> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brilo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set up outbound follow up

> A complete Brilo setup for calling customers back and following up automatically, with the instructions to copy and how to sequence calls, texts, and email.

This is the setup for having your agent reach out first: calling new web leads back within minutes, following up
on quotes nobody chased, and reactivating customers you have not spoken to in months. Outbound calling needs the
Starter plan or above.

## What this setup does for you

You give Brilo a list and a sequence, and your agent works through it: a call, a text to the people who did not
answer, an email a few days later. Nobody on your team has to remember to follow up, which is the reason most
follow up never happens.

## What good looks like

* **New web leads called back within minutes**, which is the single biggest factor in whether they convert.
* **A sequence rather than one attempt**, because most of the value is in the second and third contact.
* **A different message to people who did not answer** than to people who did.
* **A clean stop.** Anybody who asks not to be contacted again is not contacted again.

## Design the sequence first

A campaign is a sequence of steps, each a call, a text, or an email, with timing and conditions. Sketch it before
you build it. A pattern that works for most businesses:

| Step | What                                  | When                                            |
| ---- | ------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| 1    | Phone call                            | Immediately, or as soon as the contact is added |
| 2    | Text, only if step 1 was not answered | A few hours later                               |
| 3    | Phone call                            | The next day, at a different time of day        |
| 4    | Email with the detail                 | Two days later                                  |
| 5    | Stop                                  | Do not keep going                               |

Step 5 matters. A sequence with no end annoys the people you most want to keep.

Build it with [Start a calling campaign](/campaigns/start-a-calling-campaign) and
[Choose when calls go out](/campaigns/choose-when-calls-go-out).

## What to put in your instructions

Paste this into your agent's **Prompt** tab and change everything in square brackets. Outbound instructions differ
from inbound ones: your agent has to explain who it is and why it is calling within the first sentence.

```
You are calling on behalf of [business name] to follow up on [what: an enquiry they made, a
quote we sent, a service due].

Opening: "Hello, is that [name]? I'm calling from [business name] about [the enquiry you made
last week]. Is now a good time?"

If it is not a good time:
- Ask when would be better, record it, and end the call politely. Do not push.

If it is a good time:
- Remind them briefly what this is about, in one sentence.
- Ask [the one question that moves this forward, for example: whether they still need it /
  whether they have any questions about the quote].
- If they are interested: [book an appointment / transfer to a person / send the details by
  text].
- If they are not: thank them, confirm we will not chase further, and end the call.

How to behave:
- Say who you are calling from in the first sentence, every time.
- Keep the whole call under [two] minutes unless they want to talk.
- Never call somebody who has asked not to be contacted.
- If they sound annoyed to be called, apologise, offer to remove them, and end the call.

Never:
- Never imply we have spoken before if we have not.
- Never quote a price for [the things that need a proper quote].
- Never leave the purpose of the call vague.

If you reach voicemail: [leave a short message with the business name and a callback number /
do not leave a message], then end the call.
```

## What your agent needs to know

* **What it is following up on**, and enough context that a customer who half remembers is reminded.
* **The answers to the two questions people ask when called back**, usually price and timescale.
* **What you are offering**, if anything, and its real terms.
* **Who to transfer to** when somebody is ready to proceed.

## What to let your agent do

| Action                                                          | Why                                                   |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| [Send a text or email](/actions/send-a-text-or-email)           | The follow up steps, and details after a good call    |
| [Book appointments](/actions/book-appointments)                 | So an interested customer leaves the call with a date |
| [Pass the call to a person](/actions/pass-the-call-to-a-person) | For anybody ready to buy                              |
| [Update your CRM](/actions/update-your-crm)                     | So the outcome is recorded and nobody calls twice     |

## What to test before you go live

Run the full sequence against five of your own numbers first.

1. **Answer normally.** Does the opening make clear who is calling and why, in one sentence?
2. **Say it is a bad time.** Does it take a better time and end, rather than pushing?
3. **Say you are not interested.** Does it stop cleanly and confirm it will not chase?
4. **Do not answer at all.** Does the text step fire, and does it read well?
5. **Sound annoyed.** Does it apologise and offer to remove you?
6. **Listen to all five recordings** back to back. That is what your list will experience.

## Rules to know

Outbound is where the rules bite, and they differ by country and sometimes by state. Before your first run,
settle whether you may call these people, what hours are permitted, and whether you must check do not call lists.
See [Calling rules you should know](/compliance/calling-rules-you-should-know). Nothing here is legal advice.

Returning a call to somebody who just filled in your form is a different case from calling a purchased list. If
you cannot say which of those you are doing, do not start.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can Brilo call my customers, not just answer?">
    Yes, on Starter and above, since outbound calling is switched off on Free. Your agent can call one person or
    work through a list as a campaign, with calls, texts, and emails in a sequence you set.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How many calls can go out at once?">
    Up to your plan's limit, which is 15 on paid self serve plans, so a list of several hundred takes hours rather
    than minutes. That is worth knowing before you promise a same day sweep. See [Limits](/supported/limits).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I control what times calls go out?">
    Yes, by day, time, and time zone. Whose time zone applies is the thing to check, because a list spread across
    regions is the usual cause of calls landing at breakfast. See
    [Choose when calls go out](/campaigns/choose-when-calls-go-out).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens when the call goes to voicemail?">
    Whatever you tell it. Both leaving a short message and hanging up are reasonable, and either way the attempt
    counts as a connected call for billing, because the line answered. See
    [What counts towards my usage](/account/what-counts-towards-my-usage).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can it try again later if nobody answers?">
    Yes, that is what a later step in the sequence is for. Call at a different time of day rather than repeating
    the same slot, and cap the attempts: three is usually the point of diminishing returns.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can it text instead when a call is not answered?">
    Yes, using a conditional step based on the outcome of the call. That is the highest value part of the whole
    sequence, because a text often gets a reply where a second call does not.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need consent to call the people on my list?">
    Usually, and it depends on where you and they are and how you got the list. Returning an enquiry is different
    from calling a purchased list. See
    [Calling rules you should know](/compliance/calling-rules-you-should-know).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I stop a run of calls that is going wrong?">
    Pause the campaign. Calls already connected finish normally. Testing on five contacts before the full list is
    what stops you needing this. See
    [My campaign did not call](/campaigns/my-campaign-didnt-call).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can it call a new web lead back automatically?">
    Yes, and speed is the point: a lead called back in minutes converts far better than one called back tomorrow.
    Pair this with [lead qualification](/recipes/lead-qualification) so the callback also qualifies.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Start a calling campaign](/campaigns/start-a-calling-campaign) to build the sequence
* [Choose when calls go out](/campaigns/choose-when-calls-go-out) for timing and time zones
* [Lead qualification](/recipes/lead-qualification) to qualify on the callback
* [Calling rules you should know](/compliance/calling-rules-you-should-know) before your first run
* [My campaign did not call](/campaigns/my-campaign-didnt-call) if nothing goes out