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🔍 Introducing AI Search in Lead Finder(Beta Version)

Pritesh Rajput avatar
Written by Pritesh Rajput
Updated over a week ago

If you’ve ever used filters in Lead Finder, you know the drill — scroll through a long list of options, pick the proper job titles, location, industry, employee size, and so on.

It can feel a bit overwhelming, like being dropped into a control panel with too many switches.

The new way: Just tell us what you want💡

With AI Search, you don’t need to figure out every filter. Just type what you’re looking for in natural language, and we’ll do the rest.

Example?

Type: “CEO in the UAE in the software industry with less than 100 employees”

→ We’ll instantly select the relevant filters for you.

No filter-by-filter hunting. No guesswork. Just fast, accurate lead searches — the way it should be.

Why did we build this🎯

We noticed that users, especially first-time users, were getting stuck or frustrated while trying to set the right filters.

So we changed two things:

  1. You now select all your filters first, then hit Search — a single search with all the filters for a much smoother experience.

  2. And if you’d rather skip filters altogether? Just describe your ideal lead in your own words using AI Search.

This way, you get powerful, flexible lead discovery — without the friction.

How to Search Leads Using the AI Search Bar

Finding the right leads is now easier than ever — no need to apply filters individually. Just tell the AI what you need in simple language, and it’ll do the work for you.

Step 1: Open the AI Search Bar

  • Go to Lead Finder in Saleshandy

  • Click on the Search bar at the top of the Lead Finder page
    ​ OR

  • Press Ctrl+K (on Windows) or Cmd+K (on Mac) to open it quickly.
    ​
    A pop-up will appear, allowing you to enter your search request.

Step 2: Type Your Lead Requirements

You don’t need to know the exact filters — describe the kind of leads you want in plain English.
​

For example:

  • “CEO in the UAE in the software industry with employees less than 100 employees”

  • “Product Managers from SaaS startups in Europe”

  • “Founders in fintech with fewer than 50 employees”
    ​

Step 3: Let AI Handle the Filters

Once you type your prompt and hit Enter:

  • Our AI will understand your request

  • It’ll automatically apply the correct filters like job title, location, industry, employee size, and more.

  • You’ll instantly see lead results that match your search — no manual selection needed.

Step 4: Reuse Past Searches from History

  • Your AI searches are saved in your Search History.

  • Next time, you can click on a past search to instantly reload those filters — no need to retype or reprocess


If Your Input Isn’t Clear

If your search isn't very specific (e.g., "Tell me about finance industry growth in 2024"), the AI will still try to help:

  • It’ll switch to a keyword-based search instead of applying filters

  • That way, you still get relevant leads rather than an error
    ​

Tip: Keyboard Shortcut Reminder

  • You’ll always see the right shortcut based on your device:
    ​

    • Windows: “Ctrl + K”

    • Mac: “Cmd + K”
      Look for this near the search icon for a quick reminder

Why You Might Not Get Results in AI Search

While the AI search is designed to help you quickly find the right leads, there are a few reasons why you might not get the results you're expecting.

Here's a breakdown of what could be happening and how the system handles each situation:

1. No Exact Match for Your Search

What Happens: If your search query doesn’t match any available filters, the system will still try to help by using keywords to broaden the search. You might see a message like:

Mini Message:

"We couldn’t find an exact match. Try modifying your search.”

Why This Happens: Sometimes, your search may be too specific, and the system can’t find exact matches in the available filters. In this case, the AI switches to a broader keyword search to provide relevant results still.

2. Search Term Too Short or Too Long

What Happens: If your search term is either too short or too long, the system won’t let you proceed and will display an error message:

  • If the search term is too short:
    ​ Error: "Please enter at least 15 characters to perform a search."
    ​

  • If it’s too long:
    ​ Error: "Your search term is too long. Please shorten it to 600 characters or less."

Why This Happens:

For accuracy, the system requires a minimum of 15 characters of detail to perform a valid search. Likewise, overly long queries (exceeding 600 characters) can be complex to process efficiently.

3. Temporary Issues or Rate Limits

What Happens: If there’s an issue with the system or we’ve reached a search limit (due to too many requests), you may see this message:

Error:

"We're having trouble searching right now. Try again."

Why This Happens:

If our AI service is down or experiencing high traffic, the search may not be processed. In this case, you’ll have the option to try again, and we’ll attempt the search again immediately.

4. Invalid Search Filters

What Happens:

If the filters in your search query don’t match any available options in the system, it will be logged in our system for review. If this occurs, the search may not yield relevant results.

Why This Happens: Sometimes, your query may not align with the existing filters, which means the system cannot find any matches. This is logged to help us improve the search experience over time.

5. Response Timeout

What Happens: If the AI doesn’t respond within 30 seconds, you’ll see a message letting you know that there was a timeout:

Error:

"We're having trouble searching right now. Try again."

Why This Happens:

Occasionally, the AI may take longer than usual to process your request, resulting in a timeout. If this happens, you can click the "Try Again" button to try the search again.

6. Not Retaining Filters After a New Search

What Happens: If you make additional changes to your search after the first query, the filters won’t carry over automatically. You’ll need to rerun the search using the new criteria.

Why This Happens: When you modify your search prompt or add new information, the system doesn’t retain previous filters to ensure that the AI processes the search based on the most up-to-date query.

FAQ

1. What is AI Search in Lead Finder, and how does it work?

AI Search lets you describe the leads you're looking for in plain English — no need to apply filters manually.
Example:
​"CEO in the UAE in the software industry with less than 100 employees"
The system interprets your prompt and applies the right filters for you.

2. How is AI Search different from using manual filters in Lead Finder?

  • Manual: You select filters such as job title and location individually.

  • AI Search: Describe your ideal lead, and we handle the filtering.

  • Now, you also hit "Search" after selecting filters — this reduces lag and errors.

3. How can I open the AI Search bar in Lead Finder?

  • Go to Lead Finder and click the top search bar

  • Or use a keyboard shortcut:

    • Windows: Ctrl + K

    • Mac: Cmd + K

4. What kind of prompts can I type into the AI Lead Search bar?

Type natural language descriptions like:

  • “Founders in fintech with fewer than 50 employees”

  • “Marketing managers in SaaS companies based in Canada”

5. What happens after I submit a prompt in the AI Search bar?

  • AI processes your input.

  • Applies relevant filters, such as title, region, industry, and size.

  • Shows you lead results instantly

  • Your prompt stays visible in the bar for quick reference or edits

6. Can I access my previous AI Lead Finder searches?

Yes. Every AI search is saved in your Search History.
You can click on any past search to reuse it instantly — no need to retype.

7. What if my AI search input is too vague or unclear?

If your prompt isn’t specific (e.g., "growth in tech"), the AI switches to a keyword-based search to show relevant leads.

8. Is there a character limit for using the AI Lead Finder search?

Yes, there is a character limit:

  • Minimum: 15 characters → Shorter queries will trigger an error
    ​"Please enter at least 15 characters to perform a search."

  • Maximum: 600 characters → Longer queries will trigger
    ​"Your search term is too long. Please shorten it to 600 characters or fewer."

9. Why is my AI Lead Finder search not returning any leads?

If your prompt is too specific or doesn’t map to available filters, we show:
​“We couldn’t find an exact match. Try modifying your search.”


In such cases, the system may still revert to a keyword search.

10. What does it mean if AI Lead Finder says, "We're having trouble searching right now"?

It usually means:

  • The system is temporarily overloaded

  • Or there's a temporary issue with our AI service
    Click "Try Again" to rerun your search.

11. Why do some AI Lead Finder queries fail to apply filters?

If your request includes invalid or non-existent filters, it may not return leads.
Our system logs these cases to improve accuracy over time.

12. Why doesn’t AI Search retain previous filters when I change my query?

Each new query resets the context.
This ensures the AI bases its results only on your latest prompt, avoiding mixed filters from different searches.

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