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:
| Use Case | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Rate Drop Alert | Reaches out when rates fall to explore refinance opportunities |
| New Purchase Lead | Engages inbound leads looking to buy a home |
| New Refi Lead | Qualifies borrowers interested in refinancing |
| New HELOC Lead | Starts conversations with borrowers exploring a home equity line |
| Credit Inquiry Recapture | Re-engages borrowers who may be shopping with competitors |
| Firm Offer of Credit | Notifies pre-qualified borrowers and drives callback |
| Aged Pre-Approval | Re-engages borrowers before their pre-approval expires |
| In-Process Update | Sends milestone updates during an active loan |
| Periodic Portfolio Review | Scheduled touchpoints to check in with existing clients |
| Custom / General Use | LO-authored, single-shot messages sent in the LO's voice |
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
Intelligent Objection Handling
The AI recognizes and appropriately responds to common borrower objections:
- “Call me back later” — AI respects timing preferences
- “Already working with another lender” — Graceful exit with compliance
- “Already refinanced” — Updates records per business rules
- Complex objections — Escalated to you for manual handling
Built-In Guardrails
Every message the SMS Chat Agent 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 Always Identifies Itself as an Assistant
In every multi-turn conversation, the agent introduces itself as an AI assistant working on behalf of the loan officer. It will never claim to be the LO, impersonate a human, or pretend to have capabilities or authority it does not have.
Example
“Hi Sarah, I’m an AI assistant reaching out on behalf of [LO Name] at [Company]. They wanted to connect with you about a potential refinance opportunity — are you open to a quick chat?”
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.
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
- When the consumer expresses intent to schedule, the Assistant queries the LO’s calendar for available time slots within the next 7 days.
- The Assistant presents up to 3 available time slot options to the consumer via SMS, formatted in the consumer’s local time zone.
- Upon consumer confirmation, the Assistant books the appointment on the LO’s Outlook calendar and adds the consumer as an attendee.
- Outlook automatically sends calendar invitations to both the LO and the consumer.
- 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.
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.
- Monitor the analytics dashboard weekly to catch issues early.
- Provide user training on AI messaging features and set clear guidelines for your organization.
- Review cost-per-conversation metrics regularly to optimize your AI SMS program.
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.
How does Total Expert test the AI assistant?
A separate AI plays the role of a borrower — responding the way real customers might, including skeptical, busy, or disinterested personas. The SMS Chat Agent conducts full conversations with this simulator across 91 realistic test scenarios based on real staging data, covering five borrower types: Interested, Skeptical, Busy, Credit-Concerned, and Not Interested.
After each simulated conversation, an independent AI reviewer grades it pass or fail based on a defined quality checklist evaluating tone, conciseness, self-identification, rate-quoting avoidance, objection handling, escalation logic, and natural feel.
How is Total Expert continuing to improve the AI assistant?
When an LO or borrower flags a message that didn’t feel right, Total Expert has a clear improvement process. If the quality reviewer should have caught an issue but didn’t, that conversation is added to the reviewer’s training examples. If the agent itself behaved incorrectly, its guidelines are updated directly and that conversation becomes a regression test. This feedback loop is how the system improves over time without manual review of every conversation.
Support & Resources
For technical support or questions, contact your CSM or the Total Expert support team.