Automated Follow-Ups

Imagine a customer shows interest in your product, asks a few questions, and then goes silent. Without follow-ups, that lead is lost. DM Champ's follow-up system automatically re-engages contacts who stop responding - sending friendly, well-timed messages to bring them back into the conversation.

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How Follow-Ups Work (The Big Picture)

When a contact stops responding for a set period of time, DM Champ considers the conversation "stale." The system automatically detects this and sends a follow-up message to nudge the contact back.

Here is a real-world example:

Day 1: A contact asks about your pricing, the bot answers, and then the contact goes quiet.

Day 2 (24 hours later): DM Champ sends a friendly follow-up: "Hey Sarah, just checking in! Let me know if you have any more questions about our plans."

Day 5 (72 hours later): If Sarah still has not replied, a second follow-up highlights a benefit: "Sarah, many of our clients save 10+ hours per week with our service. Want me to show you how?"

Day 12 (7 days later): A final gentle message: "Hi Sarah, I don't want to keep bothering you. If you're ever ready to chat, I'm here!"

Why WhatsApp templates? WhatsApp requires that businesses use pre-approved message templates when sending messages outside of a 24-hour conversation window. DM Champ automatically generates and submits these templates for you, so you do not have to worry about the technical details.

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The 3-Cycle Follow-Up System

Follow-ups are organized into 3 cycles, with 3 messages per cycle, for a maximum of 9 follow-up messages per contact. Each cycle has a different tone:

Cycle 1: Friendly Check-In

The first cycle is casual and low-pressure. It acknowledges that the contact is busy and gently invites them back.

Example messages:

• "Hey Sarah, just checking in! Let me know if you still have any questions."

• "Hi Sarah, I wanted to follow up on our chat. No rush - happy to help whenever you're ready!"

• "Hey Sarah, still thinking it over? I'm here if you need any more info."

Cycle 2: Value-Focused

The second cycle reminds the contact why they were interested in the first place, highlighting benefits or offers.

Example messages:

• "Hi Sarah, just a quick reminder that our free consultation is still available. Want me to set one up?"

• "Sarah, many of our customers in a similar situation found our service saved them hours every week. Want me to share more?"

• "Hi Sarah, I put together some information I think you'd find useful. Shall I send it over?"

Cycle 3: Final Attempt

The third cycle is direct and respectful. It gives the contact one last chance to respond before the follow-ups stop.

Example messages:

• "Hi Sarah, I don't want to keep bothering you. If you're no longer interested, no worries at all!"

• "Sarah, this is my last follow-up. If now isn't the right time, I completely understand."

• "Hey Sarah, I'll leave you be after this. If things change, you know where to find me!"

Timing Between Follow-Ups

Each follow-up is spaced out to avoid overwhelming the contact:

Follow-Up	When It Is Sent
1st in each cycle	24 hours after the conversation goes quiet
2nd in each cycle	3 days after the previous follow-up
3rd in each cycle	7 days after the previous follow-up

You can adjust these delays in your campaign's follow-up settings.

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Quick Follow-Ups (Within the First 24 Hours)

Sometimes 24 hours is too long to wait - especially for hot leads or time-sensitive conversations. Quick follow-ups let you send messages within the first 24 hours after a contact goes quiet.

When to use quick follow-ups:

• A high-value lead stops responding mid-conversation

• There is a limited-time offer or event registration deadline

• You want to re-engage quickly while the conversation is still fresh

How they work:

Quick follow-ups are sent at shorter intervals (for example, 3 hours, 6 hours, and 12 hours after the contact goes quiet). Because they are sent within WhatsApp's 24-hour conversation window, they do not need template approval - they are sent as regular messages.

Once the 24-hour window closes without a response, DM Champ switches to the standard 3-cycle template system described above.

Settings:

Setting	What It Does	Default
Enabled	Turn quick follow-ups on or off	Off
Delays	Hours between each quick follow-up	3, 6, and 12 hours
Maximum	How many quick follow-ups to send	3

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Cold Lead Follow-Ups (For Contacts Who Never Responded)

Cold lead follow-ups are for outgoing and combined campaigns where you sent the first message and the contact never replied at all. These contacts need a different approach than someone who was already chatting with you.

Example scenario:

1. Day 0: You launch an outgoing campaign and the contact receives your opening message

2. The contact does not respond

3. Day 3 (72 hours later): DM Champ sends the first cold follow-up: "Hi John, just wanted to make sure you saw my message. We're offering a free strategy session this month - interested?"

4. Contact still does not respond

5. Day 10 (7 days after the first follow-up): The second and final cold follow-up is sent

6. The contact is marked as "follow-up exhausted" - no more messages are sent

Key differences from regular follow-ups:

• Only 2 follow-up messages (not 9)

• Uses its own separate message templates

• Only applies to contacts who never responded at all

• Separate timing (default: first at 72 hours, second at 7 days later)

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Auto-Generated Templates

You do not need to write follow-up messages from scratch. DM Champ automatically generates them based on your campaign's bot instructions, company info, and conversation context.

How it works:

1. Enable follow-ups on your campaign

2. DM Champ generates personalized message templates for all cycles

3. Templates include the contact's name and relevant details

4. Templates are submitted to WhatsApp for approval automatically

5. Once approved, they are ready to use

What gets generated:

Template Type	How Many	Purpose
Cycle 1 (Friendly)	3 templates	Casual re-engagement
Cycle 2 (Value)	3 templates	Highlight benefits and offers
Cycle 3 (Final)	3 templates	Respectful last attempt
Cold lead	2 templates	Re-engage non-responders (outgoing campaigns only)

Total: Up to 11 templates generated per campaign.

Tip: Always review the auto-generated templates before they go for approval. Make sure they match your brand voice and contain accurate information. You can edit them or ask DM Champ to regenerate them.

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When Follow-Ups Stop Automatically

Follow-ups stop on their own when any of these happen:

What Happens	Result
The contact responds	Follow-up cycle pauses. If they go quiet again later, follow-ups resume from where they left off.
All cycles are exhausted	The contact received all 9 follow-ups (or 2 cold follow-ups) without responding. No more follow-ups are sent.
The contact opts out	They send a stop or unsubscribe message. All follow-ups stop permanently.
A team member takes over	Someone on your team steps into the conversation. Follow-ups are paused.
The campaign is paused	All follow-ups for the entire campaign are suspended until you resume it.

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AI-Requested Follow-Ups

Sometimes a contact will tell the bot to follow up later - for example, "Message me tomorrow" or "Check back next week." The AI bot can handle this automatically.

When the bot detects this kind of request, it schedules a follow-up for the exact time the contact mentioned. This is different from the automatic stale-conversation follow-ups above - these are specifically requested by the contact.

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How to Set Up Follow-Ups

Step-by-Step

1. Open your campaign from the Dashboard

2. Go to campaign settings

3. Toggle "Enable Follow-Ups" to ON

4. Review and adjust the settings below to match your needs

5. Save your changes

All Follow-Up Settings

Setting	What It Does	Default
Enable Follow-Ups	Master on/off switch for all follow-ups	Off
Stale Threshold (Hours)	How long to wait before a conversation is considered stale	24 hours
Auto Follow-Up	Automatically detect stale conversations and send follow-ups	Off
Check Interval	How often DM Champ checks for stale conversations	Every hour
Quick Follow-Ups	Enable faster follow-ups within the first 24 hours	Off
Quick Follow-Up Delays	Hours between quick follow-ups	3, 6, 12
Cold Lead Follow-Ups	Follow up with contacts who never responded (outgoing campaigns only)	Off
Cold Lead Delays	Hours between cold lead follow-ups	72, 168
Respect Business Hours	Only send follow-ups during your bot's active hours	Off
Auto Extract Topic	Personalize follow-ups based on what the conversation was about	Off

Customizing Each Cycle

You can adjust the timing and tone for each cycle independently:

• Cycle 1 (Friendly): Delays of 24, 72, and 168 hours. Casual, low-pressure tone.

• Cycle 2 (Value-Focused): Delays of 24, 72, and 168 hours. Highlights benefits and offers.

• Cycle 3 (Final Attempt): Delays of 24, 72, and 168 hours. Direct and respectful.

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Best Practices

1. Start with the default settings. The default timing (24 hours, 3 days, 7 days) works well for most campaigns. Adjust only after you see how your contacts respond.

2. Turn on auto follow-ups. Let DM Champ handle stale conversation detection automatically. It checks every hour, so you do not need to monitor conversations manually.

3. Enable cold lead follow-ups for outgoing campaigns. Many contacts will not respond to the first message. Two additional follow-ups give you more chances to start a conversation.

4. Respect business hours. If your business operates during specific hours, turn on "Respect Business Hours" so follow-ups are not sent at awkward times (like 3 AM).

5. Review your templates before approval. The auto-generated messages are a great starting point, but always check that they match your brand voice and contain accurate details.

6. Monitor your results. Track how many contacts re-engage after each cycle. If Cycle 3 never brings anyone back, consider adjusting your messaging or timing.

7. Do not overdo it. Nine messages across three cycles is the maximum for good reason. Too many follow-ups can annoy contacts and hurt your reputation.