/design-your-agent
Who Has Access
| Permission Level | Can Do |
|---|---|
| Admin | View all SMS conversations, jump into and engage with the shopper via SMS, adjust Agent settings, and adjust other users' permissions. |
| Edit | View all SMS conversations and jump into and engage with the shopper via SMS. Cannot adjust Agent settings or other users' permissions. |
| Read | View all SMS conversations only. |
Page-Level Controls
This page has no global date range or filter — each section below is an independent setting that saves automatically. The one page-wide control is the Channels switch: toggling SMS or Email off pauses that entire channel across every other section on this page (Response Behavior, Multi-Channel Outreach, Skill Instructions, etc.). Toggling all channels off effectively disables Lead Handling for the dealership.
Agent Name
The Agent name is used in the initial outreach to leads. If someone from the dealership jumps in and handles part of a conversation, the name switches to indicate which dealership user sent the message.
It's recommended to keep this name short. Human-like names (Maria, Sam, Alex) build personal connection and trust in retail roles. This field is shared with the Agent name used for Audience Activation SMS — if nothing is set here, it falls back to that value, and if neither is set, the agent defaults to "Mai."
Channels
Lead Handling supports two outreach channels: SMS and Email. Toggling a channel to the on (blue) position enables Lead Handling for that channel; toggling it off (grey) disables it.
Multi-channel outreach:
- When enabled, the agent engages a lead on SMS and Email at the same time, then focuses on whichever channel the lead responds to first.
- If a lead has both a phone number and an email address, the agent sends its initial message on both channels simultaneously.
- As soon as the lead replies on one channel, the agent stops outreach on the other and continues on the active channel only.
- If the lead replies on both channels, the agent resumes dual-channel outreach on both.
- If the lead doesn't reply on either channel, the agent keeps following up on both, each according to its own cadence.
- SMS and Email use adapted message templates so simultaneous outreach doesn't read as repetitive.
- For leads with only one contact method on file, the agent uses that single channel automatically.
Multi-channel outreach is opt-in and off by default. It's enabled during onboarding or from this page.
Response Behavior
SMS and Email each have their own independent follow-up frequency. Setting one does not change the other.
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| SMS Follow-up Frequency | Every Day, Every Other Day, Every 3 Days | Every Day |
| Email Follow-up Frequency | Every Day, Every Other Day, Every 3 Days, Every 4 Days | Every Day |
| Follow-Up Timeframe | 1–30 days post lead submission | 13 days |
The default response timing (when the agent sends its follow-ups) is:
| Days | Default Local Time |
|---|---|
| Monday–Friday | 2:00 PM |
| Saturday–Sunday | 10:00 AM |
The agent initiates in English, but most spoken languages are supported — it responds and engages in whatever language the shopper uses. Learn about configuring individual conversation preferences per shopper here.
When to Step In: Temporary vs. Permanent Handoff
Two statuses control who owns a conversation — the AI or your team.
| Scenario | What To Do | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Jump in temporarily (available for a few hours) | Leave the status in any AI-active state (e.g. "AI Awaiting First Reply"). Reply manually, or use AI Reply / AI Follow Up to assist. | The AI resumes automatically when you step away — no reassignment needed. |
| Take over permanently (hot/qualified lead, needs a manager touch) | Change the status to "Requires Human Attention." | The AI stops entirely. Reassign back to the AI at any time to resume. |
Agent Working Time / Days
These configurations control when the agent engages with new leads:
- Working times can be configured independently for each day of the week.
- Multiple on/off intervals can be added for the same day.
- Selecting ALL DAY means the agent engages with and responds to incoming leads 24 hours a day for that day.
Catch Up on Missed Leads After Shift
Enabling this allows the agent to reach out to leads immediately when its shift begins, rather than waiting.
Agent Skill Instructions
Fullpath's Lead Handling agent includes default prompts and safety measures that answer common inquiries about inventory, hours, and contact details, and escalates topics beyond its knowledge — such as vehicle offers or delivery requests — to your team. This section is where those instructions can be tailored to your store.
Instructions are built by describing what you want in plain language. The page has two parts:
- On the left, a chat where you tell the agent how it should behave with your shoppers.
- On the right, a live preview of the agent's configuration that updates as you chat.
You type instructions the way you'd explain them to a teammate. The agent asks follow-up questions where it needs more detail, and the configuration on the right updates as the conversation progresses. Changes save automatically — there's no separate save step.
You can define behavior such as opening message tone, follow-up style and timing, inventory focus, and criteria for escalating a conversation to your human Sales team. For example:
- "Keep SMS replies under two sentences. On email, include a full greeting and signature."
- "If a shopper asks about payments, hand the conversation to a human and let them know a colleague will follow up."
The agent's default instructions and safety measures stay in place underneath anything you add — your instructions layer on top to customize how the agent handles each topic with your dealership's shoppers.
Example: "Bob's Chevrolet does not offer discounts on new vehicle purchases. If the topic comes up, a suitable answer would be, 'Bob's Chevrolet does not provide discounts on new vehicles, but I'd be happy to pass you to a colleague to discuss available financing options.' Keywords: discount, price, deal"
Test Your Agent
After designing the agent and adjusting custom prompts and instructions around specific topics, it's recommended to test the update by chatting with the agent in an internal testing environment before it goes live to shoppers.
UX Functionality Summary
- Date range / filters: None — this is a configuration page, not a report.
- Save behavior: All fields save automatically; Skill Instructions save as you chat, with no separate save step.
Other Important Notes
- Channel toggles can take up to 30 minutes to take effect after being changed.
- Multi-Channel Outreach is off by default and must be opted into during onboarding or on this page.
- "Requires Human Attention" is a permanent handoff — the AI will not resume on that lead until it's manually reassigned.
Learn More