Call and SMS cadence builderPlan your follow-up once. Every lead gets it, automatically.
Part of the TalkerIQ AI dialer. Drag call, text, wait and condition steps onto a canvas, and send each lead down the path that fits what they actually did — answered, voicemail, no answer, replied or opted out. Preview exactly when every touch fires, then launch with a checklist that catches mistakes first.
Campaign flow · New web leads
What is a call and SMS cadence?
A call and SMS cadence is a planned sequence of phone calls, texts and waits used to reach a lead until they respond. TalkerIQ lets you build it on a visual canvas, branch each lead by what actually happened — answered, voicemail, no answer, replied, opted out — and preview every touch before launch.
- Step types
- AI call, SMS, wait, condition, end
- Branches on
- Answered, no answer, voicemail, replied, opted out
- Templates
- No-answer ladder, SMS-first, hot-lead fast track
- Checks before launch
- Loops, dead ends, missing agent, number or list
- Pricing
- Pro, $149/user/mo
Sound familiar?
Our follow-up cadence lives in a doc. Whether it actually happens depends on who's working that day.
Most teams know the cadence that works — call, text, wait, call again. The hard part is running it for every lead, every time, and reacting when someone replies halfway through.
The cadence is a document, not a system
Reps follow it when they remember. New hires don't know it exists.
One sequence for every outcome
A lead who replied gets the same "just following up" call as one who never picked up.
Automation that fires at 6 a.m.
Time zones and business hours are an afterthought — until a lead complains.
Mistakes found after launch
A missing number or a branch that goes nowhere only shows up once leads are stuck in it.
How it works
From blank canvas to live campaign: how do you build a call and SMS cadence?
Building a multi-channel sequence on TalkerIQ — and who handles each step.
Start from a template
Pick a proven cadence — no-answer ladder, SMS-first with call fallback, hot-lead fast track — or start from scratch.
Your teamDrag the steps
AI call, SMS, wait, condition and end steps snap together. Configure each one in a side panel.
Your teamOr describe it to Spark
Type the cadence in plain English and the Spark copilot drafts the flow for you to edit.
AI copilotPreview and check
See a timeline of every touch with business hours applied, and a launch checklist for agents, numbers and contacts.
AutomaticLeads move on their own
Each lead follows the branch that matches what happened; replies, bookings and opt-outs reroute instantly.
AI + automation
Build
Build sequences the way you whiteboard them.
Every step is visible on one canvas, so anyone on the team can see exactly what a lead will experience. Reorder, branch and rewire a sequence in seconds, and send leads down different paths depending on what actually happened on the last call or text.
- Drag-and-drop steps — AI call, SMS, wait, condition and end
- Outcome-based branching — answered, voicemail, no answer, replied, opted out
- Side-panel settings for agent, message, wait time and conditions
Calls + texts
Calls and texts in one sequence: what does a good cadence look like?
Omnichannel follow-up beats calling alone because some leads answer texts and others answer the phone. A common pattern: text first, wait four hours, call anyone who hasn't replied, and if the call hits voicemail, follow up with a second text. When a reply comes back mid-sequence, the AI SMS agent handles it — and the flow pauses, jumps to a hot-lead branch or closes the lead out.
- AI call and SMS steps from the same business numbers
- Replies reroute instantly — pause, fast-track or close out
- Per-contact journey showing every step a lead has taken
One lead, five days, zero dropped follow-ups
- Rep calls · no answerVoicemail dropped in one click; disposition loggedDay 1 · 10:04
- Follow-up text goes out"Sorry we missed you — reply with a good time"Day 1 · 10:05
- AI retries at the best timeSmart retry picks evening; local number shownDay 2 · 18:20
- Lead replies by textAI SMS agent answers pricing questions instantlyDay 3 · 08:12
- Meeting bookedOn the rep's calendar, CRM deal stage updatedDay 3 · 08:15
- Rep joins with full contextCall recordings, texts and AI summary in one timelineDay 5
Start fast
Start from a cadence that already works.
Templates give you a proven backbone to adapt to your playbook — or let Spark, the AI campaign builder, draft one from a sentence. For leads who still don't answer, smart call retries choose the next best time. Either way, what you launch is a normal flow you can see and edit.
- No-answer ladder — spaced retries with a text between calls
- SMS-first with call fallback — for leads who prefer to text
- Hot-lead fast track — speed-to-lead for new sign-ups
Launch safely
No surprises at 6 a.m.
Before launch, the schedule preview shows a concrete timeline of every planned touch — factoring in wait steps, business hours, time zones and the campaign start time. Validation flags loops, unreachable steps, dead ends and ambiguous branches, and the launch checklist confirms an agent, phone number and contact list are attached.
- Schedule preview with business hours and time zones applied
- Built-in validation for loops, dead ends and overlapping branches
- Launch checklist — agents, numbers, contacts and branches verified
Compare
Cadence in a doc vs a cadence builder: what actually changes?
Most teams already know their cadence. The difference is whether it runs for every lead.
| Cadence in a doc + reminders | TalkerIQ cadence builder | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs each touch | Whichever rep remembers | The flow, for every lead on the list |
| Reacting to outcomes | Rep reads notes and decides | Branches on answered, voicemail, no answer, replied, opted out |
| Calls and texts | Separate tools and numbers | One sequence from the same business numbers |
| Business hours and time zones | Easy to get wrong | Applied in the schedule preview before launch |
| Opt-outs | Manual clean-up | An opt-out on any channel closes the lead out |
| Reporting | Spreadsheet counts | Per-contact journey, call disposition codes and campaign analytics |
What changes
What teams notice once the cadence runs itself.
Especially outbound sales teams chasing inbound leads, where reps can still pick up warm callbacks on the power dialer.
gets the full cadence
Not just the ones a rep remembered. Second, third and fourth touches happen on schedule.
for every outcome
Replies, voicemails and no-answers each get the follow-up that fits.
broken flows at launch
Validation and the checklist catch dead ends and missing numbers before any lead sees them.
everyone understands
Managers, reps and ops see the same sequence — no more decoding a doc.
In the details
Everything in the flow builder.
Five step types
AI call, SMS, wait, condition (branch) and end.
Outcome branching
Answered, no answer, voicemail, replied or opted out — every branch explicit.
Templates
No-answer ladder, SMS-first with call fallback, hot-lead fast track.
Schedule preview
Every planned touch on a timeline, with business hours applied.
Validation
Flags loops, unreachable steps, dead ends and ambiguous branches.
Launch checklist
Agent, phone number and contact list confirmed before start.
Spark on the canvas
Describe the cadence in plain English; Spark drafts the flow.
Edit after launch
Pause, adjust the flow, and rerun or reschedule pending steps.
Per-contact journeys
See exactly where each lead is and every step they've taken.
FAQ
Questions teams ask about the flow builder
Still unsure? Talk to our team.
Reviewed by the TalkerIQ product team · Updated
What step types does the flow builder support?
Flows are built from AI call steps, SMS steps, wait steps, condition (branch) steps and end steps. Conditions route leads based on real outcomes such as answered, no answer, voicemail, replied or opted out.
Do I need to be technical to build a flow?
No. The builder is fully visual — drag steps, connect them and configure each one in a side panel. If you would rather not build at all, describe the cadence in plain English and the Spark copilot drafts the flow for you.
Can I see when each lead will be contacted before launching?
Yes. The schedule preview shows a timeline of every planned touch, factoring in wait steps, business hours and the campaign start time, so you can check the cadence before a single call is placed.
What does validation catch?
Validation flags loops, unreachable steps, dead ends and ambiguous branches where a lead could match two paths at once. The launch checklist then confirms an agent, phone number and contact list are attached before the campaign can start.
Can I change a flow after the campaign has started?
Yes. You can pause a campaign, adjust the flow, and rerun or reschedule pending steps. Each contact's position in the sequence is tracked individually, so changes apply cleanly.
What happens when a lead replies mid-sequence?
The flow reacts. A reply, a booked appointment or an opt-out immediately reroutes that lead — pausing further outreach, jumping to a hot-lead branch or closing them out. The AI SMS agent can answer the reply straight away.
How many touches should a call and SMS cadence have?
There is no single right number of touches; it depends on how warm the lead is and how they prefer to be reached. Many teams start from a TalkerIQ template such as the no-answer ladder, then adjust the number and spacing of calls and texts using campaign analytics and the best-time-to-call heatmap.
Does the cadence builder respect business hours and time zones?
Yes. The TalkerIQ cadence builder applies business hours, each lead's time zone and the campaign start time to every step, and the schedule preview shows the exact day and time each call or text will fire before you launch.
Keep exploring
Build your follow-up cadence with us.
Book a 30-minute walkthrough. Bring your current cadence and we'll build it on the canvas together.