What should be captured
- Requirement / use case
- Product or service interest
- Location
- Budget when relevant
- Timeline
- Quantity or scale
- Meeting request
- Lead stage / next action
- Human owner when assigned
The goal is structured context, not more data
Do not create 40 fields because the system can. Capture only what helps the next person make a better decision. A short, reliable lead brief is more valuable than a dashboard full of incomplete fields.
Recommended workflow
1. Customer starts a WhatsApp conversation.
2. AI understands the request and collects missing information.
3. Important details are written into the lead context.
4. The lead is routed to the configured next action.
5. The human can see the conversation plus structured information before replying.
External CRM integration
If you connect an external CRM, map fields deliberately and define which system is the source of truth. Avoid writing conflicting values from multiple automations. Start with a small set of required fields and log integration failures so the team can recover them.
Reporting opportunities
Once lead context is structured, you can compare lead sources, common requirements, qualification rates, meeting rates and conversion outcomes more reliably than by reading individual chat threads.