Inquiry-to-Application Lead Funnel

Track and merge leads as they progress from initial inquiry to full application. This feature prevents duplicates when the same prospect submits partial information first, then completes a full application later.

Features

• Lead Merging: Automatically merge inquiry leads with their application counterparts
• Smart Matching: Match on phone AND email within a configurable time window
• Attribution Preservation: Original inquiry vendor keeps attribution credit
• Funnel Analytics: Track conversion rates, time-to-convert, and drop-offs
• Audit Trail: Complete history of all merge events

How It Works

When a prospect first shows interest (inquiry), they often provide minimal information. Later, they may complete a full application with more details. Without funnel tracking, this creates duplicates.

Day 1: Inquiry Lead                    Day 2: Application Lead
┌──────────────────────┐               ┌──────────────────────┐
│ email: [email protected] │               │ email: [email protected] │
│ phone: 555-123-4567  │               │ phone: 555-123-4567  │
│ first_name: Jane     │               │ first_name: Jane     │
│ last_name: (empty)   │               │ last_name: Smith     │
│ program: (empty)     │               │ program: MBA         │
│ start_date: (empty)  │               │ start_date: Fall2025 │
└──────────────────────┘               └──────────────────────┘
           │                                      │
           │           ┌───────────────┐          │
           └──────────▶│  MERGE EVENT  │◀─────────┘
                       │               │
                       │ Phone + Email │
                       │    Match!     │
                       └───────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
                 ┌──────────────────────┐
                 │   Merged Lead        │
                 │ email: [email protected] │
                 │ phone: 555-123-4567  │
                 │ first_name: Jane     │
                 │ last_name: Smith     │ ← From application
                 │ program: MBA         │ ← From application
                 │ start_date: Fall2025 │ ← From application
                 │ vendor: InquiryVendor│ ← Attribution preserved
                 └──────────────────────┘

Match Criteria

For a merge to occur, both of these must match:

• Phone number (normalized, digits only)
• Email address (case-insensitive)

The match must occur within the configured time window (default: 24 hours).

Merge Behavior

Configuration

Step 1: Set Vendor Lead Types

First, configure which vendors collect inquiries vs. applications.

1. Navigate to Settings > Vendors
2. Click on a vendor to edit
3. Set the Lead Type:

4. Click Save

Step 2: Create Funnel Links

Connect your application vendors to their inquiry sources.

1. Navigate to Settings > Vendors
2. Edit an Application vendor
3. Click the Funnel Links tab
4. Click Add Funnel Link
5. Select the Inquiry Vendor to match against
6. Set the Time Window (how far back to look for matches)
7. Click Save

Time Window Options

Tip: Shorter windows reduce false matches but may miss legitimate conversions. Start with 24 hours and adjust based on your data.

Example Setup

Scenario: You have a “Request Info” form (inquiry) and a “Full Application” form (application).

Funnel Analytics Dashboard

Once at least one funnel link is configured, the Funnel Analytics section appears in your Analytics menu.

Dashboard Overview

Time-to-Convert Distribution

See how quickly inquiries convert to applications:

Per-Vendor Analysis

Break down metrics by vendor pair:

Drop-off Analysis

Identify unconverted inquiries to understand funnel leakage:

• Total unconverted inquiries in the window
• Breakdown by inquiry vendor
• Age distribution of unconverted leads

API Endpoints

Manage Funnel Links

Funnel Analytics

See the Funnel API Reference for detailed endpoint documentation.

Best Practices

Vendor Organization

• Name vendors clearly: “Facebook - Request Info” vs “Facebook - Full App”
• Use consistent naming for inquiry/application pairs
• Document which forms map to which vendors

Time Window Selection

Monitoring

• Check conversion rates weekly
• Investigate unusually low rates
• Review drop-offs for re-engagement opportunities
• Watch for false matches (very rare with phone+email)

Attribution Best Practices

• The inquiry vendor always keeps attribution
• This accurately reflects initial touchpoint
• ROI calculations credit the first vendor
• Consider this when evaluating vendor performance

Troubleshooting

Leads Not Merging

1. Check vendor types: Verify vendors are set to “Inquiry” and “Application”
2. Check funnel links: Confirm the link exists between vendors
3. Check time window: Lead may be outside the configured window
4. Check match fields: Both phone AND email must match
5. Check normalization: Phone formats should normalize (555-123-4567 = 5551234567)

Too Many False Matches

False matches are rare because both phone AND email must match. If occurring:

1. Reduce time window to limit match scope
2. Review the matching leads - are they actually the same person?
3. Check for shared phone numbers (call centers, households)

Analytics Not Showing

The Funnel Analytics dashboard only appears when:

1. At least one funnel link is configured
2. The current user has analytics permissions

Integration with Other Features

Deduplication

Funnel merging is different from deduplication:

Both can be enabled simultaneously. Deduplication runs first; funnel merging only applies to non-duplicate leads.

Attribution

Funnel merging preserves the original inquiry vendor for attribution:

• Inquiry vendor gets credit for the conversion
• ROI calculations use inquiry vendor costs
• Analytics show inquiry vendor as the source

Webhooks

When a merge occurs:

• The merged lead is delivered via webhooks
• The original inquiry lead is NOT re-delivered
• Webhook payload includes merge metadata