> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.comforthub.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add a lead

> Enter a lead in Zoho so it exists on both sides within seconds

export const Touches = ({systems}) => <p>
    <strong>Systems involved:</strong>{" "}
    {systems.split(",").map((s, i) => <span key={s}>
        {i > 0 ? " · " : ""}
        <a href={"/systems/" + s.trim()}>{s.trim().replace(/-/g, " ")}</a>
      </span>)}
  </p>;

<Touches systems="zoho-crm, supabase-backend" />

A lead is a person who might become a customer. You add them in Zoho, in **Leads**. The engine copies them to our side on its own; you never type them anywhere else.

## Before you start

* Zoho open, on **Leads**.
* The person's last name, email and service street at minimum. The engine refuses a lead without one of those three. Converting the lead later needs the whole service address: street, city and postal code. Fill all of it in now and there is nothing to fix at conversion; see [Convert a lead into a customer](/handbook/new-customers/convert-a-lead).
* The email must not belong to another live lead. Two live leads cannot share one.

## Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the lead">
    In **Leads**, click **Create**. Fill in **First Name**, **Last Name**, **Email**, **Phone**, the service address (street, city, province, postal code, country), and the billing address if it differs. Pick a **Source** and tick the equipment they are interested in.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Save**. There is no sync button.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## How you know it worked

* Zoho shows you nothing at this stage. The copy is on our side, and only a developer can look. The real proof comes when you convert the lead and the customer records appear; see [Convert a lead into a customer](/handbook/new-customers/convert-a-lead).

## If it did not work

* **Someone says the lead is missing on our side.** The usual cause is the sync being stopped. See [Fix a record that did not sync](/handbook/running/fix-a-record-that-did-not-sync).
* **The lead shows as inactive on our side.** It was deleted in Zoho. A deleted lead is never removed here, only switched off.

## Good to know

* Capital letters in the email are fine; our side stores it in lowercase.
* A lead may reuse the email of a lead that was deleted.
* A lead's **Deal** field is Zoho's link between the lead and a deal in the sales pipeline. The engine ignores it on purpose: the sales pipeline stays in Zoho and is not copied to our side.

## Related

* [How a lead becomes a customer](/handbook/new-customers/how-a-lead-becomes-a-customer)
* [Convert a lead into a customer](/handbook/new-customers/convert-a-lead)
* [Sync rules by module](/reference/sync-rules-by-module)