# Automatic follow ups

**Automatic follow ups** is a **Missive rules template** designed for sales teams that want to automatically follow up with their leads and prospects. With this rule, you'll be able to trigger a sequence of emails that will send on your behalf.

#### When enabled:

* The rule will allow you to automatically schedule a set of follow-up emails after you’ve sent an email that contains a specific set of keyword.

#### Here’s how it works:

* You need a **consistent keyword or phrase** in your trigger email
* You need a pre-determined **sender**
* You need to create a [**canned response**](https://missiveapp.com/docs/core-features/canned-responses) for each follow-up email
* You need to create a **label** for easier tracking

***

### Outgoing email rule: Automatic follow ups

This rule is meant to help you follow up with prospective leads and prospects automatically, while ensuring the follow ups stop once a reply has been received.

<a href="https://mail.missiveapp.com/?importRule=auto-follow-up-sequence_outgoing-message" class="button primary" data-icon="plus">Add to Missive</a>

#### There are 6 conditions and 4 actions to make this rule work.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
It only looks at emails sent from a specific address and specific team (Optional, depending on your use case).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
And it will only trigger for emails that contain your **pre-determined trigger phrase** in the body, for example “Here is the quote you requested.”
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
The rule explicitly excludes the follow-up emails as possible triggers using **pre-determined phrases and keywords** in the body of those emails.

> Note: This is critical to making a perfect follow-up rule. It prevents any possibility of a feedback loop where any outgoing email would trigger the same outgoing rule over and over because the conditions are too permissive.
> {% endstep %}

{% step %}
Once the conditions are met, the rule will schedule the **selected canned response** to send.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
The template has follow-ups being sent 1, 3, and 7 days after the initial email. If a new reply is received in the conversation where the rule triggered, the remaining scheduled drafts are discarded automatically.

> For example: If the customer replies on the 4th day, the 1st and 2nd auto follow-up will be sent but the 3rd one will be discarded.
> {% endstep %}

{% step %}
To make tracking easier while a deal is in progress, a label is added to the conversation.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://3242897856-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F1If7JwIQhfz5wGM9LiIU%2Fuploads%2FhzgM5brhvAR8Is3Z5Hju%2Fsequence.png?alt=media&#x26;token=af67ad4d-57e4-4aa1-b1a1-f52c63a74d73" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

<table><thead><tr><th width="180.15887451171875">Component</th><th>Value</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Condition 1</td><td><strong>From is</strong> → Set the sender(s)</td></tr><tr><td>Condition 2</td><td><strong>Team is</strong> → Set the team(s)</td></tr><tr><td>Condition 3</td><td><strong>Message content</strong> <strong>contains</strong> → Set the key phrase from the trigger email</td></tr><tr><td>Condition 4-6</td><td><strong>Message content</strong> <strong>does not contain</strong> → Set the key phrase(s) from the follow-up emails</td></tr><tr><td>Action 1-3</td><td><p><strong>Schedule auto follow-up</strong> → Pick a response + Set <strong>Send after</strong></p><h4 id="auto-snooze-follow-ups"><br></h4></td></tr><tr><td>Action 4</td><td><strong>Add label(s)</strong> → Set a label(s)</td></tr></tbody></table>

***

### Triggering via API

You can trigger this rule from external systems (websites, CRMs, etc.) by sending the initial email via the [Missive REST API](https://missiveapp.com/docs/developers/rest-api/endpoints#drafts).

When you send an email via API with `send: true`, outgoing rules run automatically. Include your trigger phrase in the email body to start the follow-up sequence.

See [Automated email sequences](https://missiveapp.com/docs/developers/rest-api/endpoints#use-case-automated-email-sequences) in the API documentation for implementation details.