Your First Lead
You've selected your trade, connected WhatsApp, and installed website tracking. Now let's verify everything works end-to-end by capturing a test lead and confirming it flows through the entire system.
This takes about 5 minutes.
Test 1: WhatsApp AI Chatbot
This verifies that your chatbot is live, asks qualifying questions, and creates a pipeline deal.
What you need: A phone with WhatsApp that is NOT the number you connected to CustomerFlows. Use your personal phone, a family member's phone, or a colleague's phone.
Steps:
- Open WhatsApp on the test phone
- Send a message to your connected business number: "Hi, I need help with a repair"
- Wait up to 60 seconds — the AI chatbot should respond with your first qualifying question
- Answer each question the chatbot asks (job type, urgency, address, etc.)
- After the final question, the chatbot confirms: "Great, I've captured your details. A team member will follow up with you."
- Open your CustomerFlows dashboard
What you should see in your pipeline:
- A new deal in your first pipeline stage
- Contact name: The WhatsApp profile name of the test phone
- Phone: The test phone's WhatsApp number
- Job type: Whatever you answered (e.g., "repair")
- Urgency: Whatever you answered
- Address: Whatever you entered
- Source: "WhatsApp - Direct"
- Conversation tab: Full transcript of the chatbot conversation with timestamps
If the deal appears with all fields populated, your WhatsApp and AI chatbot are working perfectly.
Test 2: Website Tracking
This verifies that visitor tracking is active and capturing source data.
Steps:
- Open your website in a browser (preferably an incognito/private window to avoid ad blocker interference)
- Visit 2-3 pages on your site
- Go to Settings, then Tracking in CustomerFlows
- Status should show Active
- You should see at least 1 visitor recorded in the last few minutes
What you should see:
- Tracking status: Active
- Visitor count: At least 1
- Source for your visit: "Direct" (since you typed the URL directly)
Test 3: Google Ads Attribution (If Running Ads)
This verifies that GCLID capture is working.
Steps:
- Search for one of your Google Ads keywords on Google
- Click your ad
- When your landing page loads, check the URL bar — you should see
?gclid=followed by a long string - If the GCLID is present in the URL, the tracking snippet is capturing it
- Wait 2-3 minutes, then check Analytics, then Attribution in CustomerFlows
- You should see a visit attributed to your Google Ads campaign
If you're not currently running ads, skip this test. GCLID capture activates automatically whenever an ad-driven visitor arrives.
What If Something Isn't Working?
| Problem | Most Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Chatbot didn't respond | Chatbot toggle is off, or WhatsApp disconnected | Check Settings > AI Chatbot (toggle) and Settings > WhatsApp (connection status) |
| Chatbot responded but no deal was created | You didn't complete all qualifying questions | Answer every question — the deal is created after the last question |
| You messaged but got no response at all | You messaged from the same number you connected | Use a different phone — you can't message your own connected number |
| Tracking shows Inactive | Snippet not installed, not published, or cached | See Tracking Not Working |
| Tracking Active but no visitors | Ad blocker on your browser | Try incognito window with no extensions |
| GCLID not in the URL after clicking your ad | Auto-tagging disabled in Google Ads | Enable auto-tagging: Google Ads > Settings > Account Settings |
| GCLID in URL but not showing in CustomerFlows | Snippet not on that specific landing page | Install snippet on every page your ads point to |
For detailed troubleshooting:
What to Expect With Real Leads
Once your tests pass, real leads will start flowing in depending on your traffic and advertising:
| Scenario | Expected Timeline for First Real Lead |
|---|---|
| Running Google or Meta ads | Within 24 hours (often same day) |
| Website gets organic traffic | Within 1-3 days |
| WhatsApp number on business cards, trucks, signs | Within 1-7 days |
| No ads, low website traffic | May take 1-2 weeks; consider adding a WhatsApp button to your Google Business Profile |
The after-hours advantage: If your chatbot is live and you're running ads, check your pipeline first thing in the morning. You may find leads that were captured and qualified overnight while you were asleep — leads that would have gone to voicemail without CustomerFlows.
Cleaning Up Test Data
After testing, you'll have test deals in your pipeline. To remove them:
- Open each test deal
- Click Delete at the bottom of the detail view
- Confirm deletion
Only delete obvious test deals. Once real leads start flowing, you'll want to keep every deal for accurate metrics and attribution data.
What's Next
Your system is live and verified. Here are the highest-value next steps:
| Priority | Action | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Customize your chatbot questions based on what your estimators actually need | Customizing Questions |
| 2 | Invite your team so everyone sees the same pipeline | Inviting Your Team |
| 3 | Add a "Message us on WhatsApp" button to your website | WhatsApp API Guide |
| 4 | Add a WhatsApp QR code to your business cards, trucks, and yard signs | Same guide above |
| 5 | Set up your first automation (post-job review request) | Creating Your First Workflow |
| 6 | After 1 week: review your attribution data and chatbot conversation quality | Reading the Dashboard and Reviewing Conversations |
FAQ
How do I know if a lead is real vs. a test? Real leads come from phone numbers you don't recognize, with genuine service inquiries. Test leads come from your own phone or your team's phones. Delete test deals after verifying so they don't skew your metrics.
What if I get a real lead during testing? Treat it like any real lead — the system is live the moment WhatsApp is connected. Follow up through the pipeline just as you would normally.
Should I tell my team the chatbot is live? Yes. Let your team know that leads will start appearing in the pipeline automatically, with full qualification data. They should check the pipeline at the start of each day and follow up with qualified leads.
When should I start my weekly pipeline review? After your first full week of real leads (typically 7-10 days after setup). Block 30 minutes every Monday morning to review new leads, deal progress, and lost reasons. See Pipeline Overview for what to review.
Related
- Quickstart Guide -- The setup steps that got you here
- Connecting Your WhatsApp Number -- WhatsApp details
- Installing Website Tracking -- Tracking details
- Pipeline Overview -- Working with your pipeline daily
- How the AI Chatbot Works -- Understanding your chatbot
Need help? Email [email protected] or ask in r/CustomerFlows.