Published at: 2025-10-30

Leads

1. Lead Management in the Business Process

1.1 Sales Leads Business Process

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  • Getting Leads: Companies obtain large volumes of potential customer contacts via Campaigns, purchased lists, and other channels. A lead can be a phone number, company name, person’s name, or another social contact. To manage leads effectively, create Lead Pools by industry, region, or other dimensions so sales reps can claim leads based on expertise or proximity, improving conversion rates and efficiency. If a rep cannot reach a lead (unreachable by phone or contact), the rep can return the lead to the Lead Pool for later follow-up or for other reps to claim, which increases utilization and conversion. ShareCRM supports multiple ways to create Leads; see this chapter: New Leads (https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/1968/9697/dd70#header-6)

  • Lead Assignment: Assign leads from Lead Pools to sales reps in a controlled way. ShareCRM provides several assignment methods to ensure fair and effective distribution:
    • Default assignment: Configure a default assignee for leads in a Lead Pool to quickly assign incoming leads. See Lead Pool — Assign in this chapter (https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/1968/9697/dd70#header-13)
    • Lead Pool administrator assignment: Pool administrators can bulk-assign leads from the front-end Lead Pool, suitable for routing sensitive or high-value leads to top-performing reps to maximize conversions. See Lead Pool — Assign (https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/1968/9697/dd70#header-13)
    • Reps claim leads: If a Lead Pool allows claiming, reps can claim leads directly, boosting ownership and motivation. See Lead Pool — Claim (https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/1968/9697/dd70#header-12)

  • Lead Follow-up: After assignment, reps contact prospects via phone, visit, or other channels to discover intent and needs, then record gathered information in the system for follow-up and analysis. See Lead Handling in this chapter (https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/1968/9697/dd70#header-7)

  • Lead Conversion: After validation and qualification, reps convert valuable leads or leads with clear buying intent into Account, Contact, or Opportunity records for subsequent sales actions. See Lead Handling (https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/1968/9697/dd70#header-7)

  • Data Analysis: Use lead source and conversion analysis to identify the best channels and optimal sales patterns. Track individual reps’ conversion rates to understand strengths and allocate leads accordingly. See Reports (https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/5df2/cc9a)

2. Complete Lifecycle of a Sales Lead

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ShareCRM uses lead status to mark each transition in the lead lifecycle.

  • Unassigned: Leads added to a Lead Pool via Campaigns, manual entry, or import start as Unassigned. Leads returned to the pool during follow-up also become Unassigned.

  • Pending: Once a lead has an assigned owner, its status becomes Pending. Leads created by sales reps default to the current user as owner and thus are Pending.

  • In Progress: When a rep adds a “Result” or a sales activity, the lead status updates to In Progress.

  • Invalid: If the rep cannot reach the prospect during follow-up or determines no value, mark the lead Invalid to revisit later.

  • Converted: After converting the lead into an Account, Contact, or Opportunity, the lead status becomes Converted.

  • Discarded: If a lead is identified as junk data after validation, mark it Discarded. Only CRM administrators can restore Discarded leads.

3. Example Business Scenario

A company collects many business cards at an Exhibition. Reps can scan cards to create Leads; card data populates lead fields automatically and the lead source is set to Exhibition. For easier management, place leads into different Lead Pools by region or industry, e.g., “North China Lead Pool” or “Financial Industry Lead Pool.”

4. Lead Business Operations

4.1 Default Lead Views

  • All Leads:
    • Owner is the current user or the current user’s subordinate
    • Or Related Teams include the current user or the current user’s subordinate
    • Or data-sharing rules in Data Permission Management share records owned by the record owner or the owner’s Dept. with the current user, the current user’s Dept., or the current user’s Group
    • Or My Responsible Departments
  • My Overdue Leads: Owner is the current user and the Is Overdue flag is Yes
    • Note: For non-lead-pool leads or when the Lead Pool has no timeout configured, the lead remains Not Overdue

  • Leads Pending My Follow-up: Owner is the current user and status is Unassigned or In Progress

  • My Subordinates’ Leads: Owner is a subordinate of the current user

  • Participated by Me: Owner is the current user or Related Teams include the current user

  • My Subordinates’ Participations: Owner is a subordinate or Related Team members are subordinates of the current user

  • Shared With Me: Data-sharing rules in Data Permission Management share record owner or owner’s Dept. data with the current user, the current user’s Dept., or the current user’s Group

  • My Responsible Departments:
    • The current user is the head of their primary Dept.
    • Related Team members’ primary Dept. is that Dept.
    • Note: Whether responsible Dept. includes all child data depends on CRM Admin > Rule Settings > Basic Settings > Upper-level Visible Data Range.

Notes: - CRM administrators can view all data. - Records with status Discarded are visible only to CRM administrators and invisible to other users.

4.2 Creating Leads

There are multiple ways to create Leads:

  • Manual entry:
    • Create a Lead from the main Leads list.
    • Create a Lead from the front-end Lead Pool list.
    • Create a Lead from the related Campaign object.
  • Mobile business card scan:
    • Entry 1: Mobile app home — Scan (upper-right).
    • Entry 2: Mobile Leads list — tap “+” and choose Scan Business Card.
  • Import leads via file import.

4.3 Lead Handling

  • Business description: Lead owners must follow up, validate lead quality; convert valuable leads into Account/Contact/Opportunity, and mark worthless leads as Invalid.

  • Preconditions: Status is Pending, In Progress, or Invalid.

  • Who can perform: Owner; owner’s superior; Related Team members with Read/Write; superiors of Related Team members; users the data is shared with who have Read/Write; Lead Pool administrators.

  • Entry points: Choose Process from More actions on a Lead detail page or from the Lead detail page in the front-end Lead Pool.

  • Related actions:
    • In Progress: During validation, add follow-up records and fill in “Result.” This updates lead status to In Progress.
    • Convert Lead: If the lead is valuable, convert it into Account, Contact, or Opportunity for continued follow-up and data capture.
    • Invalid: If the lead is confirmed as non-valuable during follow-up, mark it Invalid. This action is reversible — the lead can be reactivated later and converted if it becomes valuable.
  • Additional notes:
    • Discarded vs. Invalid: Discarded is similar to deletion. Invalid is used when a lead is unreachable or shows no interest; an Invalid lead can be re-evaluated later and converted.

4.4 Lead Conversion

  • Business description: Convert a qualified lead into Account, Contact, or Opportunity to enable follow-up and record business history.

  • Convert to Account (required): Creating or linking to an Account is mandatory.
    • The lead’s Company Name populates the Account Name automatically.
    • If the duplicate-detection rule for Account “New Creation Duplicate Check” is enabled, the system searches for matching Accounts by name and links the lead to the existing Account if found.
    • If that rule is disabled, the system creates a new Account.
  • Convert to Contact (optional): You may choose to create a Contact during conversion.
    • The lead’s Name populates Contact Name.
    • If Contact “New Creation Duplicate Check” is enabled, the system finds matching Contacts per rule; if a match exists, conversion fails for Contact creation.
    • If disabled, the system creates a new Contact.
  • Convert to Opportunity (optional):
    • If selected, you must fill Opportunity-related fields.
    • If the duplicate-detection rule forbids creating duplicate Opportunity names under the same Account, the system checks on creation and conversion fails if a duplicate exists.
  • Carry over sales activities to Account: When selected, sales activities recorded on the converting lead will be copied into the Account.

4.5 Return to Pool

  • Business description: If the owner cannot progress a lead, is outside the lead’s area, or decides to stop follow-up, the owner can return the lead to the Lead Pool so other members can follow up.

  • Preconditions: Status is Pending, In Progress, or Invalid.

  • Who can perform: Owner; owner’s superior; Related Team members with Read/Write; superiors of Related Team members; users the data is shared with who have Read/Write.

  • Entry points: Lead list page; More actions on a Lead detail page; front-end Lead Pool list page; More actions on a Lead detail page within the front-end Lead Pool.

  • Notes:
    • If the lead already belongs to a Lead Pool, it will be returned directly. For non-pool leads, you may choose a Lead Pool of the current user to return to.
    • “Return” vs “Reclaim”: “Return” is actively executed by the lead owner to put the lead back into the pool. “Reclaim” is initiated passively by a Lead Pool administrator.
  • Return Reasons:
    • Business description: When returning a lead, the owner must select a return reason.
    • Preconditions: The Salesperson Return Reason field under the Lead object is enabled; you may add/delete return reasons.

4.6 Email

  • Business description: Capture email communications between users and email addresses on Account records.

  • Entry point: Email section on Account detail pages.

  • Email tracking: Sent emails can be tracked to see whether recipients have opened them.

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5. Lead Pool Operations

  • If a user is a member of a Lead Pool and membership visibility is enabled, the front-end Lead Pool is visible to them.

  • Lead Pool members can perform operations like Claim, Assign, Transfer, Reclaim, and Return in the front-end Lead Pool.

5.1 Claim

  • Business description: Companies centralize collected leads into Lead Pools. Pool members can claim leads based on proximity, expertise, or other criteria and then follow up. This promotes rep initiative and improves conversion.

  • Preconditions: Lead belongs to a Lead Pool; status is Unassigned; pool type is Visible & Claimable by employees and Assignable by admins.

  • Who can perform: Lead Pool members.

  • Entry points: Front-end Lead Pool list; More actions on a lead detail page in the front-end Lead Pool.

5.2 Assign

  • Business description: For sensitive or high-value leads, Lead Pool administrators assign leads to specific reps to maximize conversion.

  • Preconditions: Lead belongs to a Lead Pool; status is Unassigned, Pending, In Progress, or Invalid.

  • Who can perform: Lead Pool administrators.

  • Entry points: Front-end Lead Pool list; More actions on a lead detail page in the front-end Lead Pool.

  • Additional note: ShareCRM also supports default Lead Pool assignment. In CRM Admin > Lead Pool Management, configure the pool’s Default Assign To attribute to a specific user; new leads added to that pool will automatically assign to that user.

5.3 Transfer

  • Business description: Transfer multiple leads within a pool to another Lead Pool, or transfer an entire Lead Pool to another pool.

  • Preconditions: Leads belong to a Lead Pool.

  • Who can perform: Lead Pool administrators.

  • Entry points:

    • Transfer selected leads: Front-end Lead Pool list; More actions on lead detail pages in the front-end Lead Pool.
    • Transfer entire Lead Pool: CRM Admin > Lead Pool Management > Lead Pool detail page > Transfer.

5.4 Reclaim

  • Business description: Lead Pool administrators reclaim leads; reclaimed leads have no owner.

  • Preconditions: Lead belongs to a Lead Pool; status is Pending, In Progress, or Invalid.

  • Who can perform: Lead Pool administrators.

  • Entry points: Front-end Lead Pool list; More actions on a lead detail page in the front-end Lead Pool.

6. Common Lead Actions

  • Common list view actions: see List View Common Actions (https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/3eab/856c/76b1)
  • Add sales activity: see Sales Activities (https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/3eab/856c/4bc2)
  • Common business operations (change owner, add Related Teams members, print, import, export, edit, discard, delete, etc.): see Common Business Actions (https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/3eab/856c/863a)
  • Actions integrated with collaboration (forwarding, Calendar, reminders, call, send email, etc.): see Common Business Actions (https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/3eab/856c/863a)

7. Related Links

  • Lead Pool Management: https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/ba74/06d2
  • Lead Print Templates: https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/9ad7/82a7/89e6/4a26
  • Data Cleaning Tool: https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/3eab/856c/5765#header-1
  • Duplicate Detection Tool: https://help.fxiaoke.com/2615/3eab/856c/5765#header-0
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