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Testing Your Setup

Before relying on Lazyspond to capture leads, it's important to test that everything is working correctly. This guide walks you through the testing process.

Why Testing Matters

Testing ensures:

  • Your automation is actually triggering
  • Your reply message is being sent
  • Leads are being captured in your dashboard
  • Everything is ready for real customer interactions

Quick Test (2 Minutes)

What You'll Need

  • Your connected Instagram account
  • A second Instagram account (a friend's account, a test account, or a business account you manage)
  • Access to both accounts

Step 1: Prepare Your Test Account

  1. Log into the second Instagram account (not your main account)
  2. Go to your main account's profile
  3. Find a recent Story or post

Step 2: Trigger Your Automation

  1. Reply to your Story with your keyword, OR
  2. Comment on your post with your keyword

For example, if your keyword is "GUIDE", reply to your Story with "GUIDE" or comment "GUIDE" on a post.

tip

You can also test with variations like "Can I get the GUIDE?" or "Send me the guide please?" to verify substring matching works.

Step 3: Check for the Reply

  1. Wait 5-10 seconds
  2. Check your DMs in the test account
  3. You should see an automated reply from your main account

If you see the reply: ✅ Your automation is working!

If you don't see the reply: See Troubleshooting below.

Step 4: Verify Lead Capture

  1. Go back to your Lazyspond dashboard
  2. Click Leads in the left sidebar
  3. You should see a new lead with:
    • The test account's username
    • The keyword that was triggered
    • The timestamp of when it was captured

If you see the lead: ✅ Lead capture is working!

Comprehensive Test Checklist

Use this checklist to test all aspects of your setup:

Connection & Account

  • Instagram account is connected to Lazyspond
  • Account shows as "Active" in your dashboard
  • You can see your automations listed

Story Keywords

  • Reply to a Story with your keyword
  • Receive automated reply within 10 seconds
  • Lead appears in dashboard with correct username and keyword

Comment Keywords

  • Comment on a post with your keyword
  • Receive automated reply within 10 seconds
  • Lead appears in dashboard

Dynamic Placeholders (if using)

  • Send a test message with {Name} placeholder
  • Verify the test account's name appears in the reply
  • Check that the name is correct

Reply Variations (if using)

  • Trigger the same keyword 3+ times
  • Verify you receive different reply messages
  • Confirm all variations are working

Icebreakers (if using)

  • Open a chat with your account from the test account
  • Verify Icebreaker buttons appear
  • Click an Icebreaker button
  • Verify it triggers the correct automation

Multiple Keywords

  • Test each keyword separately
  • Verify each one triggers the correct reply
  • Confirm all leads are captured

Testing Different Scenarios

Test 1: Exact Keyword Match

  • Keyword: GUIDE
  • Test input: GUIDE
  • Expected: ✅ Triggers

Test 2: Case Insensitivity

  • Keyword: GUIDE
  • Test input: guide or Guide
  • Expected: ✅ Triggers

Test 3: Substring Matching

  • Keyword: GUIDE
  • Test input: Can I get the guide?
  • Expected: ✅ Triggers

Test 4: Partial Match (Should NOT Trigger)

  • Keyword: GUIDE
  • Test input: GDE or GUID
  • Expected: ❌ Does NOT trigger

Test 5: Multiple Keywords in One Message

  • Keywords: GUIDE and PROMO
  • Test input: Send me the GUIDE and PROMO
  • Expected: ✅ Triggers first matching automation (usually the one created first)

Troubleshooting Test Failures

No Reply Received

Check these things:

  1. Is your automation active?

    • Go to Automations
    • Verify the automation status is "Active" (not paused)

  2. Did you hit your monthly reply limit?

    • Go to your dashboard
    • Check if you've used all your monthly replies
    • If yes, upgrade your plan

  3. Is your Instagram account still connected?

    • Go to Settings > Connected Accounts
    • Verify your Instagram account shows as "Connected"
    • If not, reconnect it

  4. Did you wait long enough?

    • Lazyspond usually replies within 5-10 seconds
    • Wait up to 30 seconds before assuming it failed
    • Check your spam/message requests folder

  5. Is the keyword spelled correctly?

    • Go back to your automation
    • Verify the keyword spelling
    • Make sure there are no extra spaces

  6. Are you using the right trigger type?

    • If you set it to "Story Keywords only", commenting won't work
    • If you set it to "Comment Keywords only", Story replies won't work
    • Try both trigger types if unsure

Lead Not Appearing in Dashboard

  1. Wait a few seconds — Sometimes there's a slight delay
  2. Refresh your dashboard — Press F5 or Cmd+R
  3. Check the Leads filter — Make sure you're not filtering by date or keyword
  4. Verify the account is connected — See step 3 above

Reply Message Looks Wrong

  1. Check for typos — Go to your automation and verify the message text
  2. Verify placeholders — If using {Name}, make sure it's spelled correctly
  3. Check character limit — Messages over 1,000 characters may be truncated
  4. Test again — Sometimes Instagram caches old messages

Testing with Multiple Accounts

If you manage multiple Instagram accounts:

  1. Connect each account to Lazyspond separately
  2. Test each account's automations independently
  3. Verify leads are attributed to the correct account

Performance Testing

Once basic functionality is confirmed, test performance:

Test High Volume

  • Trigger the same automation 10+ times rapidly
  • Verify all replies are sent
  • Check that all leads are captured

Test Different Times

  • Test during peak hours (when you expect most engagement)
  • Test during off-hours
  • Verify consistent performance

Test Different Devices

  • Test from iPhone
  • Test from Android
  • Test from web browser
  • Verify consistency across platforms

Common Test Mistakes

❌ Testing with the same account — You won't see your own replies in DMs. Always use a second account.

❌ Testing immediately after creating — Wait 10-15 seconds for Meta to sync your automation.

❌ Testing with a personal account — Personal accounts can't use the API. Use a Professional or Creator account.

❌ Not checking the Leads section — Just because you see a reply doesn't mean the lead was captured. Always verify in your dashboard.

❌ Testing only once — Test multiple times to ensure consistency.

Next Steps

Once testing is complete:

  • Go live: Start using your automations with real customers
  • Monitor analytics: Check your dashboard daily to see performance
  • Optimize: Adjust keywords and messages based on what works best
  • Scale: Add more automations as you learn what resonates with your audience

Still Having Issues?

If your tests are failing and you've checked everything above:

  1. See Troubleshooting for detailed solutions
  2. Contact our 24/7 AI Support Agent in your dashboard
  3. Email support@lazyspond.com for human support