Managing Contractor Leads

Overview

Contractor leads help you track potential customers from first contact through to winning (or losing) the sale. BlueClerk's lead management system organizes prospects in a simple pipeline: New → Contacted → Qualified → Won/Lost. You can review leads in detail, update their information, and change their status - all from a convenient dialog that opens directly on the leads list page.

NEW: Lead Badge Counts - The leads navigation item in the sidebar now shows a count of NEW leads so you can see at a glance how many prospects need follow-up. The sidebar count updates automatically whenever leads are created or status changes occur, helping you stay on top of your pipeline without opening the leads page.

NEW: DB-First Address Lookup - When adding a new lead's address, BlueClerk now checks your existing customer database first before searching Google Places. If a customer at that address already exists in your system, the address autocomplete will suggest it immediately without an API call. This speeds up lead creation when you're adding prospects at addresses where you've worked before and saves Google Places API credits.

Accessing Leads

1. Click "Operations" in the sidebar
2. Select "Leads" from the flyout menu
3. View your leads list with status, contact info, and source
4. See NEW lead count in the sidebar badge (e.g., "Leads (5)")

Understanding Lead Statuses

New

First contact - leads you haven't reached out to yet. These could come from voice commands, manual entry, referrals, or your website.

Contacted

You've made contact but haven't qualified them yet. Maybe left a voicemail, sent an email, or had a brief conversation.

Qualified

These leads are serious prospects. They have a need, budget, and timeline. They're worth your focused attention.

Won

Success! You've closed the deal and converted this lead to a customer. The lead becomes part of your customer list.

Lost

The lead didn't pan out. Maybe they went with a competitor, weren't ready, or decided not to proceed. Tracking lost leads helps you improve over time.

Adding a New Lead

Quick Add

1. Click "Add Lead" from the leads page
2. Enter basic contact info:
   • Name (required)
   • Phone number
   • Email address
   • Business address - Searches your database first, then Google Places if no match found
   • Source (how you found them)
   • Notes about the opportunity
3. Click "Save"

DB-First Address Lookup

When you start typing an address:

• BlueClerk checks your customer database first for addresses matching your input
• Existing customer addresses appear immediately without a Google API call
• If no database match, Google Places suggestions appear
• This speeds up lead creation when adding prospects at addresses you've worked before
• Saves API credits by avoiding unnecessary Google Places lookups

From Voice Commands

You can also add leads hands-free using voice commands - see the Voice Commands help article.

Reviewing and Editing Leads

Opening the Review Dialog

1. Click any lead row in the leads list
2. The review dialog opens on the same page
3. View all lead details including contact info, address, source, and notes
4. Click outside the dialog or press Escape to close it

Editing Lead Information

From the review dialog:

1. Click "Edit" button in the dialog header
2. Update any field - name, phone, email, address (with DB-first lookup), source, or notes
3. Click "Save" to apply changes
4. Changes are saved immediately and the dialog stays open

Changing Lead Status

1. Open the lead review dialog
2. Use the status dropdown to select a new status
3. Status updates immediately and the leads list refreshes
4. Won leads become customers automatically
5. Lost leads prompt for a reason (optional) to help you track why deals don't close

Lead Sources

Understanding where leads come from helps you focus on what works:

• MANUAL - Leads you add directly
• VOICE_COMMAND - Leads added via voice commands
• REFERRAL - Customer referrals
• WEBSITE - Leads from your website or booking widget
• MARKETPLACE - Leads from the BlueClerk marketplace
• WALK_IN - People who came to your office
• PHONE_CALL - Inbound phone inquiries
• EMAIL - Email inquiries
• SOCIAL_MEDIA - Social media inquiries
• ADVERTISEMENT - Paid advertising
• OTHER - Other sources

Tips

• Update status promptly - Keep your pipeline current so you know where to focus
• Add detailed notes - Future you will thank current you for context
• Track lost reasons - Patterns in lost leads reveal what needs improvement
• Use DB-first address lookup - Type addresses you've worked before to save time
• Follow the pipeline - New → Contacted → Qualified → Won/Lost keeps things organized
• Monitor your badge count - The sidebar shows how many NEW leads need attention

Questions

Q: What happens when I mark a lead as Won? A: The lead automatically becomes a customer in your customer list. You can then create tickets, jobs, and invoices for them.

Q: Can I delete a lead? A: No, but you can mark them as Lost with a reason. This helps you track what didn't work and improve over time.

Q: How do I know which leads need attention? A: The leads navigation item shows a badge count of NEW leads. Focus on these first, then move on to Contacted leads.

Q: Why does the address lookup show my existing customers first? A: BlueClerk checks your database before Google Places to speed up lead creation when you're adding prospects at addresses where you've worked before. This saves time and API credits.

Q: What if the address I need isn't in my database or Google Places? A: You can type any address manually - the autocomplete is optional. Just type the full address and it will save exactly as entered.