The Inbox Leads tab: save a chat visitor's phone or email

Not everyone who messages you has given a phone number or email. A website chat visitor or a Messenger or Instagram message can arrive as a stranger. Those conversations sit under Leads in the Inbox until you save their contact details. Saving turns the visitor into a customer and a lead on your board.

Where to find it

In the Inbox, use the Conversations | Leads switch at the top. The switch appears once you have a lead to look at. A small dot on Leads means a lead is unread or still has no phone or email. A number beside Leads counts the lead conversations.

What you'll see

Each row shows the channel (Web Chat, Messenger, Instagram or WhatsApp), a New lead tag and, for web chat, Messenger and Instagram, a No contact yet tag. When some leads have no phone or email, a note at the top reads, for example, "2 leads have no phone or email yet. Open one to save their contact details."

Opening a lead marks the visitor's messages as read. The header says Not yet matched to a customer record.

Save their contact details

Open the lead. For web chat, Messenger and Instagram, a Capture contact box sits above the messages. WhatsApp leads don't get this box.
Fill in First name, Last name, Phone and Email.
Click Save contact.

You need a phone number or an email. A name alone isn't enough. A phone needs at least seven digits and an email must look like an email, or you'll see "Enter a valid phone number." or "Enter a valid email address."

When it saves you'll see a message such as "Saved - this lead is now on your Workflow board." The conversation moves out of Leads and opens as a normal customer conversation. Saving a contact never sends a message and never records texting consent.

If the phone or email belongs to a customer

If it matches someone you already have, nothing is saved yet. You'll see "This phone number belongs to [Name], an existing customer." The box warns that nobody has checked the chat is really them. Choose one:

Merge into [Name]: adds the chat to their conversation, next to their texts and emails. Only do this if you're sure it's them.
Keep as a separate customer: saves a new customer. You can merge the two later.
Change details: go back and edit what you typed.

Who can do what

Anyone who can open the Inbox can save contact details. Adding the lead to your Leads board needs the Manage leads permission. Without it the contact is saved and you'll see "Contact saved. Adding it to the Leads board needs the Manage leads permission."

Replying to a lead

Type in the box at the bottom and press Enter. Your reply goes back on the channel the visitor used. Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp have a 24-hour reply window. See Replying on Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. The AI receptionist can answer these chats if you've turned it on. See Taking over a conversation from the AI.

Which leads are counted as having no contact

Only web chat, Messenger and Instagram conversations count, and only when the visitor's latest message is recent. That window is 14 days.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Why do I not see a Leads switch?

A: It appears once there is at least one lead conversation. If you have no web chat, Messenger, Instagram or WhatsApp visitors who aren't customers yet, the Inbox shows only your conversations.

Q: Why is there no Capture contact box on a lead?

A: The box is for web chat, Messenger and Instagram conversations. A WhatsApp conversation doesn't get it.

Q: Can I save a lead with just a name?

A: No. You need a phone number or an email address. The form says "Add a phone number or an email address to save this lead. A name alone isn't enough."

Q: Should I merge or keep separate when it matches a customer?

A: Merge only if you're sure the person chatting is that customer. If you're not sure, keep it as a separate customer. You can merge the two records later.

Q: Does saving the contact text or email the visitor?

A: No. Saving never sends a message. It also doesn't record consent to text them.