AI SDR · FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS · INBOX REPLIES
What are the AI SDR's capabilities and limits?
What the AI SDR's capabilities and limits are and how to use them.
The AI SDR does a specific job well and has clear edges. Understanding both helps you know when to trust it and when to step in.
What it does automatically
| Capability | What this looks like in practice |
|---|---|
| Reads campaign replies | Inbound replies from Cold Email Agent campaigns can appear in the AI SDR inbox and be processed automatically when AI SDR is enabled. |
| Classifies intent | Interested / Not Interested / Meeting Booked / Out of Office / Do Not Contact / Needs Attention. |
| Sends follow-ups | Scheduled by the AI SDR follow-up logic when the thread is eligible. |
| Books meetings | Proposes times from your availability, meeting buffers, and connected calendar free/busy, then confirms and sends calendar invites. |
| Recovers ghosted threads | Breaks silence with a soft nudge after the configured follow-up window. |
| Handles basic objections | Responds to pricing hesitation, timing objections, and "send more info" asks using your KB. |
| Escalates what it can't handle | Routes complex or out-of-scope messages to Needs Attention. |
What it can't (or won't) do
| Limit | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Can't rewrite its core writing style | KB adjusts facts and objection responses, not tone or voice. It will always sound like an assistant, not like you. See KB tone/persona FAQ. |
| Won't handle complex negotiations | Multi-stage pricing discussions, scope changes, legal terms - the AI escalates these. Good. |
| Doesn't reliably track individual names | If you add "our head of sales is Jane" to the KB, the AI may or may not use it consistently. Don't rely on it for relationship continuity. |
| Can't manage the whole CRM for you | It may create CRM records from reply/booking activity, but pipeline stage moves, field cleanup, notes, and external tool pushes still need a human. |
| Can't schedule calls outside availability or buffer rules | Even if the prospect asks for Saturday at 7am, the AI declines unless you have opened that window. If buffers are set, it also avoids slots too close to existing meetings. |
| Can't be partially manual on the same thread | If you want a human to handle a specific thread, use Disable AI SDR or reply manually, then re-enable it only when you are ready for the AI to resume. |
Where to look for the full picture
- The guide pages at
/docs/ai-sdrcover configuration and conceptual model in more depth. - The Help Centre mirrors this FAQ content.
- When a capability isn't documented either place, it usually isn't available - assume conservatively.
Don't ask the AI SDR to be a human
The AI is best at the boring, high-volume parts of sales: first-touch triage, basic objection handling, and time-of-day booking logistics. It's worst at nuance. Set it to cover the first 80% of interactions so you can spend your time on the 20% that matters.