> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://sitegpt.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Lead collection

> Capture visitor contact details during conversations and route them to your tools.

Lead collection turns conversations into contacts. All of it lives in one
place: **Leads → Settings** in your chatbot's sidebar.

There are two ways to collect details, and they work together:

* **Lead forms** appear during the conversation, triggered at the right
  moment.
* **Pre-Chat User Details** asks before the conversation starts. This is off
  by default.

## Set up lead forms

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enable lead collection">
    Open **Leads → Settings** and turn on **Enable Lead Collection**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a starting point">
    Choose an **Industry Template** (Dental Clinic, HVAC Services, Legal
    Services, Real Estate, Automotive, Healthcare, SaaS/Software, E-commerce,
    Consulting) or **Custom** to start from scratch. Templates pre-fill
    fields and triggers; everything stays editable.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your fields">
    Toggle the basics (**Collect Name**, **Collect Email Address**,
    **Collect Phone Number**) and add custom fields of type text, email,
    phone, textarea, or select. Every lead also records the page the visitor
    was on.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose when the form appears">
    Three triggers, combinable:

    * **When user shows interest**, with optional **Keywords** to define what
      counts as interest.
    * **When unable to answer**, so a missed answer still captures the
      contact.
    * **After X messages**, with the **Number of messages** you choose.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Decide what happens next">
    * **Enable Lead Notifications** emails each lead to the addresses you
      list.
    * **Auto-escalate on lead capture** hands the conversation to
      [human support](/docs/features/human-support) once the form is submitted.
    * **Enable booking integration** with a **Booking System URL** shows your
      scheduler (Calendly and similar) so qualified visitors book a call
      right in the chat.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Pre-Chat User Details

The **Pre-Chat User Details** section (also in **Leads → Settings**) asks
for details before the conversation starts:

* **Off** (default): visitors chat immediately.
* **Optional**: the form shows first but can be skipped.
* **Required**: the visitor must fill the form to start chatting.

Pre-chat forms guarantee you an address for follow-up, at the cost of some
visitors bouncing. Most sites get better results with lead forms triggered
mid-conversation, once the chatbot has shown its value.

<Note>
  Pre-Chat User Details used to live in **Settings → User Data**. It moved
  here so all collection settings are in one place; old links redirect.
</Note>

## Where leads go

* The **Leads** page in your dashboard lists every capture. See
  [managing leads](/docs/navigating-your-chatbot/leads).
* Email notifications go to the addresses you configure.
* The **Leads webhook** posts each lead to your endpoint as it arrives. See
  [Webhooks](/docs/developers/webhooks#leads).