How a High-Growth Sales Team Built an AI SDR Agent to Scale Personalized Outreach

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State of AI Agents 2025 report is out now!

500 prospects.
Multiple follow-ups.
Campaigns running nonstop.

Now ask this: how much of that outreach is actually relevant?

Most outbound systems run on fixed sequences. Emails go out on schedules, prompts don’t change, and replies are handled outside the system. Personalization exists, but only at the surface level.

At scale, this falls apart. Research becomes inconsistent, follow-ups lose context, and prospect responses turn into signals no system knows how to act on.

Agentic SDR systems approach this differently. Outreach becomes a reasoning process, researching the prospect, assembling context, drafting messages, and adapting based on engagement.

A high-growth B2B sales team hit this limit while scaling outbound. Volume wasn’t the problem. Relevance was. That gap set the stage for an agent-driven SDR system.

Where Outbound Sales Started Breaking at Scale for a High-Growth B2B Sales Team

As outbound volume increased, a high-growth B2B sales team running large SDR-led campaigns began to see friction in places that basic automation couldn’t fix.

Emails were being sent on time. Campaigns were live. Sequences were running. The problems showed up between those steps.

What Their Outreach Stack Could Do vs. What It Couldn’t

AreaWhat WorkedWhat Broke at Scale
Campaign executionScheduled emails, multi-step sequencesMessaging stayed static once launched
PersonalizationManual research by SDRsQuality varied across reps and campaigns
Follow-upsRule-based sequencingNo adaptation based on replies or signals
Engagement handlingReplies landed in inboxesContext stayed outside the system
Compliance & deliverabilityBasic safeguardsHard to enforce consistently at scale

The Core Gaps the Sales and RevOps Teams Ran Into

  • Research didn’t scale: SDRs had limited time to research every prospect with the same depth.
  • Sequences lacked awareness: Campaigns could not adjust based on objections, questions, or buying signals.
  • Engagement signals were fragmented: Opens and replies existed, but didn’t influence what happened next.
  • Operational risk increased: Domain reputation and compliance needed tighter, system-level control.

For this sales team, the challenge wasn’t outbound volume. It was maintaining research-driven personalization, adapting follow-ups, and responding intelligently as campaigns scaled.

That realization pushed them to look beyond more templates or automation rules, and toward an AI-driven SDR system built to reason about outreach, not just execute it.

Why This Team Chose an AI SDR Over More Automation

The initial option was obvious: improve templates, add more rules, tighten sequences.

But every improvement still followed a fixed path.

  • Emails could be scheduled better, but they couldn’t adapt.
  • Follow-ups could be added, but they couldn’t reason.
  • Replies still required manual interpretation.

The Question That Changed the Direction

Instead of asking “How do we automate outreach better?”, the team reframed the problem:

Should outbound sales be treated as a workflow problem or a reasoning problem?

That distinction became the turning point.

Automation vs. Agentic SDR Thinking

Automation-FirstAgentic SDR
Predefined sequencesContext-aware decisions
Static promptsDynamic prompt assembly
Manual researchAutonomous prospect research
Rule-based follow-upsEngagement-driven responses

What the SDR Workflow Needed to Look Like

Instead of a straight-line sequence, the team needed an outreach flow that could think before acting:

This workflow made one thing clear: outbound outreach wasn’t just execution, it was decision-making at every step.

Screenshot from 2025 05 13 19 46 33 1

The Direction They Chose

To support this model, the team moved to an agent-based SDR system, where research, drafting, validation, and reply handling are handled by specialized agents working in coordination.

Lyzr supported the implementation of this approach, helping translate outbound outreach from static automation into a system that reasons with context, while keeping humans in control of strategy, guardrails, and outcomes.

Inside Lyzr’s AI SDR System: How Outbound Actually Runs End to End

So what changed once the team moved away from rule-based automation?

Instead of treating outbound as a linear sequence, Lyzr’s AI SDR system was designed to operate like a decision loop, where every email, follow-up, and reply is driven by context rather than timing alone.

At a high level, the system answers three questions before sending anything:

  • Who is this prospect?
  • What context matters right now?
  • What is the right action at this stage?

From Campaign Setup to Email Send, What Happens Behind the Scenes?

The AI SDR workflow is anchored around campaigns, not individual emails.

Each campaign acts as a container for:

  • seller context (who is reaching out),
  • messaging intent (pain points, value props, proof),
  • outreach logic (multi-touch phases), and
  • knowledge inputs (documents, notes, references).

Once a prospect enters a campaign, the system does not immediately send an email.

Instead, it evaluates readiness.

✔ Is the prospect eligible for the next step?
✔ Which phase of outreach are they in?
✔ What context should influence this message?

Only after these checks does the system move forward.

How Context Is Assembled Before Drafting?

Before any email is written, Lyzr’s AI SDR assembles a working context from multiple sources:

  • campaign configuration
  • uploaded knowledge base content
  • prospect metadata
  • previous interactions (if any)

If the prompt requires external signals, such as company positioning or recent activity, real-time research is triggered automatically.

This ensures the draft isn’t based on a static template, but on current, campaign-aware context.

Drafting, Validation, and Sending, Not a Single-Step Action

Email generation itself is not a single operation.

It passes through multiple stages:

  • drafting with campaign and prospect awareness
  • relevance checks to ensure alignment with intent
  • formatting and compliance validation
  • controlled dispatch via managed email infrastructure

This layered approach is intentional. It allows the system to optimize for quality, consistency, and deliverability, rather than speed alone.

Why This Flow Matters

To make the difference clearer, here’s how this compares to typical outbound systems:

Traditional OutboundLyzr AI SDR
Sequence-drivenContext-driven
Email-firstDecision-first
Static promptsPhase-aware prompts
Manual researchAutomated research
Inbox-level repliesSystem-level reply handling


The result is an outbound system that doesn’t just send emails, but understands when, why, and how they should be sent.

Inside the AI SDR System: How the End-to-End Flow Works

Scaling personalized outreach isn’t just about sending more emails, it’s about sending the right emails, at the right time, with full context. This is where Lyzr’s AI SDR system comes in. It turns outbound outreach into a reasoning-driven, multi-step process.

1. Campaign Setup

Before any email goes out:

  • The sales team defines the campaign context: seller name, target pain points, key value propositions, and optional testimonials.
  • A knowledge base is uploaded: case studies, product documents, competitor research, call notes, anything that can give context.
  • Prospects are added, either individually or in bulk, along with metadata like industry, region, and email address.

Think of this as building the brain and memory of the campaign.

2. Multi-Phase Workflow

Each campaign isn’t a single email. It’s a multi-touch sequence, for example:

  • Initial outreach
  • Follow-up 1
  • Follow-up 2
  • Breakup email

✅ Each phase can have a unique prompt tailored to the stage of engagement.
✅ Prompts are versioned and can be fine-tuned over time.

3. Intelligent Email Drafting

Here’s how an email is created:

StepWhat HappensExample
Context AssemblySystem pulls prospect info + knowledge baseProspect works at a fintech startup; competitor X just launched a new product
ResearchPerplexity Agent gathers live insights if neededRecent news about the prospect’s product launch
DraftingMail Generator Agent writes a personalized email“Hi [Name], I noticed [competitor] just launched… Here’s how we can help…”
Relevance CheckRelevance Agent ensures message aligns with prospect context and campaign goalsFlags generic phrasing or misaligned references
DispatchEmail is sent via AWS SES or SendGridOptimized for deliverability and domain reputation

4. Engagement Tracking & Feedback

After sending:

  • Opens, clicks, replies, and bounces are tracked.
  • Engagement scoring helps prioritize manual follow-ups.
  • Replies are routed to the Reply Generator Agent for context-aware drafting.

Example: If a prospect responds asking for a demo, the agent drafts a reply using prior emails, campaign context, and product knowledge, saving SDRs hours per week.

5. Orchestration & Automation

  • Jazon backend handles workflow orchestration: prompt selection, agent invocation, email scheduling, and analytics.
  • Lyzr’s system ensures alignment between all agents, campaign rules, and domain reputation safeguards.

The Agent Layer: Breaking Intelligence Into Specialized Roles

One of the key strengths of Lyzr’s AI SDR system is its modular, agent-based design. Instead of a single “black box” handling everything, different agents specialize in distinct tasks, working together to craft smarter, more relevant outreach.

“Think of each agent as a member of your SDR team, each with a clear role and expertise.”

Key Agents and Their Roles

AgentResponsibilityExample in Action
Company Analyzer AgentResearches the prospect’s organization using external sourcesIdentifies that a fintech prospect recently launched a new product
Report Summarizer AgentCondenses research into digestible insightsSummarizes the competitor launch and relevant pain points
Instruction Formatter AgentRefines prompts for email draftingTurns “send outreach email” into “draft personalized email highlighting product value”
Mail Generator AgentDrafts outreach emails using contextCreates: “Hi [Name], noticed your new product launch… Here’s how we can support…”
Relevance AgentChecks alignment with prospect context and campaign goalsFlags generic phrasing or off-topic content
Reply Generator AgentHandles inbound replies intelligentlyDrafts responses that continue the conversation in tone and context

Measuring What Matters: Engagement, Signals, and Feedback Loops

Sending personalized emails is only half the battle. The other half is understanding how prospects are engaging and feeding those insights back into the system. Lyzr’s AI SDR system tracks and scores interactions, helping sales teams make data-driven decisions.

What Gets Tracked

MetricWhy It MattersHow It’s Used
OpensIndicates initial interestDetermines optimal send times and subject line performance
ClicksShows content engagementGuides which messaging resonates most
RepliesReveals genuine interestTriggers Reply Generator Agent for context-aware responses
BouncesProtects deliverabilityFlags domain or email issues to maintain reputation

Engagement Scoring

Each prospect is assigned an engagement score based on their interactions:

  • 📈 Opened + clicked = moderate engagement
  • ✉️ Replied = high engagement
  • ❌ No activity = low engagement

Example: A prospect who opens emails but never clicks may receive a follow-up with adjusted messaging, while a highly engaged prospect is fast-tracked for a personal touch by the SDR.

Feedback Loops

The AI SDR doesn’t just observe, it learns from interactions:

  • Engagement data informs prompt tweaks and workflow adjustments
  • Top-performing templates are prioritized for similar prospects
  • Underperforming sequences are paused or optimized

This ensures campaigns improve continuously, not just run in a fixed loop.

Infrastructure Choices and Operational Constraints

Behind the scenes, Lyzr’s AI SDR system relies on a carefully chosen stack to ensure scalability, reliability, and compliance. Operational constraints also shape how campaigns run in the real world.

Key Infrastructure Components

ComponentPurposeExample / Benefit
Backend Framework: FastAPIHigh-performance asynchronous APIsHandles thousands of prospects in real-time
Database: Azure Cosmos DBStores campaign data, prospect info, email interactions, agent outputsAsync access ensures non-blocking, high-throughput operations
Middleware & UtilitiesCORS, Pydantic, httpxSecure requests, data validation, async API calls
AI Backend (Lyzr Agents)RAG Agent, Mail Generator, Perplexity Agent, Reply GeneratorResearch, drafting, context-aware responses
Frontend & DeliveryAzure Static Apps, AWS SES / SendGridResponsive campaign management UI, high deliverability, domain reputation safeguards

Operational Constraints

ConstraintWhy It MattersHow It’s Managed
Email-only outreachLinkedIn, phone, X not supportedFocus on email channels for high deliverability
Domain reputationPoorly warmed domains hurt open ratesSystem monitors sending domain, flags issues
Knowledge base qualityAI drafts rely on uploaded contentUsers are advised to upload rich, accurate KB items
Compliance responsibilityGDPR, CAN-SPAM, local lawsUsers must ensure adherence; system enforces structural safeguards

Example: If a domain has high bounce rates, the system alerts SDRs to pause outreach and warm up the domain before continuing.

This combination of robust infrastructure and awareness of operational constraints allows Lyzr’s AI SDR to scale personalized outreach while staying reliable and compliant.

What Changed After the AI SDR Went Live

Once Lyzr’s AI SDR system was deployed, the high-growth B2B sales team began to see tangible improvements, not just in volume, but in the quality and intelligence of outreach.

Key Outcomes

AreaBefore AI SDRAfter AI SDRImpact
PersonalizationManual research, inconsistent emailsAgent-driven context assembly, knowledge base integrationMore relevant, higher-quality emails for every prospect
Follow-upsStatic sequences, manual handlingMulti-phase workflows with dynamic promptsCampaigns adapt based on engagement, reducing dropped prospects
Reply HandlingManual responses, slow turnaroundReply Generator Agent drafts context-aware repliesFaster, coherent, and strategic communication
Engagement TrackingBasic open/click metricsEngagement scoring + feedback loopsSDRs prioritize high-interest prospects effectively
Operational EfficiencyHigh manual workloadAgents automate research, drafting, and relevance checksSDRs focus on strategy, not repetitive tasks

Other Notable Improvements

  • Time Savings: SDRs spend hours less per week on research and drafting.
  • Consistency: Messaging aligns with brand and campaign goals across all campaigns.
  • Data-Driven Decisions: Engagement metrics inform workflow tweaks and prompt optimization.
  • Compliance & Deliverability: Domain reputation and regulatory safeguards enforced systematically.

Example: A prospect who previously received generic follow-ups now gets emails tailored to their industry, company news, and prior interactions, increasing reply likelihood.

Wrapping Up

Scaling personalized outreach isn’t just about sending more emails, it’s about making each email smarter, relevant, and timely. Lyzr’s AI SDR system showed how agent-driven intelligence can bridge the gap between volume and personalization, enabling sales teams to act on signals, respond intelligently, and maintain consistency across campaigns.

Key takeaways:

  • Automation alone isn’t enough; reasoning and context matter.
  • Specialized AI agents handle research, drafting, and reply management, freeing SDRs for higher-value tasks.
  • Continuous tracking, scoring, and feedback loops make campaigns adaptable and measurable.
  • Proper infrastructure and safeguards ensure outreach can scale without compromising compliance or domain reputation.

Have a unique use case? Book a demo with us today to see how Lyzr’s AI SDR system can help your team scale intelligent outreach.

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