Inbound replies are where revenue starts moving.
The customer is active, but old workflows still depend on whoever notices the reply first.
Response Bot
Inbound AI that answers what it should and routes what it should not.
Response Bot is TECOBI’s inbound reply engine. When a customer texts back, it checks whether AI is allowed to respond, classifies the conversation, handles routine replies, and routes high-judgment moments to humans.
Inbound-first Runs after customer replies
Decision-routed Reply, route, appoint, or pause
Human-safe Hands off judgment calls
Customer reply
Do you have any blue SUVs under $40k?
Route: search-inventory
I can check that. Are you looking for new, used, or either?
DecisionAI can reply
HandlerInventory context
SafetyHuman if needed
The inbound problem
Speed matters most when the customer is already talking.
A customer reply is a live opportunity. Response Bot protects that moment by answering routine messages quickly while refusing to force AI into conversations where a human should take over.
Not every message should get an AI response.
Pricing, complaints, legal language, complex finance questions, and unclear requests need human judgment or no automated reply.
Fast replies still need context.
A useful response has to understand the recent thread, the customer profile, current operating rules, and what the team has already said.
Managers need the route, not just the message.
The important signal is whether AI answered, set an appointment, found inventory, flagged a call, or stayed out of the way.
How Response Bot works
A routed AI workflow for inbound customer replies.
01
Inbound message arrives
Response Bot starts from a real customer reply, not a scheduled outbound touch. It is built for active conversations.
02
Eligibility checks run first
The workflow skips paused, archived, no-response-bot, closed-after-hours, media-only, or already-human-answered conversations.
03
AI classifies the route
The decision agent chooses whether the situation needs a routine AI reply, no AI response, inventory search, appointment flow, or human call.
04
The right handler takes over
General replies, appointment extraction, inventory suggestions, and needs-call responses each use a different operating mode.
05
Humans get flagged when needed
Strong buying signals, special requests, complaints, quotes, documents, or sensitive situations can be routed to a person.
06
Reporting records the outcome
TECOBI tracks attempts, successful replies, route decisions, appointments, needs-call activity, and timing.
Decision routes
Response Bot decides the workflow before it decides the words.
The first job is not writing a clever message. It is deciding whether AI should respond, which handler should run, and whether the customer needs a human instead.
yes
Routine AI reply
Response Bot can answer a clear, safe message and keep the conversation moving.no-ai-response
Stay out of the way
The bot does not reply when the message is vague, risky, already handled, or better left to a person.needs-call
Human call needed
The customer needs a person, a sensitive answer, or a higher-judgment follow-up.needs-ai-response
Reply plus handoff
AI can send a useful acknowledgment while also flagging the lead for human follow-up.appointment-requested
Appointment flow
The bot can extract requested date and time details, validate availability, and reply appropriately.search-inventory
Inventory answer
When the request is specific enough, Response Bot can trigger inventory matching and send a natural reply.AI plus human handoff
Response Bot works with Auto Bots® and the team, not instead of them.
Auto Bots® and Response Bot solve different parts of the conversation loop. One creates proactive follow-up. The other handles the reply. Humans keep ownership of the moments where judgment creates the outcome.
Auto Bots® create engagement
Proactive follow-up, nurture, and reactivation bring quiet opportunities back into the active conversation flow.
Response Bot handles the reply
Inbound AI reads the customer response, decides the safe route, and answers or escalates based on context.
People take the customer moment
Sales, service, finance, or support teams step in when the customer needs judgment, relationship work, or final accountability.
Controls and guardrails
Inbound AI needs strict operating boundaries.
TECOBI’s implementation includes client settings, lead-level toggles, conversation state checks, route prompts, and skip logic so Response Bot is fast without being reckless.
Client-level AI inbound reply settingConfigurable inbound reply delayAfter-hours response controlNo Response Bot lead togglePaused and archived conversation checksNewer human outbound protectionTyping-user protectionMedia and non-text skip logicMandatory reply rules and route promptsNeeds-call and no-response decision paths
Reporting and accountability
Every AI reply path should be measurable.
Response Bot reporting shows more than message volume. It shows how inbound replies were routed, where AI succeeded, where customers needed people, and how quickly the workflow handled active conversations.
01 AI reply attempts
02 Successful replies
03 Average response time
04 Appointments set by AI
05 Needs-call count and rate
06 Route decision breakdown
See Response Bot in action
Give active customers a faster path to the right answer or the right person.
Book a TECOBI walkthrough and we will show how Response Bot handles inbound replies, routes sensitive moments, supports appointments, and works with Auto Bots®.