AI SMS Assistant User Guide

AI SMS Assistant is an intelligent messaging system that helps loan officers automate and enhance SMS conversations with contacts. It combines artificial intelligence with human oversight to create a seamless, efficient communication experience.

Key capabilities include:

• Generate intelligent message drafts based on borrower context
• Send messages autonomously or require approval before sending
• Take over AI conversations manually whenever needed
• Detect and handle borrower objections automatically
• Track and analyze conversation outcomes
• Maintain full borrower consent and preferences

The agent handles ten distinct outreach scenarios:

Context-Aware Messaging

The AI assistant analyzes rich borrower context including:

• Recent engagement history and communication patterns
• Loan details and current status
• Previous interactions and outcomes
• Borrower preferences and contact information

Built-In Guardrails

Every message the AI SMS Assistant sends is constrained by a layered set of guardrails. These are not optional settings — they are built directly into how the system works.

The Agent’s Persona Is Configurable

How the SMS Assistant refers to itself and to the loan officer is controlled by your organization’s Persona setting. There are three options:

• Loan officer in first person (default): The Assistant writes as if it were the loan officer.
• The loan officer’s named assistant: The Assistant introduces itself by name in the first message and refers to the loan officer in the third person from then on. The assistant name can be up to 60 characters.
• A disclosed AI assistant: The Assistant introduces itself as the loan officer’s AI assistant and refers to the loan officer in the third person.

Rates and Savings Are Never Quoted

The agent will never mention a specific interest rate, monthly payment, or dollar savings amount in a text message. Only your loan officer is authorized to quote rates — and they will always do so in a direct conversation.

Why This Matters
Quoting rates in an automated text without full context could be misleading and may run afoul of federal disclosure requirements. This guardrail is enforced in every refi, rate-alert, and lead-qualification scenario.

Sensitive Information Stays Off the Channel

Certain information is intentionally kept out of SMS messages, even when the agent has access to it:

• Pre-qualification or Firm Offer of Credit dollar amounts are never disclosed over text. The agent will say “you’ve been pre-qualified” and direct the borrower to call the LO for specifics.
• The fact that a competitor pulled a borrower’s credit is never surfaced. The agent approaches recapture conversations as a general check-in, not by revealing credit inquiry data.

Opt-Outs Are Honored Immediately and Permanently

If a borrower replies with any STOP-class language — including “STOP,” “unsubscribe,” “remove me,” or “don’t contact me again” — the agent flags the conversation as opted out. This status is recorded immediately, and the borrower will not receive any further automated outreach until compliance review clears it.

Important Distinction
“Not interested” or “no thanks” does not trigger an opt-out. The agent treats those as soft rejections and respects them by ending that particular conversation — without permanently suppressing the contact.

The Agent Does Not Push Too Hard

The system is designed to be persistent, but not aggressive. After one soft objection — for example, “I’m not sure” or “maybe later” — the agent makes one thoughtful follow-up and then stops. Hard rejections are respected immediately.

Conversations Are Concise by Design

All messages are written to be short and appropriate for SMS — typically one to two sentences. The agent does not send lengthy marketing copy or essay-style messages. This keeps interactions natural and easy to respond to.

Understanding AI Messaging Options

Your organization’s AI SMS configuration determines your workflow. Three operational modes are available:

• AI Auto-Pilot — Messages are automatically drafted and sent by the AI assistant. You retain full control through takeover buttons and conversation preferences.
• AI Assist — The AI generates message drafts for your review. You can approve, edit, or reject each draft before it reaches the borrower.
• Disabled — No AI-generated messages are created. All messaging is manual.

To change your default setting, click your name and picture in the upper right corner and select Marketing Profile. Go to the SMS AI Agent section to change your setting. The default will be the highest setting your organization has enabled.

Working with AI Drafts

If you select AI Assist, the message will not be sent until it is approved. When the AI generates a draft message, you will:

• Receive a notification with a preview of the message
• Review the message content in the conversation thread
• Choose to approve it as-is, edit the content, or reject it entirely
• Have your approval action recorded in the audit trail

Taking Over and Releasing Conversations

You maintain complete control over when the AI is active in a conversation. If you wish to pause or stop AI from engaging, you can toggle the setting directly within the conversation window. The setting you select will remain until you change it again.

Contact Preferences

There may be contacts that you do not want AI to ever engage with. You can manage contact AI settings by going to the Actions drop-down and selecting AI SMS Settings. This setting will remain until you make another change.

To see which contacts have each AI SMS setting, use the contact list or a Pipeline View:

• Add the AI SMS Preference column. In Edit Columns, find it under Contact Preferences. You can sort the list by this column.
• Filter by AI SMS Preference. In the filter panel, find it under Contact Information, and then select AI Auto Pilot, AI Assist, Disabled, or Not Set. You can use it in inclusion and exclusion rules.

Visual Indicators

A wand icon is visible within the conversation panel next to all messages that were sent by AI, so you can quickly review what the agent’s response was.

Calendar Scheduling

Building on the existing Office 365 connection, the AI SMS Assistant can check a loan officer’s live Outlook availability and book a confirmed appointment on their behalf, entirely within the SMS conversation thread.

How It Works

1. When the consumer expresses intent to schedule, the Assistant queries the LO’s calendar for available time slots within the next 7 days.
2. The Assistant presents up to 3 available time slot options to the consumer via SMS, formatted in the consumer’s local time zone.
3. Upon consumer confirmation, the Assistant books the appointment on the LO’s Outlook calendar and adds the consumer as an attendee.
4. Outlook automatically sends calendar invitations to both the LO and the consumer.
5. The appointment date, time, and time zone are written back to the Total Expert contact record, and an Interaction insight is logged with an outcome of Appointment Scheduled.

Review the Office 365 Integration Guide for more information, including instructions on how to connect your account to Total Expert.

SMS Assistant Analytics Dashboard

Admins can review SMS Assistant usage, outcomes, and results directly in Total Expert, without requesting a report.

Viewing the Dashboard

1. Log in as a user with the AI Scenario Assistant: Admin permission.
2. Go to AI Assistants → Analytics.
3. In the left-hand selector, choose SMS Assistant (it appears alongside Scenario Assistant).
4. Choose a date range: This month, Last month, or Last 90 days. The range applies to every tile and to the Conversation Detail table.

You only see data for your own organization.

Dashboard Tiles

Conversation Detail and CSV Export

Below the tiles, the Conversation Detail table lists individual SMS messages for the selected date range, including:

• Date and time
• Direction (sent or received)
• Use case
• User
• Contact
• Message text

The table is paginated and shows up to 5,000 rows on screen. Use the CSV export to download the full set of data for the same date range; the export is not capped.

Loan columns (loan ID, loan created date, loan amount, and loan status) appear only when a loan is attributed to the conversation using the same 90-day window as the ROI Attribution tile.

Interpreting the Data

• ROI Attribution shows correlation, not causation. A conversation is flagged when a loan was created for that contact within 90 days afterward. This does not prove the conversation caused the loan, and other factors may have contributed.
• Message usage counts messages, not carrier segments. A single message may span more than one segment on your carrier statement.

Best Practices

For Loan Officers

• Review AI-generated drafts carefully. While the AI is intelligent, your domain expertise is valuable. Edit when necessary to match your communication style.
• Use the Take Over feature strategically. Intervene when conversations need a personal touch, then release when appropriate.
• Pay attention to escalation notifications. These conversations often need your immediate attention and expertise.
• Monitor contact preferences. Respect borrower opt-outs and adjust preferences as relationships evolve.

For Administrators

• Start with AI Assist mode to build confidence in the AI before moving to full autonomy.
• Review the SMS Assistant Analytics dashboard regularly (see above) to track usage, outcomes, and sentiment and catch issues early.
• Provide user training on AI messaging features and set clear guidelines for your organization.
• Use the Conversation Detail export to spot-check conversations and share results with your compliance team.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I take over a conversation from the AI?

Once you take over, the AI stops generating and sending messages. You can handle the conversation manually for as long as needed, then click Release to AI to resume automation. The AI will remember the full conversation history.

Can I edit AI-generated drafts before sending?

Yes. In AI Assist mode, you can edit drafts before approval. Your edits are recorded in the audit trail while the AI’s original suggestion is preserved.

How does the AI know so much about each borrower?

The AI has access to engagement history, loan details, previous interactions, and borrower contact information. This rich context enables personalized, relevant messages.

What if a borrower says they don’t want to talk to AI?

The AI recognizes this intent and will escalate to you. You can then handle the relationship manually or adjust contact preferences to disable AI for that borrower.

Can I disable AI messaging for specific contacts?

Yes. You can toggle AI Messaging Disabled on any contact’s record. When disabled, no AI messages are created for that contact.

What if the AI makes a mistake in a conversation?

You maintain complete control. Take over the conversation, send a corrective message, and then release it back to AI when ready. All interactions are logged for compliance and learning.

Where can admins see how the SMS Assistant is performing?

In AI Assistants → Analytics, select SMS Assistant. See the SMS Assistant Analytics Dashboard section above.

Does the ROI Attribution tile prove a conversation led to a loan?

No. It flags conversations followed by a loan created for the same contact within 90 days. It shows correlation only and does not rule out other factors.

Support & Resources

For technical support or questions, contact your CSM or the Total Expert support team.