Lead sources

A lead source records where a prospective client came from, for example a referral, a Google search, or your booking page. Tagging every lead with a source lets you see which channels actually bring in business so you can decide where to focus your marketing. This page explains how to create, edit, archive, restore, and delete sources, and how Esqase creates some of them automatically.

Before you begin

Sources live in the Intake area of your firm dashboard, on the Sources page.

• To open the page, you need View access to sources. If your role does not include it, you will see a "no access" message instead of the table.
• To add or edit sources you need Create and Update access. To permanently delete a source you need Delete access. Firm owners always have full access.
• The buttons and menu items described below only appear if your role grants the matching permission, so what you see may differ from a colleague with a different role.

What sources are and why they matter

A source is a short, reusable label you attach to a lead so you know how that person found your firm. Each source has just two things:

• A Name (up to 64 characters), for example Referral, Google, Website, or Walk-in.
• A Color, a small colored dot shown next to the name so you can spot the source at a glance.

You attach one or more sources to a lead when you create or edit it. (When adding a lead, the Source field lets you pick existing sources or type a new one and press Enter to create it on the spot.) Over time this builds a clean picture of your intake mix: how many prospects came from referrals versus your booking page versus a paid ad. That makes your intake reporting trustworthy and helps you invest in the channels that work.

To open the Sources page:

1. In the sidebar, expand Intake.
2. Click Leads to open the intake area, then follow the Intake breadcrumb to Sources, or navigate directly to the Sources page.

The page shows a table of every source in your firm, with these columns:

• Name, with the source's color shown as a dot to its left.
• Status (Active or Archived).
• Created by and Updated by, showing which member added or last changed the source.
• Last updated, the most recent change time.

Across the top of the table are three tabs, All, Active, and Archived, so you can filter the list. The page opens on the Active tab by default. A Search sources box lets you find a source by name.

Create a source

You can build your source list ahead of time so members can pick from a consistent set when they add leads.

1. In the sidebar, open Intake and go to the Sources page.
2. Click Add source in the top right. (If you do not see this button, your role does not include Create access for sources.)
3. In the Create source dialog, fill in the fields:
   • Name (required). A short label, up to 64 characters, for example Referral. This must not be blank.
   • Color (required). Pick a color for the dot that appears next to the name. A default color is selected for you, so you can leave it as-is.
4. Click Create source.

On save, the new source appears in the table with the status Active, and a "Source created" confirmation appears. It is now available to choose when creating or editing a lead.

Creating a source while adding a lead

You do not have to come to this page first. When you add a lead, the Source field lets you pick existing sources or type a new name and press Enter to create it. Any source you create that way shows up here on the Sources page afterward, where you can recolor or rename it. See Managing leads for the full new-lead flow.

Edit a source

You can rename a source or change its color at any time. Editing updates the source everywhere it is used, so every lead already tagged with it keeps the tag and simply shows the new name and color.

1. On the Sources page, find the source in the table.
2. Click Edit on that row. (If you do not see Edit, your role does not include Update access for sources.)
3. In the Edit source dialog, change the Name, the Color, or both.
4. Click Save changes.

A "Source updated" confirmation appears and the table refreshes with the new name and color.

Archive, restore, and delete a source

Sources have a lifecycle so you can retire ones you no longer use without losing the history on past leads.

Archive a source

Archiving hides a source from the lists members choose from when adding new leads, but it does not remove it from leads that already use it. Use this when a channel is no longer active but you still want its historical data intact.

1. On the Sources page, find an Active source.
2. On that row, click the ... (more actions) button, then click Archive. (You need Update access to see this option.)
3. The source moves to the Archived tab, and an "archived" confirmation appears.

Restore a source

If you archived a source too soon, you can bring it back.

1. Click the Archived tab to see archived sources.
2. Find the source, click the ... button on its row, then click Restore.
3. The source returns to Active status and becomes selectable again for new leads.

Delete a source

Deleting permanently removes a source. You can only delete a source that is already Archived, so archive it first if it is still active.

1. Click the Archived tab.
2. Find the source, click the ... button on its row, then click Delete. (You need Delete access to see this option.)
3. In the Delete source? confirmation dialog, read the warning ("will be permanently removed. This can't be undone.") and click Delete source.

A "deleted" confirmation appears and the source is removed from the table.

Acting on several sources at once

When you select rows using the checkboxes on the left of the table, a batch actions control appears so you can Archive, Restore, or Delete the selected sources together. The same rules apply: only Active sources can be archived, only Archived sources can be restored or deleted, and deletion asks you to confirm before it runs.

Sources created automatically by booking and form submissions

Esqase creates a few sources for you so that leads arriving through your public channels are always tagged, even if nobody on your team is involved at intake time.

• Booking. When a prospective client books a meeting through your public booking page, Esqase tags the new lead with a source named Booking. If your firm does not have a Booking source yet, Esqase creates one (with a default color) the first time a booking comes in. After that, every booking reuses the same source.
• Form (and a form-named source). When someone submits one of your public intake forms, Esqase tags the new lead with two sources: a shared source named Form, and a second source named after the specific form they filled out (for example Contact us or Personal injury intake). If either source does not exist yet, Esqase creates it the first time that form is submitted, then reuses it for later submissions of the same form.

These auto-created sources appear on the Sources page just like ones you add yourself. You can rename them, change their color, archive them, restore them, or delete them exactly as described above.

To learn how these public channels work for your clients, see How clients book meetings and How clients fill intake forms.

Common questions

Will deleting a source remove it from leads that used it? You can only delete an archived source. Archiving never touches the leads already tagged with the source; it simply stops the source from appearing as a choice for new leads. If you go on to delete the source, plan around the fact that the action is permanent and cannot be undone.

Why does one lead from a form have two sources? Public form submissions are tagged with both the shared Form source and a source named after the specific form, so you can report on form intake overall and on each individual form.

I do not see the Add source, Edit, or Delete options. Why? Those controls only appear if your role grants the matching permission (Create, Update, or Delete for sources). Ask a firm owner or administrator to adjust your access. See Roles and permissions.

Where do I actually attach a source to a lead? On the lead itself, using the Source field in the new-lead and edit-lead forms. The Sources page is only for managing the master list of sources. See Managing leads.

Related

• Managing leads
• Building forms
• The intake overview
• Public lead-intake forms
• How clients book meetings
• Roles and permissions