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Overview

The Leads section is where you track and manage active sales opportunities. Every lead represents a potential vehicle sale, and effective lead management is crucial for maximizing conversions.

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Understanding Leads in Vaile

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What Constitutes a Lead?

A lead is created when:

Automatic Creation

  • Visitor provides contact information via chat
  • Expresses interest in specific vehicles
  • Requests pricing or financing information
  • Schedules a test drive or appointment

Manual Creation

  • Phone inquiries logged by staff
  • Walk-in customers added to system
  • Referrals from existing customers
  • Imported from other sources

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Lead Lifecycle

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The Leads Dashboard

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Lead List View

Your leads are displayed with key information:
  • Contact Name: Linked to full contact profile
  • Vehicle Interest: Specific models or types
  • Budget Range: Qualified spending capacity
  • Status: Current pipeline stage
  • Priority: Hot, Medium, Cold
  • Created Date: When lead was captured
  • Last Activity: Most recent interaction
  • 🔥 Hot Lead: High intent, immediate action needed
  • ⏰ Overdue: Follow-up deadline passed
  • 📅 Appointment Set: Test drive or meeting scheduled
  • 💬 Recent Chat: New messages from customer
  • ✅ Qualified: Budget and intent confirmed
Available actions for each lead:
  • View full details
  • Update status
  • Add note
  • Schedule follow-up
  • Send email
  • Make call
  • Convert to sale

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Lead Statuses

Vaile uses a customizable pipeline with default stages:
1

New

Fresh lead, not yet contacted
  • Auto-assigned from chat
  • Requires initial outreach
  • 24-hour response target
2

Contacted

Initial contact made
  • Email sent or call completed
  • Awaiting customer response
  • Interest level being gauged
3

Qualified

Budget and intent confirmed
  • Vehicle preferences identified
  • Timeline established
  • Decision makers identified
4

Test Drive

Vehicle demonstration scheduled/completed
  • Appointment in calendar
  • Vehicle prepared
  • Follow-up planned
5

Negotiation

Actively discussing terms
  • Price negotiations
  • Trade-in evaluation
  • Financing options
6

Closed Won

Sale completed successfully
  • Contract signed
  • Delivery scheduled
  • Customer satisfied
7

Closed Lost

Opportunity lost
  • Purchased elsewhere
  • No longer interested
  • Reason documented
Customize these stages in Settings → Lead Pipeline

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Creating and Editing Leads

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Creating a New Lead

  • From Contacts
  • Quick Create
  • From Chat
  1. Navigate to Contacts
  2. Select the contact
  3. Click “Create Lead”
  4. Fill in:
    • Vehicle interest
    • Budget range
    • Timeline
    • Notes
  5. Save lead

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Editing Lead Information

Update leads as they progress:
Always add notes when making significant changes for team visibility
Editable fields:
  • Status and priority
  • Vehicle interest
  • Budget range
  • Assigned salesperson
  • Follow-up date
  • Custom fields

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Lead Assignment and Routing

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Automatic Assignment

Configure rules for lead distribution:

Round Robin

Evenly distribute leads among team members

Specialization

Route based on vehicle type or price range

Territory

Assign by geographic location

Availability

Route to online team members only

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Manual Assignment

Override automatic routing when needed:
  1. Select lead(s)
  2. Click “Assign”
  3. Choose team member
  4. Add assignment note
  5. Notify assignee

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Lead Scoring and Prioritization

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Automatic Scoring

Vaile scores leads based on:

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Priority Levels

1

🔥 Hot (Score 60+)

  • Immediate follow-up required
  • High purchase intent
  • Qualified budget
  • Short timeline
2

🟡 Medium (Score 30-59)

  • Standard follow-up pace
  • Interested but exploring
  • Some qualifications met
  • Flexible timeline
3

🔵 Cold (Score <30)

  • Long-term nurture
  • Early research phase
  • No urgency
  • Future opportunity

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Follow-Up Management

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Setting Follow-Up Reminders

Never miss a follow-up:
1

Quick Set

Click clock icon on any lead:
  • 1 hour
  • Tomorrow
  • 3 days
  • 1 week
  • Custom date/time
2

Detailed Planning

In lead details:
  1. Click “Schedule Follow-up”
  2. Set date and time
  3. Choose contact method
  4. Add reminder notes
  5. Set notification preferences

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Follow-Up Best Practices

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Lead Activities and Timeline

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Activity Tracking

All interactions are logged automatically:
  • Chat Conversations: Full transcripts
  • Emails: Sent/received with open tracking
  • Phone Calls: Duration and notes
  • Appointments: Scheduled and completed
  • Status Changes: Who changed and when
  • Notes: Team observations

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Adding Manual Activities

Log offline interactions:
  • Phone Call
  • In-Person Meeting
  • Email
  1. Click “Log Call”
  2. Enter:
    • Call duration
    • Outcome (connected/voicemail/no answer)
    • Next steps
    • Notes
  3. Save activity

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Converting Leads

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Successful Conversion

When closing a sale:
1

Update Status

Change to “Closed Won”
2

Record Details

  • Vehicle sold
  • Final price
  • Financing type
  • Trade-in details
3

Schedule Delivery

Set pickup/delivery date
4

Update Contact

Change type to “Customer”

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Lost Opportunities

When losing a lead:
  1. Change status to “Closed Lost”
  2. Select reason:
    • Purchased elsewhere
    • Price too high
    • Wrong vehicle type
    • Bad credit
    • No longer interested
  3. Add detailed notes
  4. Set for long-term follow-up
Lost lead data helps improve your sales process

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Lead Analytics

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Key Metrics

Monitor your lead performance:

Conversion Rate

Leads converted to sales
  • By source
  • By salesperson
  • By vehicle type

Response Time

Average first response
  • Impact on conversion
  • Team comparison
  • Peak hours

Pipeline Velocity

Time in each stage
  • Bottleneck identification
  • Process optimization
  • Forecast accuracy

Lead Sources

ROI by channel
  • Chat widget
  • Phone calls
  • Walk-ins
  • Referrals

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Reports and Dashboards

Access detailed reports:
  • Daily Hot Sheet: Priority leads requiring action
  • Pipeline Report: Leads by stage and age
  • Conversion Funnel: Drop-off analysis
  • Team Performance: Individual metrics
  • Source Analysis: Channel effectiveness

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Best Practices for Lead Success

  • Respond within 5 minutes for 9x better conversion
  • Use auto-responders for immediate acknowledgment
  • Prioritize hot leads for instant callback
  • Mobile alerts for new lead notifications
  • Average sale requires 5-7 touchpoints
  • Vary communication channels
  • Provide value in each interaction
  • Don’t give up too early
  • Reference specific vehicles discussed
  • Remember personal details
  • Use their preferred communication method
  • Send relevant inventory updates
  • Use @mentions in notes
  • Hand off leads smoothly
  • Share successful strategies
  • Regular pipeline reviews

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Integration Features

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Email Integration

  • Send emails directly from lead profile
  • Track opens and clicks
  • Use templates for consistency
  • Schedule follow-up sequences

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Calendar Sync

  • Test drives appear in calendar
  • Avoid double-booking
  • Send appointment reminders
  • Track no-shows

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Inventory Connection

  • Show available vehicles
  • Real-time pricing
  • Suggest alternatives
  • Reserve vehicles for test drives

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Next Steps

Chat Settings

Optimize AI for better lead capture

Best Practices

Learn proven strategies