Workflow 8: Social & Chatbot Lead Capture & Conversion
This workflow covers the complete process of capturing leads from social media channels and chatbot interactions, routing them into the CRM automatically, qualifying them, and converting them into client records. Social and chatbot-sourced leads require a fast response workflow — the system handles capture automatically, but human review and follow-up must happen quickly to capitalise on the intent expressed in the original interaction.
Prerequisites before starting:
- Social Connector and/or Chatbot modules are enabled and accessible.
- Webhook URLs, access tokens, and platform app credentials are available and configured.
- Lead auto-creation is enabled and field mapping is configured for each connected channel.
- Users managing social leads have View Leads, Edit Leads, and Social Inbox permissions.
Quick Steps Summary
- Connect social channel or chatbot integration and verify webhook
- Configure lead field mapping from social/chatbot data to CRM fields
- Enable auto-create lead on new social conversations
- Review incoming lead queue and assign owners within your SLA
- Qualify leads through the inbox or by reviewing the lead profile
- Convert qualified leads to clients following the standard conversion workflow
Step-by-Step Workflow
- Connect the Social Channel: Navigate to Social Connector > Integrations. Select the channel to connect (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram). Click Connect and complete the platform OAuth authentication. Confirm the channel shows as Connected with a green status.
- Configure Webhook: For channels requiring a webhook (e.g. WhatsApp Business API), copy the webhook URL and verification token from the CRM integration panel. Paste these into the platform's developer settings (e.g. Meta Developer Console). Trigger a webhook test from the platform and verify the CRM receives and acknowledges it successfully.
- Set Up Lead Field Mapping: In the integration settings, configure field mapping: map the social sender's name to Lead Name, phone (if provided) to Lead Phone, the channel to Lead Source. For chatbot flows, map each answer to the corresponding lead field as configured in the chatbot flow builder.
- Enable Auto-Create Lead: Enable the Auto-Create Lead on New Conversation setting. This ensures every first message from an unknown contact creates a lead record in the CRM automatically, with the source channel tagged. Without this, leads must be manually created from the inbox — creating delay and risk of loss.
- Monitor the Incoming Lead Queue: New social leads appear in Social Connector > Inbox and in the main Leads list tagged with their social source. Review the queue at regular intervals (ideally every 15–30 minutes during business hours). Assign each unassigned lead to the appropriate owner within your defined response SLA.
- Qualify Through the Inbox: For chatbot-captured leads, review the full conversation transcript attached to the lead profile. Assess qualification: is the service interest genuine? Are contact details complete? Is the lead in your service area or target market? Update the lead status to Qualified or Not Qualified based on this review.
- Initiate Follow-Up: For qualified leads, immediately create a follow-up task or initiate a response communication. Use the inbox reply feature to continue the conversation on the same channel the lead used, or escalate to a phone call if urgency warrants it. Log all interactions to the lead timeline.
- Convert Qualified Leads to Clients: Follow the standard lead conversion workflow (Workflow 1). Confirm the client record is created correctly, billing details are complete, and the first activity is linked. Social-sourced clients convert at different rates to other sources — track this in your pipeline reports.
Response Time: Social and chatbot leads carry high time-sensitivity — users who message on social expect a response within minutes, not hours. Review your inbox SLA and configure escalation alerts for leads that remain uncontacted after your defined threshold.
Expected Outcomes
- Leads from social channels and chatbot interactions appear in the CRM automatically with full source attribution.
- Response time to new social leads is within the defined SLA, maximising conversion opportunity.
- Chatbot conversations capture structured, mapped data directly into lead fields without manual re-entry.
- Qualified social leads convert to clients through the same process as any other lead source.
Common Errors
| Issue | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Social messages not appearing in CRM | Webhook verification failed or token expired | Re-authorise the integration and re-verify the webhook in the platform's developer console. |
| Duplicate leads from same social user | Deduplication rule not enabled | Enable duplicate detection on email/phone under Setup > Leads > Deduplication. |
| Chatbot not creating lead from conversation | Auto-create lead setting not enabled or mapping incomplete | Enable auto-create and ensure all required CRM fields have a mapping from the chatbot flow. |
| Handover conversations not reaching staff | Handover queue not assigned or notifications disabled | Assign a handover queue under Chatbot settings and enable inbox notifications for assigned staff. |