Overview
What It Is
An AI-powered system that responds to inbound leads within minutes, engages in natural qualification conversation via email or chat, determines fit against ICP criteria, and either books meetings with sales or routes to appropriate nurture.
Why It Matters
Speed to lead is critical—responding within 5 minutes vs. 30 minutes increases qualification rates 21x. AI SDR enables instant response 24/7, ensuring no hot lead goes cold while waiting for human follow-up.
Who It's For
- Companies with high inbound volume
- Teams with limited SDR capacity
- Organizations selling globally across time zones
- Growth teams optimizing lead conversion
Preconditions
Required Tools
- GPT-4/Claude API (conversation)
- HubSpot/Salesforce (CRM)
- Calendly/Chili Piper (booking)
- Clearbit/ZoomInfo (enrichment)
- n8n (orchestration)
Required Fields/Properties
- Lead form fields (name, email, company)
- Qualification criteria (BANT or similar)
- Sales rep availability calendars
- Routing rules by segment/territory
Definitions Required
- Qualified lead criteria
- Disqualification criteria
- Routing rules (which leads to which reps)
- Escalation triggers to human SDR
Step-by-Step Workflow
Configure Instant Enrichment
Goal: Gather context before first outreach
Actions:
- Trigger enrichment on form submission
- Pull company data (size, industry, tech stack)
- Get contact data (title, LinkedIn, phone)
- Pre-score lead based on ICP fit
Implementation Notes: Enrichment must complete in <30 seconds to enable fast response. Use waterfall enrichment (Clearbit → ZoomInfo → Apollo) to maximize coverage.
Build Qualification Conversation Agent
Goal: Create AI that qualifies leads through natural dialogue
Actions:
- Define qualification questions (BANT, MEDDIC, etc.)
- Build conversational qualification prompt
- Handle multi-turn conversations
- Extract structured qualification data
Implementation Notes: Qualification should feel like helpful conversation, not interrogation. Lead with value, weave in questions naturally, adapt based on responses.
Implement Multi-Channel Response
Goal: Enable AI to engage via email, chat, or SMS as appropriate
Actions:
- Email response for demo requests
- Chat widget integration for website visitors
- SMS option for mobile leads
- Consistent AI personality across channels
Implementation Notes: Match channel to lead preference. If they filled a form at 10pm, email. If they're on site now (chat widget), engage in real-time.
Create Smart Booking Flow
Goal: Enable AI to book meetings based on routing rules
Actions:
- Define routing rules (territory, segment, round-robin)
- Integrate with rep calendars
- Handle timezone detection
- Confirm and send calendar invites
Implementation Notes: Route based on territory first, then segment specialization. If assigned rep has no availability in 3 days, fall back to round-robin.
Build Handoff to Human SDR
Goal: Seamless transition when human needed
Actions:
- Define human escalation triggers
- Create handoff summary for SDR
- Maintain conversation context
- Notify SDR with full context
Implementation Notes: Human escalation for: enterprise leads, complex technical questions, competitor mentions, expressed frustration, or AI uncertainty >30%.
Configure Nurture Routing
Goal: Appropriately handle leads that don't qualify for sales
Actions:
- Define nurture criteria and segments
- Build nurture sequence assignment
- Enable re-qualification triggers
- Track nurture progression
Implementation Notes: Not all inbounds are sales-ready. Route to appropriate nurture based on disqualification reason: timing → drip campaign, company size → SMB self-serve, etc.
Templates
Initial Response Email
Subject: Thanks for reaching out, {{first_name}}!
Hi {{first_name}},
Thanks for your interest in {{product}} - I saw you're looking to {{inferred_goal}}.
Given that {{company}} is {{company_context}}, I think you'd find our {{relevant_feature}} particularly valuable. {{similar_company}} saw {{result}} after implementing it.
A few quick questions to make sure I point you in the right direction:
- What's prompting you to explore this now?
- What tools are you currently using?
Happy to share some relevant resources or jump on a quick call - whatever's most helpful.
Best,
{{rep_name}}
Handoff Summary Template
**AI SDR Handoff Summary**
**Lead:** {{name}} - {{title}} at {{company}}
**Lead Score:** {{score}}/100
**Escalation Reason:** {{reason}}
**Conversation Summary:**
{{conversation_summary}}
**Qualification Status:**
- Pain: {{pain_identified}}
- Authority: {{authority_level}}
- Need: {{need_urgency}}
- Timeline: {{timeline}}
**Key Insights:**
{{key_insights}}
**Suggested Next Step:**
{{recommended_action}}
**Full Conversation History:**
[Link to conversation thread]
Inbound AI SDR Metrics
| Metric | Target | This Week | Status | |--------|--------|-----------|--------| | Avg Response Time | <5 min | 2.3 min | On Track | | Response Rate | 100% | 100% | On Track | | Qualification Rate | >30% | 34% | On Track | | Meeting Book Rate | >40% | 42% | On Track | | Human Escalation | <15% | 12% | On Track | | Lead Satisfaction | >4.0 | 4.2 | On Track |
QA + Edge Cases
Test Cases Checklist
- Verify response sent within 5 minutes of form submission
- Test qualification conversation handles multi-turn dialogue
- Confirm routing rules assign correct reps
- Validate calendar booking creates correct events
- Test human escalation triggers work correctly
Common Failure Modes
- Delayed response: Enrichment timeout delays initial email. Use fallback data and respond immediately, enrich in background.
- Over-qualification: AI asks too many questions, feels like interrogation. Limit to 2-3 key questions, spread across messages.
- Wrong rep routing: Lead assigned to unavailable or wrong-fit rep. Add availability check and segment matching to routing.
Troubleshooting Tips
- If meeting book rate is low, review qualification email tone
- For high escalation rate, expand AI's objection handling
- If leads complain about AI, add more natural language variation
KPIs and Reporting
KPIs to Track
- Speed to Lead: <5 minutes first response
- Qualification Rate: >30% of inbounds qualified
- Meeting Book Rate: >40% of qualified leads book
- Lead Satisfaction Score: >4.0 / 5.0
Suggested Dashboard Widgets
- Response Time Distribution: Histogram of time to first response
- Qualification Funnel: Inbound → Engaged → Qualified → Meeting → Opportunity
- AI vs Human Performance: Compare conversion rates AI-handled vs human
- Channel Mix: Inbound by source and AI performance per source