> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://learn.withessential.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://learn.withessential.com/administration/how-recurring-service-automation-works-the-full-cycle/what-happens-after-automated-outreach-the-customers-response.md). # What happens after automated outreach: the customer's response Automated Outreach sends the customer a short series of messages (reminders) asking them to approve and schedule the upcoming recurring service. What happens next depends on their reply, and every outcome comes back to you as a Recurring Services task on the Tasks page - Essential does NOT schedule the visit for you. Approved or Declined: the answer is recorded as a task, and for an approved service you schedule the visit yourself from that task. Ask Someone Else: the customer points you to a different contact, whose details are saved on the task for you to follow up - but Essential does NOT automatically send a new outreach to them. Unanswered: if no one responds within a few days, the outreach stops on its own and files an Unanswered task. Email Bounced: the email could not be delivered, so a Bounced task is created for you to fix the contact's email and try again. A text that fails to deliver does not stop the outreach and does not create a task as long as an email (or an earlier text) reached the contact or is still on its way; the remaining messages still go out as scheduled. Only when nothing has reached the contact at all, such as a text-only outreach whose texts all failed, does the failed text stop the outreach and file the Bounced task. A late answer still counts. If the customer opens the link after the outreach stopped as Unanswered or Bounced, their answer is accepted, recorded as the usual Approved, Declined, or Ask Someone Else task, and the Unanswered or Bounced task is advanced by your task automations. The link only stops accepting answers once you end the request yourself: stopping the automation, or sending it again to the same or a different contact. The customer then sees that the link has expired and who to contact. Whenever one of those tasks is filed, the recurring service moves to Awaiting Service Completion until the work is recorded, so the automation won't keep re-sending. > **Where to find it:** The reply comes back as a Recurring Services task on the Tasks page; the asset group's Next Automation card shows the in-progress outreach ## Related guides * [How automated outreach batches are built and who they go to](/administration/how-recurring-service-automation-works-the-full-cycle/how-automated-outreach-batches-are-built-and-who-they-go-to.md) * [Custom Task automation: an internal task instead of customer outreach](/administration/how-recurring-service-automation-works-the-full-cycle/custom-task-automation-an-internal-task-instead-of-customer-outreach.md) * [How recurring service automation works (the full cycle)](/administration/how-recurring-service-automation-works-the-full-cycle.md) * [Visit types: which services an inspection report can complete and reset](/administration/how-recurring-service-automation-works-the-full-cycle/visit-types-which-services-an-inspection-report-can-complete-and-reset.md) * [What "Awaiting Service Completion" means and how it clears](/administration/how-recurring-service-automation-works-the-full-cycle/what-awaiting-service-completion-means-and-how-it-clears.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters: ``` GET https://learn.withessential.com/administration/how-recurring-service-automation-works-the-full-cycle/what-happens-after-automated-outreach-the-customers-response.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.