Lead Collection Timing

Control when and how you collect visitor contact information (email, name, phone) during chatbot conversations.

How to get there: Go to Setup → Chatbot in the top menu → click your chatbot → Customer Data tab (under the Lead generation section in the sidebar).

Overview

By default, chatbots can ask for customer information at various points in the conversation. You can configure exactly when this happens to optimize for either:

  • Lead capture - Get contact info as early as possible
  • User experience - Don't interrupt the conversation flow
  • Live chat escalation - Ensure you have contact details before human handoff

Collection Timing Options

At Start (Before First Message)

When it collects: Immediately when visitor opens chatbot, before any conversation

What visitors see:

Welcome! To get started, please provide:
- Your name
- Your email address

[Form fields appear]
[Submit button]

Best for:

  • High-value leads where contact info is critical
  • Gated support (must identify to get help)
  • Follow-up focused strategies
  • When you need to identify users for personalization

Pros:

  • Guaranteed contact info for every conversation
  • Can personalize AI responses with name
  • Easy to follow up on all conversations
  • Prevents anonymous usage

Cons:

  • Higher abandonment (visitors may close chatbot)
  • Friction before seeing value
  • Feels like a form, not a conversation
  • May reduce total conversations

Recommended when:

  • Lead quality > quantity
  • You offer high-touch support
  • Following up is critical
  • Your service requires account identification

After X Messages

When it collects: After visitor has exchanged a certain number of messages with the AI

What visitors see:

[After 3 messages back and forth]

To continue helping you, may I have your email address?
This way I can send you additional information.

[Email field appears]

Best for:

  • Balancing lead capture with user experience
  • Letting visitors see value before asking
  • Progressive engagement
  • Natural conversation flow

Pros:

  • Visitors experience value first
  • More likely to provide info after engagement
  • Feels less like a form, more like a conversation
  • Higher completion rate than "at start"

Cons:

  • Some visitors leave before reaching X messages
  • Timing might feel arbitrary
  • Interrupts conversation mid-flow

Recommended message count:

  • 2 messages: Quick capture after initial engagement
  • 3-5 messages: Balanced approach (recommended)
  • 6+ messages: Only after substantial conversation

Recommended when:

  • You want to prove value first
  • Visitor intent isn't immediately clear
  • Building trust is important
  • You have good AI that engages visitors

Before Live Chat Escalation (Default & Recommended)

When it collects: Only when visitor asks to speak with a human

What visitors see:

Visitor: "Can I talk to a person?"

AI: "I'd be happy to connect you with our team.
First, please provide your email so we can follow up:

[Email field]

Best for:

  • Maximum user experience with chatbot
  • Minimizing friction for AI conversations
  • Ensuring human agents have contact info
  • Follow-up on escalated conversations

Pros:

  • Zero friction for AI-only conversations
  • Natural timing (makes sense to collect before handoff)
  • Visitors more willing to share when wanting human help
  • Agents always have contact info

Cons:

  • No contact info for AI-only conversations
  • Can't follow up with visitors who leave after AI chat
  • May miss leads who got answer from AI alone

Recommended when:

  • AI handles most questions well
  • You want minimal friction
  • Live chat is available
  • You trust AI to qualify leads first

Never Collect

When it collects: Never automatically prompts

What visitors see:

  • Pure conversation with no interruptions
  • Contact info only if visitor volunteers it
  • Anonymous by default

Best for:

  • Privacy-focused approaches
  • Information-only chatbots
  • Public FAQ bots
  • When contact info isn't needed

Pros:

  • Maximum ease of use
  • No friction whatsoever
  • Privacy-friendly
  • Best user experience

Cons:

  • No way to follow up
  • Can't identify returning visitors
  • Difficult to measure lead quality
  • Agents lack context when escalated

Recommended when:

  • Pure support/FAQ chatbot
  • Privacy is paramount
  • You have other contact capture methods
  • Following up isn't important

Configuring Collection Timing

  1. Go to chatbot settings
  2. Navigate to "Customer Information" or "Lead Capture"
  3. Find "Collect customer info"
  4. Choose your timing:
    • At start
    • After X messages (set message count)
    • Before live chat escalation
    • Never
  5. Save changes

Required vs Optional Fields

You can also configure which fields to collect:

Email Only (Recommended)

Collect:

  • Email address

Best for:

  • Quick collection
  • Minimal friction
  • Following up is main goal

Email + Name

Collect:

  • Email address
  • Full name

Best for:

  • Personalized follow-up
  • Professional communication
  • Building relationship

Full Contact Info

Collect:

  • Email
  • Name
  • Phone number
  • Company name (optional)

Best for:

  • Sales leads
  • High-value prospects
  • Enterprise customers
  • When phone follow-up is needed

Rule of thumb: Ask for only what you'll actually use. Each field increases abandonment.

Best Practices

1. Match Timing to Intent

High-intent visitors (pricing pages, product demos):

  • Collect at start or after 2 messages
  • They're already interested, capture while hot

Low-intent visitors (blog readers, casual browsing):

  • Collect after messages or before escalation
  • Build trust first

2. Test Different Timings

A/B test your collection timing:

  • Week 1: Collect at start
  • Week 2: Collect after 3 messages
  • Week 3: Collect before escalation

Compare:

  • Total conversations started
  • Info collection rate
  • Lead quality
  • Follow-up success rate

3. Explain Why

Always tell visitors why you're asking:

✅ Good:

  • "To send you this pricing PDF, I'll need your email"
  • "So our team can follow up with you"
  • "This helps us personalize your experience"

❌ Bad:

  • "Provide your email" (no reason given)
  • "Required field" (feels mandatory, not helpful)

4. Combine with Pre-filled Data

If you already know visitor info (logged-in users), pre-fill it:

  • Use hidden fields to pass data to Boei
  • Don't ask for info you already have
  • See Variable Injection guide

5. Mobile Optimization

On mobile, consider:

  • Shorter forms (email only)
  • Delay collection more (mobile users less patient)
  • Larger touch targets for input fields

6. Respect GDPR/Privacy

When collecting info:

  • Include privacy policy link
  • Explain how data will be used
  • Allow opt-out from marketing
  • Don't share without consent

Advanced Scenarios

Progressive Information Collection

Start with minimal info, collect more over time:

  1. First visit: Email only (before escalation)
  2. Second visit: Name (if returning visitor)
  3. Third visit: Phone number (if high-intent action)

Implement via:

  • Tracking returning visitors (load_key cookies)
  • Conditional logic in chatbot flow
  • Integration with your CRM

Conditional Collection

Collect different info based on conversation:

  • Sales question: Email + Company
  • Support question: Email + Account ID
  • General question: Email only

Requires:

  • Intent detection in AI responses
  • Dynamic form fields
  • Custom chatbot logic

Integration with Forms

Combine chatbot with existing forms:

  • Chatbot qualifies visitor
  • Hands off to traditional form for details
  • Form data auto-populates chatbot context

Troubleshooting

Visitors abandoning when asked for info

Solutions:

  • Delay collection (move to "before escalation")
  • Reduce fields (email only)
  • Improve value proposition before asking
  • A/B test timing

Not collecting enough leads

Solutions:

  • Move collection earlier (after 2-3 messages)
  • Make fields required (can't skip)
  • Add incentive ("Get our pricing guide")
  • Improve chatbot engagement (more conversations = more leads)

Wrong timing disrupts conversation

Solutions:

  • Adjust message count threshold
  • Switch to "before escalation" mode
  • Train AI to suggest contact collection naturally

Fields not appearing

Check:

  • Setting is enabled in chatbot settings
  • Message count threshold is reasonable
  • No JavaScript errors (check console)
  • Chatbot version is up to date

E-commerce Store

  • Timing: Before escalation
  • Fields: Email only
  • Why: Let shoppers ask questions freely, capture when they want human help

SaaS Product

  • Timing: After 3 messages
  • Fields: Email + Name
  • Why: Prove value with AI first, then capture for nurturing

B2B/Enterprise

  • Timing: At start
  • Fields: Email + Name + Company
  • Why: High-value leads, worth the friction

Support/FAQ Chatbot

  • Timing: Before escalation
  • Fields: Email + Account ID (if applicable)
  • Why: Pure support, only need info for human handoff

Lead Generation Chatbot

  • Timing: After 2 messages
  • Fields: Email + Phone
  • Why: Qualify with 2 messages, then capture for sales follow-up

Summary

Timing Friction Lead Volume Lead Quality Best For
At Start High Low High Enterprise sales
After 2-3 msgs Medium Medium Medium-High Most businesses
After 5+ msgs Low High Medium Content sites
Before Escalation Very Low Medium High Support focus
Never None None N/A Pure FAQ

Default recommendation: "Before live chat escalation" + Email only

Start there, then optimize based on your specific metrics and goals.