Leads — User Guide
Module: Core CRM
Audience: Sales staff, business development, sales managers, system administrators
Version: 1.0.0
Last updated: 2026-07-23
Overview
A lead is a potential customer you are qualifying before they become a full customer record. Leads hold contact details, estimated value, pipeline status, and sales activity. You can work leads in a table or kanban board, then convert to customer when the deal is won.
Go to Leads in the main sidebar (available to staff members).
Prerequisites
| Role | Typical access |
|---|---|
| Open Leads | Staff member (logged into admin) |
| See all leads | Leads → View (global) |
| See only your leads | Without global View: leads assigned to you, created by you, or marked Public |
| Delete leads | Leads → Delete, or you created the lead |
| Import leads | Administrator, or when your organization allows non-admin import |
| Web-to-lead forms, email integration, sources/statuses setup | Administrator |
Step-by-step: View the lead list
- Go to Leads.
- Review summary cards at the top for counts and values per status.
- Use filters to narrow by status, source, assigned staff, tags, or custom fields.
- Click a lead name to open the lead profile in a side panel.
Switch views: Use the kanban/table toggle to move between a pipeline board and the full list.
Scoped users: If you do not have global View, you only see leads assigned to you, created by you, or marked public.
Step-by-step: Create a lead
- Go to Leads.
- Click New lead.
- Complete contact information:
- Name (required)
- Email, phone, company, title
- Status and source
- Assigned staff member
- Lead value (optional)
- Address and description
- Optionally mark the lead Public so other staff can see it without global View.
- Save.
Expected result: The lead appears in the list or kanban column for its status. The assigned staff member receives a notification.
Step-by-step: Work a lead in kanban
- Go to Leads and switch to Kanban.
- Drag a card between status columns to update pipeline stage.
- Click a card to open details, notes, or tasks.
Expected result: Status updates immediately; activity is logged on the lead timeline.
Step-by-step: Log notes and activity
- Open the lead profile.
- Add a Note — optionally mark that you contacted the lead today (updates last contact date).
- Use Add activity for quick timeline entries.
Step-by-step: Convert a lead to customer
- Open the lead.
- Click Convert to customer.
- Review company and contact details in the conversion form.
- Choose whether to transfer notes, consent records, or custom fields.
- Submit.
Expected result: A new customer and primary contact are created. You are redirected to the customer profile. The lead may be locked from further editing depending on system settings.
Step-by-step: Mark lost or junk
- Open the lead (or select multiple in the list).
- Choose Mark as lost or Mark as junk when the opportunity is closed unfavorably or invalid.
Use Unmark to restore the lead to active pipeline work.
Step-by-step: Import leads
- Go to Leads → Import (when available).
- Download the sample file if needed.
- Upload your CSV and run import (simulation optional).
- Review imported rows.
Requires administrator access, or non-admin import when enabled in settings.
Step-by-step: Bulk update or email
- Select leads using checkboxes in the table.
- Open Bulk actions to change status, source, assignment, visibility, tags, or mark as lost.
- Use Bulk email (when you have edit permission) to send a message to selected leads.
Bulk email skips leads without email, without consent (when GDPR requires it), or outside your visibility.
Setup (administrators)
| Area | Path | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Lead settings | Setup → Settings → Leads | Defaults, kanban limits, duplicate validation, post-convert lock |
| Sources | Setup → Leads → Sources | Where leads come from |
| Statuses | Setup → Leads → Statuses | Pipeline stages and colors |
| Email integration | Setup → Leads → Email integration | Auto-create leads from mailbox |
| Web to lead | Setup → Leads → Web to lead | Public capture forms for your website |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| Cannot see Leads menu | You must be a staff member |
| Cannot see a specific lead | You need global View, assignment, creator access, or the lead must be public |
| Cannot edit after conversion | Post-convert lock may be enabled; ask an administrator |
| Delete unavailable | You need Delete permission or to be the creator |
| Bulk email blocked | Edit permission on Leads; verify email addresses and GDPR consent |
| Duplicate warning on save | Unique validation may be enabled for email, phone, or company |
Best practices
- Keep status and source accurate for reporting and kanban hygiene.
- Assign an owner early so view-scoped staff can follow up.
- Use Public sparingly — only when the whole team should collaborate.
- Convert promptly when won so proposals and billing attach to the customer record.
- Run import simulation before large CSV loads.