# What Is Lead Capture? Calls, Chat & Texts

Source: https://insertchat.com/glossary/lead-capture

> Lead capture records who a new inquiry is from and what they want so you can follow up. Learn how it works across calls, chat, and texts, and what to capture.

Lead capture is recording a potential customer’s contact details and request when they first reach out, so the business can follow up and win the job. It happens on calls, website chat, texts, emails, and forms, and works best when every inquiry is saved in one place with its source and the customer’s own words.

## How lead capture works

A captured lead has three parts: who the person is (name and a way to reach them), what they want (the request in their own words, plus details like address or date), and where they came from (the page, ad, campaign, or phone number that brought them in). Missing any one makes follow-up slower or attribution guesswork.

The weak point is usually the moment of contact. A call that goes to voicemail or a chat nobody answers captures nothing. Capturing well also means not demanding details too early: answer the question first, then ask for contact information when there’s a reason, such as a booking or a quote.

## Example: a moving company’s quote requests

A moving company gets quote inquiries by phone and website chat. Each one is captured with the move date, origin and destination, home size, and the customer’s phone number, plus whether they came from a search ad or a referral. The estimator calls back with everything in front of him, and the owner sees which ads bring in real moves. This scenario is illustrative.

## Lead capture in InsertChat

InsertChat’s [lead capture](https://insertchat.com/product/lead-capture) works on calls, website chat, SMS, email, and WhatsApp. The assistant answers questions first, asks for a name, phone number, or email when a booking or follow-up needs one, and saves the lead as a contact with the conversation, notes, and any appointment.

Each contact records the landing page and referrer for website chats, the campaign and source from your tracking links, and the number a caller dialed. HubSpot and Zoho connect as assistant actions without background sync. InsertChat does not offer web forms. See the [moving company setup](https://insertchat.com/industries/moving).

## What information should lead capture collect?

A name, a reliable way to reach the person, their request in their own words, and the details needed to quote or book, plus the lead’s source. Ask only for what the next step needs.

## Is lead capture the same as lead generation?

No. Lead generation brings prospects to you, through ads, search, or referrals. Lead capture records them when they reach out, so none slip away.

## Related terms

- [Lead qualification](https://insertchat.com/glossary/lead-qualification): Lead qualification is deciding whether a new inquiry is a good fit and how urgently to follow up, based on what the prospect needs, where they are, their timeline, and their readiness to buy.
- [Speed to lead](https://insertchat.com/glossary/speed-to-lead): Speed to lead is the time between a new prospect reaching out, by calling, chatting, filling in a form, or texting, and the business’s first meaningful response.
- [Slot filling](https://insertchat.com/glossary/slot-filling): Slot filling is how a conversational assistant gathers the specific details a task requires, called slots, such as a name, phone number, address, service type, or preferred date.
- [Missed call](https://insertchat.com/glossary/missed-call): A missed call is an incoming call that ends before anyone answers, because nobody picked up, the line was busy, or the caller hung up while ringing or on hold.
- [Website chatbot](https://insertchat.com/glossary/website-chatbot): A website chatbot is a chat window on a business’s website where an automated assistant answers visitors’ questions in real time.

## Related InsertChat pages

- [AI lead capture](https://insertchat.com/product/lead-capture)
- [Customer contacts](https://insertchat.com/product/crm)
- [AI receptionist for movers](https://insertchat.com/industries/moving)