Lead Handling Agent
A Dealer Playbook
Build Trust. Close More Deals.
Your new teammate handles the first conversation with every new lead, so your team can focus on closing the sale.
Part 1
The Mindset: Meet Your New Teammate
Let’s address the elephant in the room: you’ve probably heard “AI is coming for your job.” That’s not what this is. Think of the Lead Handling Agent from Fullpath by Cox Automotive as your offensive line. Its job is to block: to handle the repetitive work at the top of the funnel so you can do what you do best, which is close deals.
What About These Concerns?
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Objection “I don’t trust AI. It’ll say something dumb and lose us a lead.” |
The Reality The AI answers basic questions (“What’s your inventory?” “When are you open?”) and books showroom appointments. It doesn’t negotiate. When a customer asks something that needs judgment, like a trade-in value, a payment, or a complaint, the AI marks the conversation Requires Human Attention and stops messaging that customer. You see the flag, you jump in, and you close. |
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Objection “Customers don’t want to talk to a robot.” |
The Reality What customers hate is being ignored. During your dealership’s working hours, a new lead hears back within minutes. A lead that comes in overnight, or during the quiet hours your state sets for texting, gets its first message as soon as the next allowed window opens, usually before your team is even in the building. The AI writes like a person, not a template, and signs with a name your dealership chooses. When the customer is ready for a real person, you take over. |
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Objection “This will replace my job.” |
The Reality You stop spending your shift on voicemail, unanswered texts, and dead-end follow-ups. Instead, you focus on the appointments the AI books: customers who are ready to talk and ready to buy. You become a closer, not a babysitter for leads. |
The Golden Rule
The AI tees them up. You knock them down.
Part 2
What the AI Actually Does
The AI handles four jobs automatically, working leads from your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system by text message (SMS) and email.
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1Fast First Response Engages new leads within minutes during your working hours. It respects your state’s quiet hours and holidays, and picks up overnight leads as soon as the next allowed window opens. |
2Qualifies Leads Asks smart questions: “What year are you looking for?” “What’s your budget?” If a customer says they’re not in the market, the AI marks them that way and stops, so you only see leads worth your time. |
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3Books Appointments Recognizes when a customer agrees to a showroom time, records the appointment, and sends the customer a confirmation message. |
4Links Every Conversation in Your CRM Each time the AI has a conversation, a link to it is added to the lead’s notes in your CRM. You can read the full exchange without leaving the CRM. |
Use the Notes link to prep
Before every appointment or call, open the conversation link on the lead and read what the customer already told the AI: the vehicle, budget, trade, and questions. You’ll walk in knowing the story.
CRM callout · VinSolutions The conversation link appears in the lead’s Notes tab.
Part 3
Role Clarity: Who Does What?
You need to know exactly where the AI stops and you start.
What the AI won’t do
It won’t quote interest rates or payments, negotiate price, appraise a trade, work through objections, or close the deal. Those moments are why customers buy from people. When a conversation reaches one, the AI flags it Requires Human Attention and hands it to you.
Part 4
Keep Calling: The AI Doesn’t Replace the Phone
The AI complements your phone calls. It does not replace them. Text and email get every lead a fast first reply, but a call is still the best way to build trust and lock in a firm appointment.
Your job is more than watching the flags
Don’t limit your day to the Requires Human Attention list and booked appointments. Keep calling every active lead at these moments.
Log every call in your CRM. If your call means you’re taking over the lead, change its status or the AI Conversation Mode (see Part 7) so the customer doesn’t hear from you and the AI at the same time.
Part 5
A Recommended Daily Workflow
A suggested routine for sales reps and Business Development Center (BDC) teams. Adapt it to how your store already runs. The two habits that matter most: act on flagged leads fast, and keep your CRM current.
| All day |
Act on Alerts Right Away When a conversation needs a person, an email or text alert goes out for Requires Human Attention. Most stores route it to a manager, who pings the right rep. Don’t wait for tomorrow’s digest.
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| 8:00 a.m. |
Check What the AI Did Overnight Open your daily digest email. It shows leads with appointments booked, leads that need human attention, and leads the AI is still working.
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| 8:15 a.m. |
Clear the Flags First In the Conversations dashboard, sort by conversation category to bring Requires Human Attention leads to the top. Read each conversation, then call or reply.
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| 8:30 a.m. |
Prepare for Appointments Open the conversation link in each lead’s notes in your CRM so you’re prepared before they walk in. “Sarah is interested in a 2024 RAV4. Budget $35,000. Wants to know about the service warranty.”
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| 9 a.m.–5 p.m. |
Close Deals and Keep Calling Test drives, objection handling, and paperwork, plus the calls in Part 4.
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| 5:00 p.m. |
Keep Your CRM Current The AI follows the lead’s status in your CRM, or you can turn it off manually on each lead in the CDP dashboard. See the two options below.
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Turning the AI On and Off for a Lead
You have two options for controlling how the AI engages a lead.
OPTION 1 Change It on the Lead in the Conversations Dashboard
1 Click the conversation link in the lead’s Notes tab in your CRM.
2 In the Conversations dashboard, look in the upper-right corner. You’ll see the lead’s AI Conversation Mode and Lead Category Status. Salespeople can edit both.
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AI Conversation Mode Active Reactive Off |
Lead Category Status AI in active conversation Requires human attention Appointment set by AI Not in market Do not contact Human took over |
OPTION 2 Control the AI With Custom Lead Statuses in Your CRM
Set up custom lead statuses in your CRM, such as I Own Lead or Engaging with AI. When the lead owner sets one, the AI is automatically activated, reactivated, or turned off.
Choose which statuses do what in your Lead Handling lead source settings: dashboard.fullpath.com/settings/lead_handling/lead-sources
Option 2 lets salespeople control the AI without leaving the CRM, and it keeps the Lead Handling dashboard accurate (see Part 6). Marking a lead sold in your CRM also stops the AI.
Part 6
For Sales Managers and GSMs
Sales managers and General Sales Managers (GSMs) make sure the team uses the AI and trusts it. Here’s what changes for you.
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AT LAUNCH Route Alerts to a Manager Requires Human Attention alerts can go by email or text to a distribution list, but the best setup sends them to a manager, who pings the right rep. No flagged lead sits unanswered. |
AT LAUNCH Set Up Custom CRM Statuses Configure statuses such as I Own Lead and Engaging with AI in your Lead Handling lead source settings (Part 5, Option 2), and train reps to use them from day one. |
WEEKLY
Review the Performance Dashboard
Watch these numbers (Part 8 explains each one):
Conversations: leads the AI messaged |
Response rate: conversations where the customer replied |
Appointment rate: appointments set ÷ conversations |
Escalation rate: conversations flagged Requires Human Attention |
If Your Appointment Rate Is Low, Check Three Things
1Your agent isn’t customized for your dealership. Check the Design Your Agent settings: guidelines, appointment instructions, and signature name.
2Contact data is poor. Duplicates and old leads are filtered out automatically, so look at invalid phone numbers, bounced emails, and leads with no contact information.
3Escalations sit too long. If reps aren’t picking up Requires Human Attention leads quickly, warm customers go cold.
Important: the dashboard can’t see conversations in your CRM
Messages reps send from the CRM don’t flow back into Lead Handling. A lead can look untouched, or stuck in Requires Human Attention, while a rep is in an active conversation in the CRM. Lead Handling updates only when an appointment is booked, the lead is sold, or the lead moves to an excluded CRM status such as I Own Lead. Have reps move leads they’re working to I Own Lead so the dashboard reflects reality.
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DAILY · FIRST TWO WEEKS Walk Your Team Through the Workflow Show reps the alerts and the daily digest. Point out a Requires Human Attention lead and walk them through taking it over (Part 7). |
QUARTERLY Hold a Quarterly Business Review (QBR) Review the metrics with your Customer Success Manager (CSM). Are appointments showing up and converting to sales? If not, adjust the agent’s settings or your team’s process. |
Part 7
When and How to Jump In
A customer just texted. Do you let the AI handle it, or jump in?
The AI Conversation Mode
Every conversation in the Lead Handling dashboard has an AI Conversation Mode with three options.
Take Over in Lead Handling
1 Open the Conversations dashboard and sort by conversation category.
2 Open the conversation and read it in full.
3 Set AI Conversation Mode to Off, or Reactive to keep the AI covering replies.
4 Send a handoff message, then continue the conversation.
Take Over From Your CRM
1 Move the lead to I Own Lead. The AI turns off.
2 Open the conversation link in the lead’s notes and read it.
3 Reach out with the CRM handoff message.
4 To hand the lead back, move it to Engaging with AI.
Handing Off Smoothly
The customer has been talking with your AI agent by name. Make the switch feel natural.
Taking over in the same text thread
Read the conversation first so you don’t repeat questions. Then set the expectation:
“I’m going to ask my peer [salesperson name] to reach out and further assist you with this specific question.”
Reaching out from your CRM
Open with the connection to the AI agent so the customer knows why you’re contacting them:
“Hi [customer name], [AI agent name] asked me to connect with you and help answer your questions about [topic].”
Important: how conversations sync today
Lead Handling conversations appear in your CRM, but messages sent from your CRM do not appear in Lead Handling. Pick one place to continue each conversation. If you continue from your CRM, move the lead to I Own Lead (or set AI Conversation Mode to Off) first, so the AI doesn’t keep messaging a customer you’re already talking to.
CRM callout · VinSolutions Lead Handling conversations appear as links in the lead’s Notes tab. Replies sent from VinSolutions stay in VinSolutions.
Part 8
Reading Your Metrics
Your reports show how the AI is performing. Here’s what each number means and what to do when one looks off.
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Nearly all eligible leads Leads contacted |
Share of new leads the AI messaged. Some leads are never messaged on purpose: no valid phone or email, opted out, an excluded lead type or CRM status, or a duplicate. If eligible leads aren’t getting messages during working hours, contact your CSM. |
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20–40% Response rate |
Conversations where the customer replied. 50% or more is excellent. Below 10% points to bad contact data, a robotic tone, or follow-up settings that are too light. |
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5–10% Appointment rate |
Appointments set ÷ conversations. This is the AI’s main job. If it’s low, run the three checks in Part 6. |
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50–70% Show rate |
Booked appointments where the customer actually showed. Below 50% suggests low-quality leads or reps not confirming appointments. |
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10–20% Escalation rate |
Conversations flagged Requires Human Attention. A healthy range covers trades, complex questions, and upset customers. Over 50% means the agent likely needs better instructions in its settings. |
Ranges are general targets; your CSM can help set goals for your dealership. A lead that arrives during state quiet hours or outside your working hours waits for the next allowed window. That delay is by design.
Part 9
Quick Troubleshooting
Most issues come from settings or lead data, not the AI itself. Try these checks first.
Problem
The AI Isn’t Responding to Leads
1Is Lead Handling enabled? Go to Dashboard > Activation > Lead Handling > Design Your Agent. Is the SMS channel toggled on (blue)? Is email on, if you use it?
2Are leads reaching the system? Check your CRM for fresh leads. If there are none, the problem is upstream at the lead source, not the AI.
3Is it outside the allowed hours? The AI only sends during your working hours and outside your state’s quiet hours and holidays. A lead at 8 p.m., with working hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., gets its first message the next morning.
4Is the lead excluded? The AI skips lead types and sources your dealership hasn’t allowed, leads in excluded CRM statuses, and duplicates.
5Is it a referral lead? Some lead types need the customer’s consent before the first automated message, so the AI sends a consent request first.
Problem
Response Rate Is Very Low (Below 5%)
1Contact data. Duplicates and old leads are already filtered out, so check for invalid phone numbers and bounced emails.
2Messaging tone. In Design Your Agent, read your custom guidelines. Do they sound like a real person or a robot? Test the agent in the chat simulator.
3Follow-up settings. The AI chooses when to send each follow-up within the follow-up period your dealership sets. If the period is short, ask your CSM about lengthening it or adding scheduled follow-ups on specific days.
Problem
A Customer Says the AI Said Something Wrong
Find the conversation in the Conversations dashboard and read it in full. If the AI made a mistake, save a screenshot and send it to your Fullpath CSM. We want to know.
Still stuck? Email your Fullpath CSM or call our support line.
Part 10
FAQs
The Bottom Line
The AI Is Not Here
to Replace You.
It’s here to do the work you hate, like the first reply to every lead, the repetitive questions, and the endless follow-ups, so you can do what you’re actually good at: closing deals.
Your first week, you might be skeptical. By week two, you’ll wonder how you ever worked without it.
You’re not babysitting an AI.
You’re upgrading how you work.
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Questions? Contact your sales manager or your Fullpath Customer Success Manager. We’re here to help you succeed. |
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