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Inbound Triggers

Inbound Triggers automatically launch your AI Agent automations when leads reach specific lifecycle stages in your CRM. Connect HubSpot or Salesforce to engage inbound leads instantly with personalized outreach.

Overview​

When a lead in your CRM reaches a trigger stage (like MQL or SQL), Salestools automatically:

  1. Detects the stage change via webhook
  2. Identifies the CRM owner and maps them to a Salestools user
  3. Launches your selected automation for that user
  4. Logs the activity for tracking and reporting

This means your AI Agents can start engaging inbound leads within seconds of them qualifying in your CRM.

Setting Up Inbound Triggers​

Prerequisites​

Before configuring inbound triggers, ensure you have:

Step 1: Navigate to Inbound Settings​

  1. Go to Settings > Inbound Triggers
  2. You will see configuration options for both Salesforce and HubSpot

Step 2: Enable CRM Triggers​

For HubSpot:

  1. Toggle Enable HubSpot Triggers to ON
  2. Select which Lifecycle Stages should trigger automations:
    • Subscriber
    • Lead
    • Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)
    • Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)
    • Opportunity
    • Customer
    • Evangelist
  3. Select the AI Agent Automation to launch

For Salesforce:

  1. Toggle Enable Salesforce Triggers to ON
  2. Select which Lead Statuses should trigger automations:
    • Open
    • Contacted
    • MQL
    • SQL
    • Qualified
    • Working
  3. Select the AI Agent Automation to launch

Owner Mapping​

Owner mapping connects CRM owners to Salestools users, ensuring leads are routed to the correct sales rep.

Syncing CRM Owners​

  1. Go to Settings > Inbound Triggers > Owner Mapping
  2. Click Sync Owners for HubSpot or Salesforce
  3. Salestools will import all active users from your CRM

Mapping Owners to Users​

After syncing, you will see a list of CRM owners. For each owner:

  1. Select the corresponding Salestools User from the dropdown
  2. Optionally assign a Territory for reporting
  3. Toggle Active to enable/disable mapping

Auto-Mapping​

Salestools automatically maps CRM owners to Salestools users when their email addresses match exactly.

Fallback Behavior​

When an inbound lead's CRM owner is not mapped to a Salestools user, you have two options:

Round Robin Assignment​

  1. Select Round Robin as the fallback behavior
  2. Choose which Salestools users should receive unmapped leads
  3. Leads rotate evenly among selected users

Hold for Manual Assignment​

  1. Select Hold for Assignment as the fallback behavior
  2. Unmapped leads appear in the Pending Assignments queue
  3. Admins can manually assign these leads to users

Pending Assignments​

When using "Hold for Assignment" fallback, unmapped leads queue up for manual review.

Viewing Pending Assignments​

  1. Go to Settings > Inbound Triggers
  2. Click the Pending Assignments tab
  3. View all leads awaiting assignment

Each pending assignment shows:

  • Lead email and name
  • CRM type (HubSpot/Salesforce)
  • CRM owner (unmapped)
  • Lead data from CRM
  • Time waiting

Assigning Leads​

  1. Find the lead in the Pending Assignments list
  2. Select a Salestools User from the dropdown
  3. Click Assign
  4. The AI Agent automation launches immediately for that user

Conflict Detection​

Salestools prevents duplicate outreach with intelligent conflict detection.

Configuring Conflict Rules​

  1. Conflict Check Hours: How far back to check for recent contact (default: 48 hours)
  2. Skip if in Automation: Do not trigger if lead is already in any automation

When a conflict is detected:

  • The trigger is logged with status "Skipped"
  • The conflict reason is recorded
  • No duplicate automation is launched

Alerts and Notifications​

Stay informed about inbound trigger activity with configurable alerts.

Unmapped Owner Alerts​

When a lead comes in with an unmapped CRM owner:

  1. Enable Alert on Unmapped Owner
  2. Configure notification channels:
    • Email: Enter email address for notifications
    • Slack: Select a Slack channel (requires Slack integration)

Trigger History​

Track all inbound trigger activity with detailed logs.

Viewing History​

  1. Go to Settings > Inbound Triggers
  2. Click the History tab
  3. View chronological list of all triggers

Log Details​

Each log entry shows:

FieldDescription
StatusSuccess, Failed, Skipped, Processing
CRM TypeHubSpot or Salesforce
Lead EmailEmail address of the lead
Trigger StageLifecycle stage that triggered
CRM OwnerOwner in the CRM
Salestools UserMapped user (or fallback)
AutomationWhich automation was triggered
TimestampWhen the trigger occurred

Best Practices​

  1. Start with CoPilot Mode - When first setting up, use an automation in CoPilot mode to review messages before sending
  2. Map All Active CRM Users - Ensure every CRM user is mapped to prevent delays
  3. Set Appropriate Trigger Stages - Focus on MQL/SQL stages that indicate buying intent
  4. Configure Conflict Detection - Set check hours based on your sales cycle (24-48 hours for fast cycles, 72+ for enterprise)
  5. Monitor History Regularly - Check weekly for failed triggers and skip reasons

Troubleshooting​

Triggers Not Firing​

  1. Check webhook configuration in your CRM
  2. Verify the trigger stage is selected in settings
  3. Confirm the CRM integration is connected and active
  4. Check trigger history for failed entries

Leads Going to Wrong User​

  1. Review owner mappings
  2. Verify CRM owner is set correctly
  3. Resync owners if team changes occurred

Automations Not Launching​

  1. Verify automation exists and is active
  2. Check user permissions
  3. Review conflict detection settings

Support​

Need help with inbound triggers?

Last Updated: January 2025