Speed-to-lead SMS for new Follow Up Boss leads

Build me a speed-to-lead workflow for my real estate business. The goal: when a new lead lands in Follow Up Boss, get a personalized opening SMS out within minutes so the first touch feels human, not robotic.

Trigger: a cron schedule that runs every 10 minutes. Keep track of the previous run's timestamp so each run only picks up leads created since the last one.

On each run, ask the agent to do the following:

1) Use Follow Up Boss List People with a createdAfter filter set to the previous run timestamp to pull every lead created since the last run. Include their name, mobile phone, source, tags, assigned agent, any inquiry text, saved-search context, and address or area on file.

2) For each new lead, first guardrails. Skip the lead if any of these are true: no valid mobile number; an outbound text has already been logged on this lead in the last 24 hours (use Follow Up Boss List Text Messages filtered to that person to check); or the lead's apparent local time is outside 8am to 9pm. Infer the lead's local time from their phone area code or address; if you cannot infer it, default to the account's timezone. Leads outside the window get skipped this run and will be retried on a later run that falls inside their daytime.

3) For each lead that passes the guardrails, draft a short, friendly opening SMS. Rules for the message: under 320 characters, references the lead's first name, references the property or the source when it makes the text feel more relevant (for example "saw you were checking out the Maple Ave listing" or "thanks for reaching out through Zillow"), no pushy CTAs, no "buy now" language, sounds like a real person introducing themselves, and signs off as the assigned agent if there is one. No emojis unless the source context obviously calls for one.

4) Send the SMS through Twilio's Send a Message operation from my configured Twilio number to the lead's mobile.

5) Immediately after the send succeeds, log the exact text that went out as a Follow Up Boss Create Note attached to that person so the full conversation history stays in the CRM. Use a clear note title like "Auto outbound SMS" and put the full message body in the note.

6) Then post a one-line confirmation to a Slack channel I will configure (use the Slack Bot integration, Send a Message). Format: lead name, source, assigned agent, and the message that went out, plus a link to the lead in Follow Up Boss. Keep it short so a human agent can scan the channel and take over the reply thread when the lead writes back.

Make the Slack channel, the texting window, and the Twilio from-number configurable inputs so I can change them later without touching the agent instructions. If Twilio returns an error for a specific lead (invalid number, unsubscribed, etc.), skip that lead, leave a note on the Follow Up Boss record explaining the failure, and continue with the rest of the batch rather than crashing the run.

At the end of each run, post a quick summary to Slack only if leads were processed: how many new leads were seen, how many were texted, how many were skipped, and why (already contacted, outside window, no mobile, error). If zero leads came in, stay silent.

Additional information

What does this prompt do?

Watches Follow Up Boss for fresh leads every 10 minutes so the first text goes out while interest is still hot.
Reads each lead's name, source, tags, assigned agent, and any inquiry or property context to draft a short, friendly, human-sounding opening SMS.
Sends the text through your Twilio number, then writes the exact message back as a note on the lead in Follow Up Boss so the full conversation history stays in one place.
Posts a one-line confirmation to a Slack channel of your choice with the lead name, source, and the message that went out, so an agent can jump in and take over the reply thread.

What do I need to use this?

A Follow Up Boss account with API access.
A Twilio account with an SMS-enabled phone number to send from.
A Slack workspace where the channel for confirmations lives.

How can I customize it?

Change the check frequency, the texting window (defaults to 8am to 9pm in the lead's local time), or the quiet-hours rule.
Tweak the voice and length guidelines for the opening message, or add house rules like "never mention price" or "always sign off with the assigned agent's first name".
Swap the Slack channel, filter to specific lead sources or tags, or skip leads already assigned to certain agents.

Frequently asked questions

Does this replace Follow Up Boss's built-in Lead Flow text?

It can. The built-in feature sends the same generic template to everyone. This workflow reads each lead's context and writes a personalized opening, so the first touch feels human instead of automated.

Will it accidentally text the same lead twice?

No. Before sending, the agent checks whether an outbound text was already logged to that lead in the last 24 hours and skips anyone who was recently contacted, so reconnects from your team don't get double-tapped.

What about texting people at 2am?

The agent only sends between 8am and 9pm in the lead's apparent local time, based on their phone area code or address. Leads outside that window are queued for the next run inside their daytime.

How do I change which Slack channel gets the confirmation?

Tell the workflow which channel to post to when you set it up. You can swap it later by editing the workflow, and you can route different lead sources to different channels if you want.

Do I need a paid Follow Up Boss plan?

You need a plan with API access. Most Follow Up Boss tiers include it. Check Admin then API in your Follow Up Boss account to confirm you can generate a key.