iMessage for car dealership leads: lot photos and voice walkarounds

Who uses iMessage for dealership leads?

iMessage lead follow-up fits franchise and independent dealers whose BDC, internet sales manager or salespeople answer web leads that include a mobile number and consent to texts. Shoppers often ask several dealers at once, so the first real conversation matters, and a text that names the exact car and asks one question is easier to answer than a template email or a call from an unknown number.

It is not for aged leads who never opted in, and it can't reach Android shoppers (see when ZeroSettle is not a fit). The same pattern for listings is in real estate lead follow-up over iMessage; more workflows are in 50 ways businesses use iMessage.

How iMessage for dealership leads works, step by step

Your CRM's new-lead event triggers one text, and the photos, voice walkaround and link wait for the shopper's reply. ZeroSettle carries the messages; lead assignment stays in your CRM.

1. A lead arrives with a mobile number and consent to texts. ZeroSettle checks whether the number is on iMessage before the first message and sends nothing if it isn't (422 not_on_imessage); then use your CRM's SMS or email.
2. Your code calls POST https://portal.zerosettle.io/api/imessage/send with a link-free question about that exact vehicle. With several numbers, name the assigned salesperson's line_id; with each salesperson's number in its own line group, the shopper sees that salesperson's name and photo. The call returns once the line hands the message to Apple, normally in 2–5 seconds. No link yet: in a first message to someone who has never texted the number, a link shows as plain text until the shopper replies.
3. The reply reaches your webhook as a signed message.received event about 1–2 seconds after the line receives it, naming its line_id on a multi-number account, so it goes to the salesperson who owns that number.
4. The salesperson sends lot photos (image_b64, up to 5 MB each, caption in the same bubble), a voice walkaround (audio_b64 in m4a, mp3 or another common format, up to 6 MB, arriving as a native voice bubble) and the now-tappable test-drive link. The ZeroSettle console sends texts and photos; voice goes through the API.
5. The shopper texts trade-in photos one per text: a message with several photos delivers only the first, and a video arrives with no file.

Follow the voice walkaround with a one-line text recap of its key facts (miles, price). A voice bubble carries no caption, and Apple's iPhone User Guide says a recipient must tap Keep within 2 minutes after listening to save an audio message, unless they set audio messages never to expire.

Example conversation: a dealership lead

The order keeps every link tappable: a question first, media after the reply, the link last.

Jen's opening names her, the dealership and the car, which follows ZeroSettle's consent guidance that your first message says who you are.

Setup: a CRM lead trigger plus media sends

Two pieces cover the flow: a send helper your CRM calls, and the docs' webhook receiver with one change, routing by line (see the send docs and webhook steps).

# dealer_leads.py: the send side, called from your CRM
import base64, os
import requests

BASE = "https://portal.zerosettle.io"
AUTH = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['ZEROSETTLE_TOKEN']}"}

def send(to: str, line_id: str | None, **fields) -> dict:
    r = requests.post(f"{BASE}/api/imessage/send", headers=AUTH, timeout=120,
                      json={"to": to, "line_id": line_id, **fields})   # None: ZeroSettle picks
    return r.json()   # on error.code "new_contact_limit", queue a retry after error.retry_after_s

def b64(path: str) -> str:
    with open(path, "rb") as f:
        return base64.b64encode(f.read()).decode()

def on_new_lead(lead: dict) -> dict:                  # your CRM's new-lead hook
    if not lead["text_consent"]:
        return {"skipped": "no consent to texts"}
    return send(lead["mobile"], lead.get("rep_line_id"),
                text=f"Hi {lead['first_name']}, it's {lead['rep']} at Alder Creek Auto. The {lead['vehicle']} "
                     "you asked about is on the lot right now. Want me to send a few real photos?")

def send_walkaround(to, line_id, photos: list[str], caption: str, voice: str, recap: str, link: str) -> None:
    for path in photos[:-1]:                          # only after the shopper replies
        send(to, line_id, image_b64=b64(path))
    send(to, line_id, image_b64=b64(photos[-1]), text=caption)   # caption shares the bubble
    send(to, line_id, audio_b64=b64(voice), audio_format=voice.rsplit(".", 1)[-1])
    send(to, line_id, text=recap)                     # a voice bubble has no caption
    send(to, line_id, text=f"Test drive this week? Pick a time: {link}")

For replies, start from the docs' complete receiver. It checks X-ZeroSettle-Signature (HMAC-SHA256 over "<t>." plus the raw body, compared in constant time) and dedupes retries. Replace its auto-reply with this router, run in the background, because ZeroSettle expects a 2xx within 10 seconds:

# dealer_leads.py, continued: called for each message.received
def route(m: dict) -> None:
    rep = rep_for_line(m.get("line_id"))              # your table: line_id -> salesperson
    if m.get("kind") == "image" and m.get("image"):   # a trade-in photo
        m["photo"] = requests.get(BASE + m["image"]["url"], headers=AUTH, timeout=60).content
    notify(rep, m)                                    # CRM note + alert to the salesperson

On a single-number account, leave line_id out: null keeps the automatic choice, so the code runs on both plans. To log messages on the lead, see logging iMessages in your CRM; formats are in what an iMessage API can send.

Limits and consent for dealership leads

Each number can open only so many new conversations per 15 minutes and per day; replies and ongoing threads are never limited. Shoppers who text first, from a window-sticker QR code or a text button on the vehicle page, never count and skip iPhone's unknown-sender filter (see getting customers to text first).

Source: ZeroSettle iMessage API docs, “Errors, limits, and compliance”. A new contact is a handle the line delivers a text, voice message or photo to first.

The limit math for a Saturday-morning burst

Take 12 new leads that land at 10 AM on a Saturday from shoppers who have never texted you.

A send that names a full line is refused without trying your others, so assign leads round-robin, or leave line_id out and ZeroSettle picks the line with the most room left today; the response's record.line_id tells your CRM which salesperson owns the lead. On Pro, the 6th new lead of the day on a number waits for the 3 AM Eastern reset. On every plan, a shopper who hasn't answered can get your question and one follow-up, then sends return 403 awaiting_reply (messages within 5 minutes of the first count as one). The limits help keep the number out of Apple's spam filters.

When ZeroSettle is not a fit for dealership leads

ZeroSettle is the wrong tool for dealership leads in these cases:

• You'd text aged leads or past customers who never opted in. That is unsolicited messaging.
• You must reach Android shoppers. There is no SMS fallback, and iMessage goes only to iPhones and other Apple products; Messages uses RCS or SMS for other phones, as Apple explains. Keep your CRM's SMS for them.
• You want video walkarounds. Video isn't supported. Use a voice message and photos.
• You need a native DMS integration. There is none, and built-in CRM support is limited (Close is supported); for anything else you build the webhook relay.

How much does iMessage for dealership leads cost?

When your own code sends the texts, lead follow-up costs the plan price: messages are unlimited (counted), with no per-message fee. Only the hosted AI agent uses AI credits, one per text it sends; Pro includes 1,000 a month and Growth 5,000.

Both plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee on the subscription. See ZeroSettle pricing, get a number, or read the API docs.