How reply classification works
How CarcMail automatically classifies incoming replies as interested, not interested, out of office, or referral — and what to do with each type.
Check your Replies inbox at least once a day. Interested replies that go unanswered for more than 24–48 hours have a significantly lower conversion rate.
Overview
When a prospect replies to one of your campaign emails, CarcMail automatically reads the reply and classifies it into one of five categories. This means you don’t have to read through every reply to find the interested ones — CarcMail surfaces them for you immediately.
Classification happens within minutes of a reply arriving in your inbox. The AI reads the reply content and assigns the most appropriate category based on the language and intent.
Classification categories
| Category | What it means | Suggested action |
|---|---|---|
| Interested | The prospect has expressed some level of interest or asked for more information | Respond promptly — these are your hot leads |
| Not Interested | The prospect has asked to be removed, said no, or clearly declined | Mark as closed; do not follow up |
| Out of Office | The reply is an automatic out-of-office message | Follow up after their return date if mentioned |
| Referral | The prospect has referred you to someone else at their company | Reach out to the referred person directly |
| Unclassified | The reply didn’t fit a clear category | Read manually and re-classify |
How the classification works
CarcMail’s AI reads the reply text and looks for intent signals. It does not rely on simple keyword matching — it understands context. For example, “Let me think about it” is classified as Interested, even though it doesn’t use any obvious interest keywords. “Maybe reach out next quarter” is also typically classified as Interested with a note.
Responses like “Please remove me from your list” or “Not the right fit for us” are classified as Not Interested and the lead is automatically flagged to stop receiving follow-up sequences if any are active.
What happens after classification
- Interested: A notification is generated in your dashboard. The lead appears at the top of your Replies view.
- Not Interested: CarcMail automatically stops any active follow-up sequences for this lead.
- Out of Office: Sequences are paused automatically until the OOO return date (if detected), or for 7 days otherwise.
- Referral: Flagged for your manual action — you’ll need to find and add the referred contact separately.
- Unclassified: Shown in your Replies list for manual review.
Step-by-step: Reviewing replies
Go to Replies in the sidebar
Click Replies in the left sidebar. You’ll see all incoming replies sorted by most recent, with their classification badge.
Filter by Interested
Use the filter dropdown at the top to select Interested. This narrows the list to your hottest leads. These deserve your immediate attention.
Read and respond
Click any reply to read the full thread. When you’re ready to respond, click Reply directly from CarcMail. Your response goes out from the same inbox the campaign used.
Re-classify if needed
If CarcMail classified a reply incorrectly, click the classification badge and select the correct category. The AI learns from manual corrections over time.
Trigger a manual reply sync
If you’re expecting replies and they’re not appearing, go to Settings → Inboxes, select your inbox, and click Check replies now. This forces an immediate sync rather than waiting for the next scheduled check.
How to confirm it worked
- New replies appear in the Replies section within minutes of arriving
- Each reply has a classification badge (Interested, Not Interested, etc.)
- Interested replies generate a notification in the dashboard
- Not Interested leads no longer appear in pending follow-up queues
Common issues
| Issue | What to check |
|---|---|
| Replies not appearing | Go to Settings → Inboxes and run a manual reply check. Also check that your inbox OAuth token hasn’t expired. |
| Wrong classification | Click the badge to reclassify manually. If this happens often, check that your campaign emails are clear about the intent — ambiguous messages produce ambiguous replies. |
| Can’t reply from CarcMail | The inbox may have disconnected. Go to Settings → Inboxes to reconnect. |
Frequently asked questions
CarcMail classifies replies as Interested, Not Interested, Out of Office, Referral, or Unclassified. You can re-classify manually at any time.
Yes. Each classified reply costs 1 credit.
Put it into practice
Try CarcMail — free to start.
Set up your first campaign in 4 minutes. AI drafts, spam-risk checks, follow-up automation, and reply classification — all in one workspace.
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