Features Reply Automations

Outbound SMS reply automations.The send is only half the campaign.

A 10% reply rate on 5,000 contacts means 500 conversations. Without reply automations, that’s 500 manual responses — impossible at scale. With OTTO on the reply side, every reply type routes per its configured flow: YES contacts get qualified, questions get answered, Spanish contacts enter a Language Funnel, STOP suppresses with TCPA documentation.

No inbox. No manual sorting. No missed replies.

⚡ Used by automotive groups, home services companies, recruiting firms, and franchise operators.

9:41⚡ TextingOnly
TO
OTTO Services
● OTTO · Reply Automation
Hi Dana — your spring service window closes Friday. Reply YES for an open slot.
9:41 AM · Delivered
YES
Perfect — which time works best?
1 Morning  2 Afternoon  3 Either day
1
Got it. What service do you need?
1 AC tune-up  2 Furnace check  3 Other
1
✓ Reply: YES · ITR complete
Chris calls from (410) 555-0192 tomorrow AM.
Reply routed · Lead qualified · TCPA documented
Text Message…
4Reply types — YES · Questions · Spanish · STOP
0Manual inbox management when reply automations are configured
500Conversations OTTO-managed when 10% reply to a 5,000-contact send
Real-timeTCPA-compliant STOP suppression at any send volume
What Are Reply Automations
OTTO on the reply sideof every outbound campaign you send.

A reply automation is an OTTO collector that activates the moment a contact responds to an outbound bulk SMS campaign. Instead of the reply landing in an inbox for someone to manually read and action, OTTO intercepts it and routes to the appropriate configured flow based on what the contact said. The campaign becomes a two-way conversation at scale — without staff managing individual exchanges.

YES / Interested — OTTO Qualifies

Triggers the configured qualification flow: ITR (Interactive Text Response) menu, OTTO custom questions, or Conversational OTTO. Contact gets qualified; lead alert fires to your team with full conversation context and Prepare Caller activated.

Questions — Q&A Automation Responds

OTTO’s Q&A handles common inbound questions — pricing, service availability, scheduling — and escalates to the 1-to-1 inbox only for questions outside the configured response set. Most questions never need a human.

🚫
STOP — Suppressed per TCPA

TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) compliant opt-out confirmation fires in real time. Contact removed from all future sends. Suppression list updated and removal timestamped. No manual processing at any send volume.

Every reply your campaign generates — handled per its configured flow.
We’ll configure the reply automation layer for your specific campaign type, list, and qualification goal.
How Outbound Reply Automations Work
Configure once.Every reply routes from the moment the campaign sends.
01
Build the OTTO collector that fires on YES replies

Before the campaign sends, build the qualification flow that activates when a contact responds positively. This is typically an ITR (Interactive Text Response) menu — ‘Reply 1 to schedule a call, 2 for more info, 3 to be called today’ — or a Conversational OTTO sequence that asks qualification questions. The collector is built once and can be reused across multiple outbound campaigns.

OTTO collector · ITR menu · conversational flow · qualification sequence
02
Write the outbound message with a clear reply call to action

The outbound message needs a clear reply prompt so OTTO can correctly classify the response. ‘Reply YES if interested’ or ‘Reply 1 to connect’ gives OTTO a definitive signal to route. Ambiguous CTAs produce ambiguous replies. The dynamic keyword version: ‘Hi {{first_name}} — your {{service}} special ends Friday. Reply YES to schedule.’

message writing · reply CTA · OTTO routing signal · dynamic keywords
03
Attach the reply automation to the campaign — same-number rule

When building the outbound campaign, select the reply automation type and link the configured collector. The campaign number and the collector number must match — replies go back to the number they came from, and OTTO can only intercept them on an assigned number. A mismatched number means replies bypass OTTO entirely.

campaign configuration · collector attachment · same-number rule · routing setup
04
Send — OTTO intercepts and routes every reply per its configured flow

The campaign sends. Replies arrive. OTTO classifies each reply type and routes to the configured flow. YES replies enter the qualification sequence. Questions are answered by Q&A automation, escalating to the 1-to-1 inbox only for unconfigured scenarios. Spanish replies activate the Language Funnel. STOP fires TCPA-compliant removal and updates the suppression list.

send execution · reply interception · reply classification · routing
05
Qualified leads surface as structured Prepare Caller alerts

Contacts who complete the YES qualification flow receive a Prepare Caller message — naming who will call them, from what number, so the call is expected. Your team receives a structured lead alert with contact name, phone, qualification answers, and conversation transcript. No manual inbox reading. No lost context between the text conversation and the sales call.

lead delivery · Prepare Caller · team alert · conversation transcript · sales handoff
06
Non-responders feed the Nudge Campaign Engine

TextingOnly tracks reply status per contact per campaign. Contacts who received the message but did not reply can be exported as a non-responder segment and re-sent with a lighter, differently-worded follow-up at a different time — without re-sending to contacts who already replied. Multi-touch sequences improve total campaign response rate without inbox management.

nudge campaign · non-responder segment · multi-touch sequence · re-engagement timing
Who Uses Reply Automations
Any business running outbound SMSthat needs replies handled at scale without adding headcount.
Industries: Automotive Home Services Recruiting Franchises Legal
Common questions
Questions aboutoutbound reply automations.
What reply types does OTTO handle?
OTTO handles four main reply types on outbound campaigns: YES or interested (routes to the configured qualification flow — ITR, Conversational OTTO, or Q&A), questions (routes to Q&A automation, escalates to 1-to-1 inbox only when needed), Spanish replies (activates Language Funnel for full Spanish qualification with English lead output), and STOP or opt-out (fires TCPA compliant confirmation, removes contact from all future sends). Every reply type has a configured path — nothing lands unmanaged.
What is the same-number rule for reply automations?
OTTO can only intercept replies on a number that is assigned to the configured collector. The number used for the outbound bulk SMS campaign and the number assigned to the reply automation collector must be the same — because replies go back to the number they came from. A mismatched number means replies bypass OTTO and land in an unmanaged inbox.
What is a nudge campaign and how does it work for non-responders?
A nudge campaign is a follow-up send targeted at contacts who received the original outbound campaign but did not reply. TextingOnly tracks reply status per contact per campaign. A lighter, differently-worded message can be sent to non-responders at a different time — improving total campaign response rate without re-sending to contacts who already responded or opted out.
How does OTTO handle Spanish replies to an English campaign?
If a contact replies in Spanish to an outbound campaign, OTTO activates the Language Funnel — running the full qualification conversation in Spanish. The lead alert delivered to your team is in English regardless of the language the conversation ran in. No bilingual staff required at first touch. The Language Funnel handles the entire Spanish qualification and delivers a structured English lead record.
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