How to set up lead capture in Presbot

What is lead capture?

Lead capture helps visitors share their contact details and explain what they need so your team can follow up.

Instead of sending every visitor to a general contact form, Presbot can answer common questions first and collect details when someone is ready for personal help.

A useful lead capture flow gives your team enough context to respond without asking the visitor to repeat everything.

What information can you collect?

The right questions depend on your business.

A simple lead capture flow may collect:

• Name
• Email address
• Phone number
• What the visitor needs help with
• Preferred date or time
• Location or postal code
• Project size or budget range

You do not need to ask for every possible detail.

Collect only the information your team will actually use.

Start with the follow-up goal

Before adding questions, decide what should happen after a visitor submits a request.

Common follow-up goals include:

• Booking an introductory call
• Preparing a quote
• Confirming service availability
• Scheduling an appointment
• Responding to a support request
• Recommending the right service

Your questions should support that goal.

For example, a business preparing a quote may need the service type, location, and project details. A consultant booking a call may only need a name, email address, and preferred time.

Keep the flow short

Long forms can discourage visitors from finishing.

Start with the smallest amount of information your team needs to take the next step.

For many businesses, this means asking for:

1. A name
2. An email address or phone number
3. A short description of what the visitor needs

Add another question only when it helps your team respond more effectively.

For example, a home service business may need a postal code. A scheduling-based business may need a preferred day and time.

Choose the right contact method

Decide whether your team needs an email address, phone number, or both.

Email works well for:

• Sending written information
• Providing estimates
• Sharing links or documents
• Following up when timing is flexible

Phone numbers may be useful for:

• Urgent service requests
• Appointment confirmation
• Businesses that usually call leads
• Visitors who prefer text messages

Avoid requiring both unless your team genuinely needs both.

Write clear questions

Each question should be simple and easy to answer.

Good questions include:

• What can we help you with?
• What is the best email address for you?
• Which service are you interested in?
• What day works best for you?
• Which city or postal code are you in?

Avoid questions that are vague or too formal.

Instead of:

Please provide all information relevant to your inquiry.

Write:

What would you like help with?

The second version feels more natural and is easier to answer.

Ask one thing at a time

Visitors are more likely to answer when each prompt has one clear purpose.

Avoid combining several questions into one message.

Instead of:

What service do you need, where are you located, and when would you like an appointment?

Ask each question separately:

1. Which service do you need?
2. What is your postal code?
3. What day works best for you?

This makes the conversation easier to follow.

Explain why you need important details

Some questions may feel personal or unexpected.

A short explanation can help the visitor understand why the information is useful.

For example:

What is your postal code? We use it to confirm whether your location is within our service area.

Or:

What time zone are you in? This helps us suggest the right meeting times.

Only ask for information that has a clear purpose.

Use choices when they make answering easier

Some questions are easier to answer with a short set of options.

For example:

• Which service do you need?
• What type of appointment would you like?
• How soon do you need help?
• Which plan are you interested in?

Keep the choices distinct and easy to understand.

Avoid long lists. If the visitor may need something else, include a simple option such as:

Something else

Collect useful context

A contact detail tells you how to reach someone. Context tells you how to help them.

Ask for one short explanation of what the visitor needs.

For example:

• Tell us a little about your project.
• What problem are you trying to solve?
• Which service are you interested in?
• What would you like our team to review?

Avoid asking visitors to write a long history unless it is necessary.

Set clear expectations

Let visitors know what will happen after they submit their information.

A helpful confirmation may explain:

• That the request was received
• Who will respond
• How they will respond
• When they can expect a reply

For example:

Thank you. Your request has been saved. A member of our team will review it and reply by email within one business day.

Only promise response times your team can meet.

Connect lead capture to Quick topics

Visitors should be able to find the follow-up option easily.

You may create Quick topics such as:

• Request a quote
• Book a consultation
• Check availability
• Ask for a callback
• Get project help

The wording should match the outcome the visitor expects.

A topic called Request a quote should lead to questions that help your team prepare or discuss a quote.

Use different flows for different goals

Not every lead needs the same information.

A visitor requesting support may need to share different details from someone booking a sales call.

For example:

Quote request

• Name
• Email address
• Service needed
• Project details
• Location

Consultation request

• Name
• Email address
• What they want to discuss
• Preferred time
• Time zone

Support request

• Name
• Email address
• Issue description
• Relevant account or order information

Keep each flow focused on its purpose.

Avoid collecting sensitive information

Do not ask visitors to submit information that should not be collected through a general website conversation.

Avoid requesting:

• Passwords
• Payment card details
• Government identification numbers
• Private medical details
• Security codes
• Confidential account credentials

When sensitive information is required, direct the visitor to an appropriate secure process.

Review privacy expectations

Visitors should understand that their information will be saved and used for follow-up.

Keep your privacy policy current and make it easy to find.

Your lead capture questions should match what your business explains in its privacy practices.

Do not collect information you do not need or keep it longer than necessary.

Test the full lead capture flow

Preview your assistant and complete the flow as a visitor.

Test:

• A complete submission
• A missing email address
• An unclear answer
• A visitor who changes their answer
• A phone number in a different format
• A preferred time without a time zone
• The experience on a smaller screen

Confirm that each question appears in the right order and that the final request is saved correctly.

Review the saved lead

After submitting a test request, open the lead in your Presbot dashboard.

Check that your team can quickly understand:

• Who submitted the request
• How to contact them
• What they need
• Any timing or location details
• What the team should do next

If the lead is missing useful context, improve the questions.

If the lead contains unnecessary information, shorten the flow.

Improve the flow over time

Review the requests you receive and look for patterns.

You may notice that:

• Visitors often skip a question
• A question causes confusion
• Your team always asks for one missing detail
• One field is rarely useful
• Visitors abandon the flow before finishing

Use these patterns to make the flow shorter and more useful.

Lead capture checklist

Before publishing a lead capture flow, confirm that:

• The purpose is clear
• Each question asks one thing
• Only necessary information is collected
• The wording is simple
• The contact method fits your process
• The visitor knows what happens next
• The request is saved correctly
• Your team receives enough context to respond
• Sensitive information is not requested

Next steps

Lead capture works best when visitors can first find clear answers and understand what your business offers.

Review how to write effective Quick topics, how to write clear saved answers, and how Smart Assistant uses your Knowledge.

You can also review how to create your first Presbot assistant.

Create your Presbot assistant or compare Presbot plans.