Autopilot SMS: Texting Through Your Lead Engage Subscription

The Autopilot SMS bridge combines Ace's contact-specific drafting with your own Lead Engage subscription. Ace writes scheduling commands to the contact's Follow Up Boss timeline. Lead Engage handles delivery from the number on your account; command acceptance does not confirm that the recipient received the text.

Set up the bridge

1. Confirm your account has Ace Trove and configure the workflows in Autopilot.
2. Set up your Lead Engage subscription, texting number, and provider-side requirements.
3. In Autopilot → Autopilot SMS, confirm that this account has an active Lead Engage subscription and manages its number and compliance there.
4. Choose a playbook marked SMS-ready. When the bridge is active, SMS-eligible playbooks can use a textable phone, with email as the fallback.
5. Keep draft review on to inspect the first touches. Graduate an individual playbook only when you want it to send autonomously, then check the requested and effective reply mode under Conversation controls. A requested Execute mode cannot override account or playbook draft review.

Turning on the bridge does not enable the account or any playbook by itself. The account must be activated, the playbook enabled, and all applicable targeting, opt-out, contact-context, sending-hour, and daily-limit checks must pass.

Enroll the contact

For tag-based playbooks, select Only contacts I tag and add ace-autopilot in Follow Up Boss. That is explicit enrollment; it requires no separate contact-level consent artifact. Existing opt-outs and channel policies still apply. The ace-autopilot-exclude tag overrides enrollment for every modern Autopilot workflow, including nurture. Whole-book selection retains its relationship-evidence requirement.

What the recipient sees

The message identifies the assigned agent. A first SMS touch includes Reply STOP to opt out, and every touch carries an AI-assistance disclosure. Ace scans the composed message before scheduling it. An unknown recipient timezone or a time outside the allowed sending window blocks an SMS touch.

Replies and stops

Ace can continue an eligible SMS conversation when the current reply's content and origin are verified. The day-spaced cadence pauses during that conversation. A qualified or requested human next step leads to handoff; opt-outs and human takeover stop automation and create tracked provider cancellation work.

A full opt-out is not rerouted to email. A channel-specific do-not-text state closes the SMS lane; email is considered only under its own remaining rules. An active partner AI conversation or not-interested signal prevents competing outreach. Restricted message content, unverified outbound origin, or an unknown earlier action outcome leaves the conversation pending review.

Read the outcome before retrying

SMS command accepted means the scheduling command was accepted, not that Lead Engage delivered a text. Cancellation pending means provider cleanup is still outstanding. An accepted cancellation command does not by itself prove that the provider cleared its queue. Check the contact's activity and Lead Engage before retrying an uncertain send.

Why a text did not go out

• The bridge is not attested for this account, or the platform/account/playbook is off.
• The playbook is still in draft review, or does not support SMS.
• The contact lacks a textable number or a usable timezone.
• A targeting exclusion, opt-out, active human or partner AI conversation, sending-hour limit, or daily cap blocks the touch.
• The contact does not have enough real context for a grounded message.

Without an active SMS bridge, the loop uses the assigned agent's own connected Gmail where email is eligible. Provider delivery and billing remain with Lead Engage. See the full setup and review workflow.