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Your inbox can hold hundreds of active conversations at any given time. Without a way to slice through that volume, the most important leads get buried under the noise. Dealer Funnel gives you a powerful set of search, filter, sort, and assignment tools so every agent knows exactly which conversations need attention right now — and can get to them in seconds.

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Searching for a Lead

The search bar sits at the top of the conversation list panel. Use it to jump directly to a specific lead without scrolling or filtering. You can search by:
  • Full name or partial name — type “John” to surface all leads with that first name, or “Smith” to find by last name
  • Phone number — enter a full or partial number; Dealer Funnel matches against all phone numbers on the lead’s record
  • Email address — type any portion of the email to find matching leads
Search results update as you type. Click any result to open that conversation immediately.

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Filtering Your Inbox

Filters let you reduce the full inbox to exactly the subset of conversations that matter for a given task or workflow. You can combine multiple filters simultaneously — for example, show only Hot leads assigned to a specific agent that are currently Awaiting Response.
Filter by one or more lead statuses: Hot, Warm, Cold, Follow-Up, Sold, Dead, or Test. Use this to build agent queues based on urgency — for example, a Hot filter at the start of the day to prioritize the most engaged leads.
Labels are custom tags your team applies to conversations (for example, “Trade-In Interest,” “Finance Approved,” or “Internet Lead”). Filter by label to surface all conversations sharing a common attribute regardless of status or agent.
Show only conversations assigned to a specific agent. Managers use this view to monitor individual workloads and spot conversations that have gone too long without a reply.
Filter by where the lead originated — CarGurus, Cars.com, Facebook, website form, inbound SMS, and so on. Use this alongside reporting to evaluate which sources produce the most engaged leads.
If you run multiple Dealer Funnel automation funnels (for example, a new-car funnel and a service funnel), filter by funnel to see only leads enrolled in a specific sequence.
For dealer groups with multiple rooftops connected to one Dealer Funnel account, filter by client to isolate conversations belonging to a specific store.
Shows only conversations where the lead has sent the most recent message and no agent has replied yet. This is the single most actionable filter for a busy BDC — it tells you exactly where a response is overdue.
Surfaces conversations that have at least one outbound SMS message queued for future delivery. Use this to audit your scheduled messages and adjust timing if circumstances change.
Shows conversations flagged as needing a phone call. Use this filter to build a call list for agents who prefer to work calls in a dedicated block of time.

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Saving Filters for Quick Reuse

Once you have configured a set of filters that match a workflow you use repeatedly, save them so you can reapply them in one click.
1

Set your filters

Apply the combination of filters you want to save using the filter panel at the top of the inbox.
2

Click Save Filter

Select Save Filter (the bookmark icon next to the active filter bar). Enter a name that describes the view — for example, “My Hot Leads” or “Unresponded – All Agents.”
3

Access your saved filter

Saved filters appear in the filter dropdown under Saved Filters. Click the filter name to instantly apply it. You can save as many filters as you need.
4

Delete or update a saved filter

Open the saved filter, adjust the criteria if needed, and click Update Filter — or select Delete to remove it.
Build personal queues using saved filters. A BDC rep might save “My Hot Leads” (Hot status + assigned to me + awaiting response) and “My Follow-Ups” (Follow-Up status + assigned to me) and toggle between them throughout the day — no manual filtering required each time.

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Sorting Conversations

Use the sort control at the top of the conversation list to choose how threads are ordered.
  • Most Recent Activity — Sorts by the timestamp of the last message (inbound or outbound). Use this to see which conversations have had the most recent action, or to catch leads who just replied.
  • Lead Creation Date — Sorts by when the lead first entered Dealer Funnel. Useful for working through older leads that may have fallen off the radar.
The sort order applies on top of any active filters, so you can combine them freely.

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Assigning a Conversation to an Agent

Every conversation can be assigned to a specific agent so ownership is clear and nothing falls through the cracks.
1

Open the conversation

Click the conversation in the inbox list to open the full thread.
2

Find the Assign field in the lead detail panel

In the right-hand lead detail panel, locate the Assigned Agent field near the top of the panel.
3

Select an agent

Click the field and choose an agent from the dropdown. The list shows all active agents on your account. The assignment is saved immediately — no additional confirmation step is required.
4

Notify the agent

The assigned agent receives a notification (in-app and, if configured, via email or mobile push) alerting them that a conversation has been assigned to them.
Managers can assign conversations to any agent. Agents can assign only to themselves unless your account settings grant broader reassignment permissions.

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Conversation Locking

Dealer Funnel uses real-time locking to prevent two agents from composing replies in the same conversation at the same time. This avoids duplicate messages and the confusion of crossed responses. When another agent has a conversation open and is actively typing in the composer, you will see a Locked indicator at the bottom of the thread — typically showing the agent’s name and avatar. The message composer is disabled for you until the other agent sends their message or navigates away. If you need to take over a locked conversation urgently, ask the other agent to close it, or use the escalation workflow to loop in a manager who can reassign it.

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Escalating a Conversation to a Manager

When a conversation requires managerial input — a heated customer complaint, a complex deal structure, or an exception request — escalate it without leaving the thread.
1

Open the lead detail panel

With the conversation open, look for the Escalate option in the action menu on the right-hand lead detail panel (typically represented by a flag or escalation icon).
2

Select a manager

Choose the manager you want to notify from the dropdown. You can add an optional note explaining why you’re escalating.
3

Confirm the escalation

Click Escalate. The manager receives an immediate notification and the conversation is flagged in their inbox with an escalation indicator so it stands out from routine threads.
Escalating a conversation does not automatically reassign it. The original assigned agent remains responsible for the conversation unless the manager explicitly reassigns it after reviewing.

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Reading the Lead Detail Panel

The right-hand lead detail panel gives you the full context on a lead without leaving the conversation. Familiarize yourself with every section so you can qualify leads faster and have more informed conversations.