How Ironscale's automated lead follow-up system works.

Every lead, captured the second it arrives.

Forms, calls, DMs, web chat, walk-ins. If a prospect signals interest, Ironscale catches it in real time — no manual entry, no delayed sync, no missed leads while you're with a client.

What gets captured

• Web forms — every field, instantly into the pipeline with source attribution
• Inbound calls — recorded, transcribed, and routed based on rules you set
• Missed calls — missed call text back fires within 3 seconds with a personalized message
• DMs across channels — Facebook, Instagram, Google Business, WhatsApp consolidated into one inbox
• SMS replies to marketing — automatically threaded with the contact's history
• QR codes, landing pages, paid ads — UTM and source tracked end-to-end

Why this matters

Seventy-eight percent of buyers choose the first business that answers. Speed to lead is the single highest-leverage variable in revenue — it's why speed to lead software exists as its own category. Ironscale builds it in, cutting first response from minutes (the industry average) to under 3 seconds.

Automated SMS follow-up that runs on its own.

The window for closing a new lead is 90 seconds. Ironscale's automated SMS follow-up fires inside that window — with personalized email and voice as backup — and keeps nurturing for as long as it takes to get a response.

How it nurtures

• Multi-channel sequences — SMS first (98% open rate), email backup, voice agent as escalation
• Conditional logic — opens, clicks, replies trigger different branches automatically
• AI conversation handler — replies in your brand voice, qualifies, books, escalates to you when ready
• Time-zone aware — sends at the lead's local working hours, not yours
• Stop-sequences — once they reply, automation pauses and routes to you

What you set up once

Most lead follow up software makes you build the machine yourself. Ironscale ships with battle-tested sequence templates — use them as-is, or tweak the copy in plain English (no flowchart builders). One sequence, set up once, runs every lead for the next 10,000 prospects. Want the data behind the timing? Read why the 90-second follow-up window decides who wins the deal.

A CRM with built-in texting drives the deal.

Once a lead is engaged, the pipeline takes over. Because texting is native to the CRM — not a bolted-on integration — every conversation, every commitment, every next step is visible in one workspace. Calendar booking is automatic. Proposal sending is one click. Payment collection is built in.

Built-in close mechanics

• Calendar booking — leads pick a slot directly from the SMS thread, no back-and-forth
• Pipeline stages — customize per business; defaults work for 95% of operators
• Conversation history — every text, email, call recording in one timeline
• Task automation — "follow up Tuesday" auto-creates the task with all context attached
• Proposal + e-signature — send, sign, get paid without leaving the platform
• Payment collection — Stripe-powered, one-time or recurring

Close visibility

You see exactly which stage every deal is in, what's overdue, what's likely to close this week, and which leads are going cold. No spreadsheets. No "let me check my notes." Real revenue visibility, updated in real time.

Wake up the database you forgot you had.

Every operator sits on hundreds or thousands of leads that went cold. Ironscale runs reactivation campaigns against them in the background — recovering revenue from contacts you'd already written off.

Reactivation in practice

• Segmented campaigns — by source, last activity, deal size, won/lost reason
• Win-back SMS sequences — short, personal, with a specific reason to come back
• Cold lead resurrection — typical: 8–15% of "dead" leads respond on the first reactivation pass
• Lost-deal follow-up — quarterly check-ins on closed-lost deals (a quarter of them are now closeable)
• Birthday + anniversary triggers — relationship-based touchpoints that don't feel like marketing

The economics

Reactivating an existing lead is 5–7× cheaper than acquiring a new one. Most operators have $50K–$500K of recoverable revenue sitting in their CRM. Ironscale unlocks it without you doing the manual work.

Turn one-time customers into recurring revenue.

The cheapest revenue is repeat revenue. Ironscale runs retention playbooks automatically — review requests, referral asks, upsell sequences, renewal reminders — so customer lifetime value compounds.

Retention systems

• Review automation — request reviews at the optimal post-close moment (5–7 days for most businesses)
• Referral playbooks — incentivized asks at peak satisfaction points
• Upsell sequences — based on purchase signals and usage patterns
• Renewal automation — 30/60/90-day reminders, auto-pause if customer engages
• NPS + survey collection — real-time feedback routed to you for high-value churn signals
• Loyalty triggers — milestone-based touchpoints that don't feel transactional

The compounding effect

Most businesses leave 60–70% of their lifetime revenue on the table because they stop at the first sale. Ironscale runs retention as a system, not a hope. Six months in, repeat-customer revenue typically equals or exceeds new-customer revenue.

Automated lead follow-up, answered.

What is an automated lead follow up system?

An automated lead follow up system is software that responds to every new lead instantly — by SMS, email, or voice — then keeps following up on a schedule until the lead replies, books, or opts out. Ironscale runs the full cycle in one workspace: capture, nurture, close, reactivate, retain.

Is Ironscale a CRM with built-in texting?

Yes. Two-way SMS is native to the platform, not a third-party bolt-on. Every text a lead sends or receives lives in the same timeline as their emails, calls, and pipeline stage — and any reply can trigger the next step in a sequence.

How fast does the automated follow-up fire?

Missed calls get a text back in under 3 seconds. New leads from forms, ads, or DMs enter their first sequence inside the 90-second window where contact rates are highest. You control the timing, channels, and copy.

Do I need carrier registration to send automated SMS?

Yes — US carriers require A2P 10DLC registration for business texting, and unregistered traffic gets silently filtered. Ironscale handles brand and campaign registration as part of onboarding, so your messages actually deliver.