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The collect_lead skill

Written by , Founder, AskVault · Reviewed by Aashiq
Last updated: · 4 min read

What the skill does

collect_lead is the default lead-capture mechanism for any AskVault chatbot. It runs in the background while the bot answers questions. When the conversation includes a buying signal, the bot politely asks for contact info, captures it, and ships it to the dashboard's Leads section plus any CRM you've connected.

The skill is on the Free plan and above, so every workspace gets it. Free

When the skill fires

The bot detects buying signals automatically. Examples:

  • "How much does this cost?"
  • "Can I get a demo?"
  • "Do you offer enterprise pricing?"
  • "I'm comparing you to Chatbase."
  • "When can I get on a call with sales?"
  • "What's your contact email?"

When any of these surface in the conversation, the bot continues answering the question, then asks for contact info at the right moment. Something like:

Happy to help. To give you a tailored answer (and follow up if needed), could I get your name and work email?

If the visitor declines, the bot drops the request and keeps answering normally. We don't badger.

How collection works

The bot follows a multi-turn pattern:

  1. Detect. A buying signal triggers the skill.
  2. Name. "What's your name?" Visitor responds.
  3. Email. "And the best email to reach you at?" Validates the format.
  4. Phone (optional). "Phone number is helpful if you want a callback; not required."
  5. Save. Lead is logged to Dashboard > Leads with the full conversation history attached.

The visitor can refuse any step. The bot logs whatever they gave (e.g., just name and email, no phone) and stops asking. Pressure-free.

What gets stored

Per lead:

  • Name, email, phone (whatever the visitor provided)
  • Source channel (widget, WhatsApp, Slack, etc.)
  • Source URL (which page they were on when they chatted)
  • Conversation transcript (the full back-and-forth, retrievable by the sales rep)
  • Detected intent (pricing, demo, contact-sales)
  • Timestamp
  • Custom fields you configure (industry, team size, budget range)

View leads under Dashboard > Leads. Filter by source, intent, or date range.

Syncing to your CRM

Configure CRM sync under Dashboard > Leads > Integrations:

  • HubSpot. OAuth flow. Leads create as Contact records with a custom property for source. Available on Growth and above.
  • Salesforce. OAuth flow. Leads create as Lead records. Growth+
  • Pipedrive. API key flow.
  • Custom webhook. Fires for every new lead. Useful when you have a CRM not in our preset list.

Sync latency: under 60 seconds from collection to CRM. If the CRM is unavailable, leads queue locally and retry every 5 minutes for up to 24 hours.

Customize the collection messages

Under AI Agents > Skills > collect_lead > Messages, customize what the bot says:

  • Trigger message (the bot's pivot from answering to asking for info).
  • Name prompt. Default: "What's your name?"
  • Email prompt. Default: "And the best email to reach you at?"
  • Phone prompt (optional). Default: "Phone number is helpful if you'd like a callback; not required."
  • Confirmation. Default: "Thanks! I've passed your details to the sales team. They'll be in touch within one business day."

Match the wording to your brand voice.

Proactive lead capture

By default, the bot reactively collects when buying signals appear. For proactive capture (asking earlier in the conversation), enable Proactive mode under Skills > collect_lead > Mode.

In proactive mode, the bot opens with:

Hi! Before we dive in, mind sharing your name and email? Helps me give you the most relevant info.

Proactive mode increases lead volume but reduces conversation engagement. Tradeoff: more leads, fewer answered questions. We recommend reactive mode for most teams. Growth+

Identity-verified lead capture

If your widget is identity-verified (visitor is a logged-in customer in your product), the bot already knows who they are. The skill skips the name/email collection and just records the conversation. Useful for in-product upsell flows.

The verified identity becomes the lead record automatically when buying signals fire.

Privacy and compliance

Three things to know:

  • Explicit consent. The bot asks before storing. Visitors who decline don't get logged.
  • GDPR. Visitor's right to access (Article 15) and right to erasure (Article 17) flow through the standard data-deletion endpoint. Leads can be deleted by email-based lookup.
  • Disclosure. The bot identifies itself as an AI. Visitors know they're not talking to a human.

If your jurisdiction requires additional consent language (CCPA, LGPD), customize the collection prompts to include it.

Common pitfalls

Bot doesn't ask for info on obvious buying signals. Check that the skill is enabled under AI Agents > Skills > collect_lead. Free plan has it on by default.

Bot asks too aggressively, scaring visitors away. Disable proactive mode. Reactive mode triggers only on clear signals.

Leads aren't syncing to HubSpot. Re-authorize the OAuth connection under Dashboard > Leads > Integrations. Tokens occasionally expire.

Duplicate leads in CRM. Enable deduplication under Settings > Lead Dedup. AskVault checks email against existing CRM records before creating a new lead.

Leads have no conversation context. The CRM integration needs the custom "Conversation transcript" property mapped. Check the field mapping under the integration's settings.

FAQ

Can the bot qualify leads (BANT)?

That's a separate skill: sdr_lead_qualifier. It runs after collect_lead and asks Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline questions. Available on Growth and above.

Does the bot send a confirmation email to the visitor?

Optional. Under Skills > collect_lead > Auto-confirmation, enable a confirmation email sent from your domain. Useful for warm transition: visitor gets an immediate email with helpful links while the sales team queues up the actual outreach.

What happens if the visitor gives a fake email?

The bot validates format only. It doesn't verify deliverability in real-time (would slow the conversation). For higher-quality leads, run the CRM-side verification job after sync.

Can leads from different channels be merged?

Yes, on Growth and above. Lead merging is configurable under Dashboard > Leads > Merge Rules. Default: merge if email matches across channels.

How do I export leads as CSV?

Dashboard > Leads > Export. Filtered exports work the same. CSV format includes all visible columns.

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