While FirstQuadrant can also be used end-to-end to run your entire outbound strategy—including prospecting, sequencing, and reply handling—you might already have an outbound tool stack you’re happy with. And that’s perfectly okay. FirstQuadrant works seamlessly alongside tools like Instantly, Apollo, Outreach, or even AI SDR agents, especially when handling reply automation and deal progression.

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How it works

When you use outbound tools to send emails, FirstQuadrant doesn’t interfere. But as soon as a reply comes in—whether it’s a positive response, a rejection, an out-of-office notice, or any other type of reply—FirstQuadrant steps in to handle it.

This approach means:

  • You don’t have to manually manage replies or tag contacts
  • Positive replies automatically create deals, assign owners, and trigger the next steps in your sales process
  • Even low-value responses like out-of-office emails are filtered and handled appropriately

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Step-by-step setup

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1. Connect all outbound email accounts

Make sure all email addresses used in your outbound tool are also connected in Settings → Integrations → Email accounts within FirstQuadrant. You can connect unlimited email accounts.

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2. Configure advanced email settings

For each connected outbound email account:

  • Content identifier:
    Set a unique identifier (e.g., Tame-Hedgehog) to avoid processing emails sent by warming providers. When using large-scale outbound email campaigns, you’re likely running your accounts through email warming tools to avoid landing in spam. These warming tools simulate email activity by sending and receiving automated emails. If you don’t add a content identifier, FirstQuadrant may mistakenly treat these warming interactions as real leads. By specifying a unique string here, FirstQuadrant can safely ignore those warming emails and only focus on actual replies from prospects. Make sure this identifier matches the one used in your warming provider’s settings.
  • AI suggestions:
    Enable “Suggest importing all discovered contacts”. Since these email accounts are used solely for outbound sales, any incoming reply can safely be assumed to be sales-related. That’s why we recommend overriding the workspace default and setting this specifically per account. This ensures FirstQuadrant doesn’t miss a contact just because it couldn’t confidently classify the email as sales-related. One possible downside is that occasionally, you might get suggestions for contacts that aren’t relevant—like if this email address was accidentally added to a newsletter or a transactional tool. But generally speaking, this mode ensures maximum coverage and the most reliable automation for your outbound flow.
  • Autopilot (optional):
    Once the setup is stable and tested, you can turn on Autopilot. This lets FirstQuadrant automatically import replies as contacts without asking for confirmation.

Info: You can find these settings by clicking into a specific email address under Email accounts, then scrolling to the Advanced settings section. Learn more about email account settings in the respective article. 

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3. Let FirstQuadrant handle all replies

With this setup, FirstQuadrant will automatically detect replies from your outbound campaigns and take the appropriate next actions:

  • Create and assign deals
  • Draft or send follow-ups
  • Update contact timelines
  • Pause ongoing sequences as needed

You no longer need to manually review or act on incoming responses from your outbound tools.

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Alternative configuration

If you prefer more control or want to avoid non-sales suggestions:

  • Keep the workspace default of “suggest importing contacts from sales-related conversations”
  • This adds a small safeguard where FirstQuadrant evaluates whether a reply is sales-related before suggesting the contact