---
title: "Leads"
description: "Leads is the lightweight CRM inside Chatfuel: every chat becomes a lead card on a Kanban board that you can filter, assign to teammates and move through stages."
canonical_url: https://chatfuel.com/docs/leads/leads
markdown_url: https://chatfuel.com/docs/leads/leads.md
last_updated: 2026-09-09
lang: en
site: https://chatfuel.com/docs
llms_txt: https://chatfuel.com/docs/llms.txt
---

# Leads

Leads is the lightweight CRM inside Chatfuel: every chat becomes a lead card on a Kanban board that you can filter, assign to teammates and move through stages.

## What is Leads? [#what-is-leads]

Leads is your lightweight CRM built right into Chatfuel. Think of it as a visual sales pipeline where every customer chat becomes a "lead card" that moves through stages — from first contact to closed sale.

No more lost leads — everything's organized in a simple drag-and-drop board.

### Key features [#key-features]

* Qualify leads automatically with Fuely AI
* Visual drag-and-drop board for all leads
* Real-time data for stages
* [Assign teammates](https://chatfuel.com/docs/account/how-to-add-teammates) to specific stages (Sorting, Qualifying, or Selling)
* Filter by assignee
* Works well with Chats (your live chat)

## Set it up in Leads [#set-it-up-in-leads]

1. Open the **Leads** tab in your Chatfuel sidebar.
2. Drag lead cards between stages on the board as you work them.
3. Assign leads to teammates and use the assignee filters — details below.

## Or ask the AI Co-Worker [#or-ask-the-ai-co-worker]

Tell the [AI Co-Worker](https://chatfuel.com/docs/ai-features/what-the-ai-co-worker-can-do-for-you) what you want in chat:

*"Move João to Selling."*

It moves leads between stages, searches your pipeline, and pulls pipeline stats for you, then confirms what it set.

> **Note:** Assigning a lead to a specific teammate is something the Co-Worker can't do — open the **Leads** tab and assign the card there.

## How Leads work [#how-leads-work]

Every lead goes through 5 stages, some automatic and some manual.

### Stages 1–3: Fuely AI (automatic) [#stages-13-fuely-ai-automatic]

* New conversations start in *Captured leads*
* Fuely AI quickly moves them to *Sorting leads* for qualification
* Once qualified, they automatically move to *Qualified leads*

Captured leads, Sorting leads, and Qualified leads are normally handled by Fuely AI.

### Stages 3–5: Your team (manual) [#stages-35-your-team-manual]

* You pick promising leads from *Qualified leads*
* Move them to *Selling* when you start actively working them
* Finally, move completed deals to *Closed* (won or lost)

After the Selling stage, all leads end up in Closed — won or lost.

## Assigning leads [#assigning-leads]

Leads can be assigned to specific team members or left unassigned. This helps you manage workload and track responsibility. To assign a chat to yourself or a teammate:

1. Click on the lead you want to edit.
2. Choose who to assign it to under **Assigned to**.

### Using filters [#using-filters]

Use the [filter tabs](https://chatfuel.com/docs/leads/how-to-change-chat-filters) to sort between:

* **All leads** — see everything in your pipeline
* **Assigned to me** — only leads you're responsible for
* **Unassigned** — leads available for pickup
* **Assigned to...** — leads assigned to specific teammates

## Lead stages [#lead-stages]

There are 5 total stages in Leads. These stages are currently fixed and [cannot be customized](https://chatfuel.com/docs/leads/how-to-change-lead-stages).

### 1. Captured leads [#1-captured-leads]

* Every new chat starts here
* Fuely AI quickly moves leads to *Sorting* for qualification
* Without Fuely AI, leads stay here until you move them manually

### 2. Sorting leads [#2-sorting-leads]

* Fuely AI qualifies leads at this stage
* When complete, leads automatically move to *Qualified*
* [Take manual control by replying](https://chatfuel.com/docs/ai-features/how-to-stop-ai-during-active-conversations) (assigns the chat to you)
* Auto-closes after 24 hours of customer inactivity

### 3. Qualified leads [#3-qualified-leads]

* Good prospects ready for pickup
* Your starting point as a salesperson
* Move to *Selling* when you're ready to work them

### 4. Selling [#4-selling]

* Active deals you're working
* Move leads here when you start engaging (calls, demos, proposals)
* You control everything at this stage

### 5. Closed [#5-closed]

* Finished deals (won or lost)
* Auto-moves here after 24 hours of inactivity
* Close manually to keep pipeline clean and track conversion rates

## Examples [#examples]

Here are common ways sales teams use Leads.

**For sales agents:**

* Check *Qualified leads* for new prospects
* Use the assignee filter to see only leads assigned to you
* Pick 2–3 leads from *Qualified* and move them to *Selling*
* Work your *Selling* pipeline throughout the day

**For sales managers:**

* Use assignee filters to see each team member's workload
* Check for bottlenecks — too many leads stuck in *Sorting* or *Qualified*
* Identify unassigned leads that need attention
* Track team performance by reviewing *Closed* deals