# Salesforce leads and Zendesk contact creation

Capture a visitor's details as a Salesforce lead or Zendesk contact while keeping INSIDE lead capture separate.

*Release 3.3 · developer, operator, visitor*

**Settings › Chat › Pre-Chat Survey** · **Settings › General Settings › Salesforce**

## What it is

**Create Lead** records a visitor's details for follow-up. With Salesforce enabled, operator lead capture can also create or link a Salesforce lead. Pre-chat capture can create Salesforce leads or Zendesk users when the corresponding option is enabled.

## Who uses it and why

- Operators capture details during a conversation so the customer can be followed up.
- Visitors supply details through the pre-chat form.
- Developers agree the CRM field mapping and check local and CRM outcomes separately when integrating capture.

## Where to find it

Operators use **Create Lead** in the visitor conversation. Users with the **Settings** role configure automatic capture at **Settings › Chat › Pre-Chat Survey**.

Powerfront manages **Settings › General Settings › Salesforce**, including **Check For Duplicate Leads**.

## How it works

1. The visitor submits the pre-chat form, or you use **Create Lead** during a conversation.
2. INSIDE uses the configured form to collect the details. CRM capture needs at least a name, phone number or email address. The form and CRM may require more.
3. Salesforce creates a lead, or reuses a lead with the same email when **Check For Duplicate Leads** is on. INSIDE links that lead to the visitor.
4. For Zendesk pre-chat capture, INSIDE creates or updates a user and links the user to the visitor.

An INSIDE lead and a CRM record are separate results. A saved INSIDE lead does not confirm that the CRM write succeeded. Pre-chat CRM capture can run without creating an INSIDE lead.

## Configure it

Ask Powerfront to connect the chosen CRM and prepare the capture mapping. A user with the **Settings** role can then enable **Auto Create Lead in Salesforce** or **Auto Create Lead in Zendesk** in the pre-chat survey.

For Salesforce, ask Powerfront to enable **Check For Duplicate Leads** if email matches should reuse existing leads. Check the required fields with your CRM administrator before using the form.

### Settings

| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto Create Lead in Salesforce | Settings › Chat › Pre-Chat Survey | website | Off | Settings role | Send submitted pre-chat details to Salesforce as a lead when the integration is enabled. |
| Auto Create Lead in Zendesk | Settings › Chat › Pre-Chat Survey | website | Off | Settings role | Create or update a Zendesk user from submitted pre-chat details when the integration is enabled. |
| Check For Duplicate Leads | Settings › General Settings › Salesforce | website | Off | Powerfront, on request | Look for a Salesforce lead with the submitted email address and reuse it when found. |

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Settings | Configure CRM creation choices in the pre-chat survey. |

## Limits and good to know

- The Zendesk option's label says lead, but it saves a Zendesk user.
- Duplicate checking described here searches Salesforce leads by email. It does not merge CRM contacts, accounts and leads together.
- Reusing a Salesforce lead is different from creating a new lead.
- A CRM error can occur after INSIDE has saved a local lead. Check both destinations before repeating capture.
- When conversation export is enabled, linking a Salesforce lead can update the exported active conversation.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Configured in** [CRM form field configuration](CRM-020.md): CRM form mappings determine the submitted fields.
- **Configured in** [Customer identity and conversation visibility permissions](SEC-016.md): Personal-data access affects availability of the operator lead action.
- **Configured in** [Pre-chat survey for visitors](VX-008.md): Pre-chat intake controls automatic CRM capture.
- **Works better with** [Conversation lead capture and follow-up](COM-026.md): INSIDE can also retain its own lead, with a separate outcome.
- **Works better with** [Salesforce connection and operator setup](CRM-010.md): An enabled Salesforce connection adds Salesforce lead capture as an alternative to Zendesk capture.
- **Works better with** [Salesforce conversation records and transcripts](CRM-014.md): Linking a Salesforce lead can refresh export for an active conversation.
- **Works better with** [Zendesk connection and operator setup](CRM-018.md): An enabled Zendesk connection adds Zendesk user capture as an alternative to Salesforce capture.

### Used by

- **Enhances** [Pre-chat survey for visitors](VX-008.md): Enabled CRM creation options can create a lead from intake details.
- **Enhances** [Conversation lead capture and follow-up](COM-026.md): Configured CRM lead creation can accompany the INSIDE lead and change the creation form.
- **Enhances** [Salesforce conversation records and transcripts](CRM-014.md): A captured Salesforce lead can be associated with the conversation.
- **Enhances** [CRM form field configuration](CRM-020.md): CRM capture uses the configured lead and contact fields.
- **Enhances** [Custom CRM integration](CRM-022.md): Lead capture can invoke website-specific custom processing.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Why is there an INSIDE lead but no Salesforce lead?

Local capture and CRM creation are separate. Check the Salesforce connection, the required fields and any error returned during capture.

### Why did Salesforce reuse a lead?

**Check For Duplicate Leads** looks up the submitted email address. A matching lead is linked instead of creating another one.

### Why is the Zendesk record a user?

That is how this integration handles pre-chat lead capture. The details become a Zendesk user profile.

### Why can I not see Create Lead?

Your website can hide the action, and personal-data access also controls its availability. Ask a user with the **Settings** or **Manager** role to check your access and Powerfront to check the website configuration.