Using Auto-Pilot Mode in Conversation AI

What is Auto-Pilot Mode?

Auto-Pilot Mode enables your CRM's AI-powered conversation bots to handle customer interactions autonomously across multiple channels, including SMS, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. When activated, the bot manages conversations independently until it reaches a predefined message limit or encounters a situation requiring human assistance. This feature is particularly useful for automating lead qualification, appointment booking, answering common questions, and providing basic support without constant manual oversight.

Understanding the 100-Message Limit

Auto-Pilot Mode now supports up to 100 messages per conversation thread, a significant increase from previous limits. This expanded capacity allows bots to manage longer, more complex dialogues without interruption. Only messages sent by the bot count toward this limit—replies from human agents in the Conversations inbox, automated messages from workflows or campaigns, and incoming messages from contacts do not contribute to the total.

How Auto-Pilot Manages Message Limits

When a bot reaches its configured message limit (which can be set between 1 and 100 messages), it automatically enters a sleep state for that conversation. This prevents excessive automation and ensures you maintain control over when the bot should pause. Upon reaching the limit, the bot sends its final message, stops generating further responses in that thread, and becomes dormant. The conversation remains accessible in your inbox, allowing human agents to continue interacting or workflows to trigger, but the bot itself will not produce additional messages until reactivated.

Enabling and Configuring Auto-Pilot

Auto-Pilot Mode is enabled by default for all Conversation AI bots. To configure the message limit:

1. Navigate to your sub-account, then go to Conversation AI → Bots and select the bot you wish to adjust.
2. In the Bot Settings, locate the Maximum messages a Bot can send in a Conversation field.
3. Enter a value between 1 and 100 (the default for new bots is 100).
4. Save your changes. The new limit applies immediately to all new conversations; existing threads retain their current message count but will adhere to the new limit moving forward.

When Bots Enter Sleep Mode

A bot in Auto-Pilot Mode will go to sleep under two conditions: when it has sent the maximum number of messages allowed in a conversation, or when manually paused by a human agent or workflow action. If your bot frequently reaches the 100-message cap, consider adjusting the limit or refining its prompts to make interactions more efficient.

Reactivating a Sleeping Bot

To wake a dormant bot and reset its message counter to zero, you can either manually mark the conversation as Read in the Conversations inbox or use the Update Conversation AI Bot and Status workflow action. The workflow method allows for automated reactivation based on triggers like elapsed time, specific keywords from the contact, or assigned tags. For high-priority conversations, you might create a workflow that routes sleeping bots directly to human agents instead of reactivating automation.

Best Practices for Setting Message Limits

Selecting an appropriate message limit depends on your use case:

• For brief interactions like answering FAQs or capturing leads, set limits between 10–25 messages.
• For moderate complexity such as appointment scheduling or simple troubleshooting, use 26–60 messages.
• For detailed guidance or multi-step processes, opt for 61–100 messages.

Regularly review conversation transcripts to ensure your limits align with actual needs and adjust as necessary.