# First day followup

> Set up the calls and texts a brand-new lead gets on the day they arrive from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or your landing pages.

- Section: Using the app (manual) › AI agent
- Web page: https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/first-day-followup
- MCP (AI assistant) equivalent: [First day followup](https://docs.biglysales.com/mcp/first-day-followup.md)
- Video: placeholder — "Reaching new leads on day one" (not yet recorded)

**First day followup** is the run of calls and messages a new lead receives as soon as they reach Bigly. It's meant for leads that arrive from third-party sources such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or your [landing pages](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/landing-pages.md). The first step goes out right after the lead is received, and each later step waits for the delay you set.

Speed matters with new leads. A call or text in the first few minutes is far more likely to get an answer than one the next day.

## Before you start

- Create at least one intro under **AI › Teach Your Bot › Intros**, so the AI knows how to open its calls. See [Intros](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/intros.md).
- Connect your lead source, for example [Facebook Lead Ads](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/facebook-lead-ads.md), [TikTok Lead Ads](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/tiktok-lead-ads.md) or a [landing page](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/landing-pages.md).
- On **AI › Configure**, make sure **Enable FollowUp Configuration** is on, and check your **Working hours**. See [AI settings](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/ai-settings.md). Steps only run inside your working hours. If a step falls outside them (for example after 10 PM), it runs on the next working day at your start time.

Open the screen from **AI › First day followup config**.

> **Two versions of this screen:** Most accounts see a single list of steps that every new lead runs through. Some accounts have **sequences** turned on, which let you build several step lists and send different leads to different ones. Both are covered below. If you'd like sequences, contact support.

## Build your first-day steps

1. Go to **AI › First day followup config**.
2. If you have intros, choose one under **Select Intro**. The AI uses it on the call steps.
3. Click **SMS**, **Call** or **MMS** to add a step. Steps run in the order they appear.
4. For each step, enter a number in **Duration** and pick **Minute** or **Hour**. This is how long to wait before the step runs.
5. Fill in the step:
   - **Message**: type the text, or leave it empty to let the AI write the message.
   - **Call**: nothing else to fill in. The AI calls the lead using your intro and [voice prompt](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/voice-prompt.md).
   - **MMS**: type the text and click **Upload** to attach an image, PDF, audio or video file.
6. To remove a step, click the delete icon on its card.
7. Click **Update** to save.

> [Screenshot placeholder: First day followup with three steps — AI › First day followup config, with the SMS, Call and MMS buttons at the top, an intro chosen under Select Intro, three step cards (1 - Call, 2 - Message, 3 - MMS) each with a Duration and Minute/Hour picker, and the Update button.]

## Use sequences to target different leads

On accounts with sequences, the screen is titled **First day followup** and shows a list of sequences instead of one step list. Each sequence has its own steps, its own intro and, optionally, rules that decide which leads it takes.

### Create a sequence

1. Go to **AI › First day followup config** and click **New sequence** (or **Create the first sequence** if the list is empty).
2. Type a name in **Name this sequence**.
3. Under **Voice intro**, pick the intro its call steps use, or leave **Use the tenant default**.
4. Under **Steps**, click **SMS**, **Call** or **MMS** next to **Add step**.
5. For each step, set the wait. Type a number and choose **Min** or **Hr**, or click a preset: **5m**, **15m**, **30m**, **1h**, **5h** or **1d**. The first step's wait is labelled **Delay before this step**, and later ones **Wait after the previous step**.
6. Use the arrows to reorder steps, or the remove icon to delete one.
7. Click **Save**.

> [Screenshot placeholder: Sequence editor — The sequence editor with a name filled in, the Active toggle, a Voice intro picker, a Who runs this sequence section with two rules, and a Steps list with an SMS step and a Call step showing their delay presets.]

### Decide who runs a sequence

Under **Who runs this sequence**, click **+ Add rule**. Each rule looks at a contact attribute or the contact's tags.

1. Pick an **Attribute**, then a **Comparison**, then type a **Value**.
2. For tag rules, choose **Has tag** or **Does not have tag** and pick one or more tags.
3. With more than one rule, choose **Match all** (every rule must match) or **Match any** (one is enough).

A sequence with no rules is the **catch-all**. It runs for every lead that matches no other sequence.

| Comparison | Matches when the attribute… |
|---|---|
| Equals / Not equals | is (or isn't) exactly the value |
| One of / Not one of | is (or isn't) any of a comma-separated list |
| Contains / Starts with | contains, or starts with, the text |
| Has any value / Has no value | is filled in, or empty |
| Has tag / Does not have tag | the contact carries any of the tags (or none of them) |

### How a lead is matched

- Sequences **with rules are checked first**, in the order shown in the list. The first one that matches wins.
- If none match, the lead runs the catch-all.
- Under **Leads that match no rule**, choose **Run the catch-all** or **Do not enrol them** if you only want matching leads followed up.
- Use the up and down arrows on a sequence card to change the order sequences are checked in.
- Set a sequence to **Inactive** to stop it taking new leads. Contacts already part-way through it still finish.

### Move your existing steps into a sequence

If you set up first-day steps before sequences were turned on, you'll see a notice saying **Your existing first day followup has not been moved over yet**. Your old steps keep running for leads that match no rule. Click **Move to new system** to turn them into a normal sequence you can rename and add rules to. Nothing is re-sent, and contacts part-way through carry on where they are.

## When follow-up stops

Bigly stops a lead's first-day steps early once the follow-up has done its job, for example when the lead books a meeting or converts, or when a call reaches them. A lead who already has a booked meeting isn't enrolled at all. A lead without a phone number isn't enrolled either.

## Common questions

**My new leads aren't getting anything.** Check that **Enable FollowUp Configuration** is on under **AI › Configure**, that you have at least one step saved, and that the lead has a phone number. On accounts with sequences, check that a sequence matches the lead, or that **Run the catch-all** is selected.

**Does this apply to leads I import from a spreadsheet?** It's built for leads arriving from integrations and landing pages. For imported lists, use [SMS campaigns](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/sms-campaigns.md) or a [call campaign](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/calls.md).

**What's the difference from the Followup Sequence tab?** First day followup runs once, when a lead is created. [Followup sequences](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/followup-sequences.md) keep following up with interested leads over the following days. A lead in the middle of its first-day steps isn't picked up by the other follow-up until its first-day steps finish.

## Related

- [Followup sequences](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/followup-sequences.md)
- [No reply followup](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/no-reply-followup.md)
- [Intros](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/intros.md)
- [Tags](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/tags.md) and [custom attributes](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/custom-attributes.md)
- [First day followup through the MCP](https://docs.biglysales.com/mcp/first-day-followup.md)

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All documentation pages: https://docs.biglysales.com/llms.txt