AI Stage Shifting

Overview

AI Stage Shifting lets the AI move leads between pipeline stages automatically based on the conversation and your organization’s knowledge base. It appears as a Beta option next to AI Auto-Reply in Global Settings (Chrome Extension) and in user automation settings on the Dashboard (including hosted WhatsApp session settings where applicable).

Use it when you want the AI to progress leads through more than just the New Lead and Qualified stages—for example, scheduling, follow-up, or custom stages you describe in your knowledge base.

What you can do

• Allow the AI to move a lead to a different stage in the same pipeline when the conversation matches your instructions
• Keep the AI on messaging only and restrict automatic moves (see How it works for the exception for New Lead to Qualified)
• Turn the option on or off per user (the pipeline owner) from Global Settings in the Extension or from user settings in the Dashboard

How it works

• AI Stage Shifting is nested under AI Auto-Reply. If AI Auto-Reply is off, the AI Stage Shifting row is hidden.
• The label in the product is AI Stage Shifting, with a Beta badge, and the description is: Allow AI to automatically move leads between stages based on conversation context.
• Stage changes run in the background when the AI generates a reply. You do not manually pick the target stage in the chat; the AI chooses a valid stage from your pipeline using your knowledge base and qualification instructions.
• New Lead to Qualified: When the AI moves a lead from New Lead to Qualified, that move is allowed even if AI Stage Shifting is turned off. This supports automatic qualification without enabling moves to every other stage.
• Any other stage change (for example, to a custom stage or between non-qualification stages) requires AI Stage Shifting to be on for the pipeline owner user. If it is off, those moves are skipped; the conversation and AI reply still continue where possible.
• Only stages in the lead’s current pipeline can be used. Invalid or cross-pipeline stages are ignored; the AI reply is not blocked solely because a stage change could not be applied.

Step-by-step guide

Turn on AI Stage Shifting (Chrome Extension)

1. Open WhatsApp Web with the Kraya Extension installed and sign in.
2. Open Global Settings from the extension navbar.
3. Turn on AI Auto-Reply if it is off.
4. Under Lead Automation Settings, find AI Stage Shifting (Beta).
5. Turn the switch on to allow automatic moves between stages (except the New Lead → Qualified rule, which can still apply when this is off).
6. Save or confirm if your flow prompts you to sync settings.

Turn on AI Stage Shifting (Dashboard)

1. Sign in to the Kraya Dashboard.
2. Open User settings where automation is managed for your team (for example, per-user settings from the team list, Auto Responder settings, or hosted session settings for a WhatsApp session—depending on how your organization is set up).
3. Ensure AI Auto-Reply is enabled.
4. Enable AI Stage Shifting (Beta) using the same wording and description as in the Extension.

Configure what the AI should do (knowledge base)

1. Edit your organization knowledge base and qualification instructions (for example, what to ask before qualifying, when to move to a named stage, or business rules you want the AI to follow). The field supports up to 25,000 characters.
2. Use clear stage names that match your pipeline so the AI can align moves with your stages.
3. Save changes and allow time for knowledge base updates to apply if your process uses indexing or review steps.

Settings and configuration

• AI Auto-Reply: Must be on for AI Stage Shifting to appear and apply to AI-driven automation.
• AI Stage Shifting: Toggle only whether the AI may move leads to stages other than the standard New Lead → Qualified qualification move (that qualification move may still occur when this is off).

Role-based behavior

• Pipeline owner: AI Stage Shifting is evaluated for the user who owns the pipeline associated with the lead. Admins editing another user’s settings should confirm which user owns the pipeline used for WhatsApp automation.
• Admins: Can usually edit user automation settings for team members where the product allows it.
• Members: May be restricted from changing organization or other users’ settings; they adjust their own Global Settings in the Extension if they are the pipeline owner.

Limits and quotas

• Stage changes are limited to valid stages in the same pipeline and organization as the lead.
• AI replies and any follow-on qualification summary steps still consume credits according to your organization’s plan; turning AI Stage Shifting on does not add a separate labeled fee—it affects what the AI is allowed to do, not pricing by itself.

Common edge cases

• AI Stage Shifting is off but the lead became Qualified

  • The AI may still move a lead from New Lead to Qualified when criteria are met. Other stage moves are not applied until you enable AI Stage Shifting.

• Lead did not move to the stage you expected

  • Confirm AI Stage Shifting is on if the target stage is not Qualified. Confirm your knowledge base names stages clearly. Remember only the pipeline owner’s setting applies.

• Hosted WhatsApp session

  • Use the session’s automation settings in the Dashboard to align AI Auto-Reply and AI Stage Shifting with your hosted number.

Troubleshooting

The AI never moves leads to custom stages

• Cause: AI Stage Shifting is off, or only New Lead → Qualified is intended to work with the current instructions.
• Fix: Turn on AI Stage Shifting for the pipeline owner. Refine knowledge base instructions so stage names and rules are explicit.

I enabled AI Stage Shifting but stages still do not change

• Cause: Instructions may not reference valid stages, or the lead may not be in the expected pipeline.
• Fix: Verify pipeline and stage names in the Dashboard, then update the knowledge base. Confirm the WhatsApp number and pipeline mapping match the conversation.

Decision tree

• If only qualification to Qualified matters → you can leave AI Stage Shifting off and rely on knowledge base + New Lead → Qualified behavior.
• If you need multiple stages → turn AI Stage Shifting on for the pipeline owner and update the knowledge base.
• If still not working → contact support with your pipeline name and an example lead.

FAQs

• Does AI Stage Shifting work without AI Auto-Reply? No. AI Auto-Reply must be on; the AI Stage Shifting controls appear only in that context.

• Is AI Stage Shifting the same as Smart Triggers? No. AI Stage Shifting is about the AI choosing a stage during AI replies. Smart Triggers are separate automation rules you configure elsewhere.

• Who needs to turn it on? The pipeline owner (the user whose automation settings control that pipeline). If you are not sure, check with your admin which user owns the pipeline tied to your WhatsApp number.

Tips and best practices

• Name pipeline stages consistently with how you describe them in the knowledge base.
• Start with clear qualification rules; add multi-stage flows once the AI behaves as expected.
• After changing instructions, test with a test lead in New Lead before relying on production chats.

Related features

• AI Qualification — how leads become Qualified and how summaries relate to qualification
• Chrome Extension — Global Settings and WhatsApp workflow
• Dashboard — lead and pipeline overview
• Smart Triggers — automations that can run when stages change

Screenshots