Why chats make good leads
Someone who asks your business a question is already interested. Questions about price, availability, delivery or booking come from people deciding whether to buy, which makes a chat one of the warmest places a lead can come from.
The catch is that a chat ends. Without a way to reach the person again, the interest leaves with them. Capturing a lead is simply keeping enough to follow up: who they are, how to reach them, and what they wanted.
Three ways to capture a lead
| Way | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the channel gives you | WhatsApp shows the customer's number and name; Telegram shows a name | Every WhatsApp and Telegram chat, with nothing to ask | A WhatsApp name isn't always a real name, and Telegram gives no number |
| Ask in the chat | Answer first, then ask once for the details you need | Website chats, and anything the channel doesn't give you | Asking before helping, or asking twice |
| A form before the chat | Name, email or phone before the first message | When every chat must be followed up, such as quotes | Some visitors leave rather than fill it in |
Most businesses do best with the first two together: take what WhatsApp or Telegram gives, and ask in the chat for the rest. Keep the form for cases where you can't help anyone without their details.
When to ask
- After you've helped. Answer the question first; the customer is far more willing once they've had something useful.
- Once. Ask in one short question, and if they say no, carry on helping.
- Not on a greeting. “Hi” is not the moment.
- Not when they're upset, or asking for a person. Get them help first.
- Not in the middle of something, such as choosing a booking time.
- Never for what you already know, such as the number a WhatsApp customer is writing from.
What to ask for
Ask only for what you'll use. A way to reach them, plus one detail that tells you what they need, is usually enough:
| Business | Contact | The one useful extra |
|---|---|---|
| Clinic or salon | Phone | Preferred day or treatment |
| Real estate | Phone or email | Budget or area |
| Trades and services | Phone | Postcode or the job |
| Online store | The product they asked about | |
| B2B software or services | Company name or team size |
Wording that works
- Say why: “Want me to send you the dates? What's your email?” works better than “Please provide your email.”
- Ask for everything in one question, not one detail per message.
- Make no an easy answer: “No problem, ask me anything else.”
- Keep the tone of the rest of the chat: a friendly agent shouldn't suddenly sound like a form.
A good test: would a person at your front desk say it this way? If not, reword it.
Consent and privacy
When you collect someone's details, tell them who you are and what you'll use them for. In the EU and UK, the GDPR's Article 13 lists what people must be told when their data is collected, including your identity, the purpose and how long you keep it; a link to your privacy policy in the chat covers most of it. GDPR: Article 13
A chat isn't permission to market. Meta requires businesses to get opt-in before messaging people on WhatsApp, stating the business's name and that the person is agreeing to hear from it. Someone who asked a question has asked for an answer, not for your offers: ask separately before adding them to campaigns. Meta: getting opt-in
Follow up fast
A lead from a chat is at its warmest in the first hours. Have new leads reach whoever follows up, with the conversation behind them, so they can pick up where the chat left off instead of starting again.
On WhatsApp, you can reply to the customer freely for 24 hours after their last message; after that, only an approved template message can reach them. Meta: customer service windows · The WhatsApp 24-hour window, explained
Setting it up in HeyKiko
- Step 1
Choose the details
In People › Leads › Lead capture, pick what you track: name, email, phone, or your own fields such as company or budget.
- Step 2
Let Kiko ask
“Ask for them in chat” is on by default: after answering a real question, Kiko asks once for up to three details it doesn't have, and respects a no.
- Step 3
Decide on a form
Add a form before the website chat only if you need details up front. WhatsApp and Telegram chats become leads anyway.
- Step 4
Get told
Send a WhatsApp alert to up to 10 numbers for a new lead, a detail filled in, a request for a person, or a chat gone quiet.
Each lead shows where it came from, what they were interested in, where each detail came from, and the chat behind it. Lead capture in HeyKiko
Sources
Checked on 5 November 2026. We make HeyKiko, which this guide uses as its example.
