💡 Overview
In this guide, you’ll learn how to create an AI Agent that reacts to new Sortlist direct messages, uses OpenAI to score and categorize leads, and notifies your team in Slack (or any tool you use daily).
This flow helps SDRs respond faster, prioritize better, and keep the whole team informed — without manual effort.
You will never miss any direct messages ever.
🧩 Workflow Steps (template)
Trigger: Direct Message received on Sortlist
Action: OpenAI Conversation (analyze + reply)
Action: Send formatted message to Slack (or Teams, Discord, etc.)
🪄 Step 1: Trigger — Sortlist Direct Message
Choose Sortlist as your trigger app.
Select the event: New Direct Message.
Connect your Sortlist account.
Test the trigger to ensure you’re receiving real data (name, message, company, etc.).
This step ensures Zapier captures every inbound request instantly.
🧠 Step 2: OpenAI Action — Conversation Analysis
Choose OpenAI (ChatGPT) as your action app.
Select Conversation as the event.
Connect your OpenAI API key, create a key & copy-paste it on Zapier.
(from platform.openai.com).In the Prompt field, paste a strong, structured prompt like this:
FOR THE DEMO:
You are a Senior SDR Assistant for a digital agency receiving inbound Sortlist messages.
🎯 Goal:
1. Score lead quality (0–100).
2. Write a short, friendly reply for the SDR to send.
✍️ Reply (≤80 words):
Be friendly and natural. Use first name & same language.
Decline bad leads, ask unclear ones, invite good ones to a short call.
🧾 Output (JSON only):
{
"Score": 85,
"Reply": "Hi Sarah, thanks for reaching out! Sounds like a great fit — when’s good for a 15-min call?"
}
📨 Inputs:
First name: {{326249304__contacts[]firstname}}
Message: {{326249304__message}}
Company: {{326249304__company__name}}
FOR ACCURATE RESULTS:
You are a Senior SDR Sales Assistant for a digital agency receiving inbound messages via Sortlist.
🎯 Goal:
Read the message from a potential client and:
1. Evaluate if it looks like a good business opportunity.
2. Score the lead quality (0–100).
3. Classify the lead quality.
4. Write a short, natural reply the SDR can copy-paste into Sortlist or send by email.
5. Suggest a next action for the SDR (e.g., call, ask clarification, decline politely).
6. If the lead looks promising, include a meeting link (e.g., Calendly or Sortlist booking link) to save time.
🧩 Classification Rules:
- High qualitative → clear B2B need, relevant to our expertise, professional tone, validated contact info.
- Needs more insight → relevant but missing details (budget, scope, timeline) or vague request.
- Poor lead → spam, irrelevant, personal, or non-business inquiry, invalid contact.
📊 Scoring:
Start from 50.
+20 → Mentions a specific project or service.
+15 → Professional tone and clear company identity.
+10 → Has validated phone number and professional email.
−15 → Unclear, unprofessional, or irrelevant.
−10 → Invalid or missing contact info.
Keep between 0–100.
✍️ Reply Writing Rules:
- Always under 80 words.
- Friendly, confident, and human (never robotic).
- Use the first name if available.
- No company intros or disclaimers.
- Reply in the same language as the message.
- If the lead is poor, politely decline and close positively.
- If the lead is qualified, clearly invite them to book a short call using the SDR’s calendar link:
- If unclear, ask 1–2 qualification questions and optionally mention the same link.
- If qualified, push for a meeting.
🤖 Auto-Reply Logic:
- High qualitative: Show enthusiasm, reference project specifics, and propose a quick call.
- Needs more insight: Ask clarifying questions and offer a short meeting to discuss further.
- Poor lead: Politely decline and wish them success.
🧾 Output Format:
Return only a valid JSON object — no markdown, no explanations.
Example:
{
"classification": "High qualitative",
"confidence_score": 87,
"reasoning": "Professional message with a clear project need and verified contact details.",
"reply_message": "Hi Sarah, thanks for reaching out! It sounds like a great project — when would be good for a quick 15-min chat?", "next_action": "Schedule a qualification call."
}
📨 Input Fields:
Message: {{326249304__message}}
Company: {{326249304__company__name}}
Requested expertise: {{326249304__expertise}}
Phone validation: {{326249304__contacts[]phone_validation_status}}
Professional email: {{326249304__contacts[]professional_email}}
Contact first name: {{326249304__contacts[]firstname}}
Calendly Link: https://calendly.com/your-link
💡 Prompt Tips
Replace the calendar link with your real SDR booking link (e.g., your Sortlist or HubSpot link).
Always use Response Format = JSON Object in Zapier to structure the output automatically.
You can even add a Zapier Filter: only send Slack alerts or auto-replies if
confidence_score > 70.Be specific. Tell the AI exactly what to do and what to output.
Use examples. Show 1–2 sample outputs to shape consistency.
Iterate. Test your prompt and use the AI itself to refine it.
Example: “Rate this prompt from 1–10 and suggest how to make it clearer.”
📦 Step 3: Slack Notification
Choose Slack (or any preferred tool: Teams, Discord, Notion, etc.).
Select Send a Message as the event.
Connect your workspace.
In the message field, copy-paste something like this:
FOR THE DEMO:
🚨 New Sortlist Direct Message
💬{{326249304__message}}
🤖 *Auto-Scoring:*
• *Scoring:* `{{326249305__output_json__scoring}}`
✨ *Suggested Reply:*
{{326249305__output_json__reply_message}}
FOR ADVANCED CONTEXT:
🚨 New Sortlist Direct Message
🏢{{326249304__company__name}}
💬{{326249304__message}}
🧑
*Contact:* `{{326249304__contacts[]first_name}} {{326249304__contacts[]last_name}}`
*Phone:* `{{326249304__contacts[]phone}}`
🤖 *Auto-Scoring & classification:*
• *Classification:* `{{326249305__output_json__classification}}`
• *Confidence:* `{{326249305__output_json__confidence_score}}/100`
• *Reasoning:* `{{326249305__output_json__reasoning}}`
🎯*Action:* `{{326249305__output_json__next_action}}`
=> *Reply here:* {{326249304__opportunity_link}}
✨ *Suggested Reply:*
{{326249305__output_json__reply_message}}
This instantly sends a formatted update to your team with actionable context — perfect for Slack threads or inbox triage.
⚡ Bonus Ideas
Add Filters (e.g., only send Slack alerts if score > 60).
Create Paths to auto-reply if confidence is high.
Log all messages in Google Sheets or Airtable for analytics.
Forward replies directly into Sortlist Inbox or HubSpot CRM.
There’s no limit — your imagination is the only boundary.
Automate your SDR flow, qualify faster, and scale your inbound magic.
🚀 Wrap-Up
You’ve now built your first AI SDR Assistant in Zapier:
✅ Captures inbound messages
✅ Scores and categorizes leads
✅ Prepares a ready-to-send SDR reply
✅ Notifies your team instantly
Sky is the limit — keep experimenting, testing, and refining your prompts.
Every iteration makes your AI agent smarter and your sales flow faster.
