When your leads open an email you sent through LeadSimple, that email open activity is tracked in their activity record. Opens are also tracked as stats on the email templates page as well.

However, you may also want to be notified immediately when a lead opens an email, so you can reach out via a call, while your email and company is still top of mind with them.

Currently, this is possible through Zapier. (In this case you would set up a zap that will be triggered whenever an email is opened in LeadSimple; that zap can then email or text you a notification. You can customize the notification to include as much or as little of the lead's info as desired.)

First, what is Zapier?

Zapier is a third-party tool that allows you to integrate softwares together, without any development needed. Create zaps, or defined sets of triggers and actions, to customize your own integrations between softwares.

Here's some zaps that are common among LeadSimple users:

Create new leads from Facebook Messenger (when a new contact reaches out via Facebook Messenger, this zap will automatically add them to LeadSimple as a new lead in the pipeline/stage you define in the zap).
Create new leads from Google Sheets (this zap will create a new lead in LeadSimple from each new row in a connected Google Sheet).
Generate and send PDFs automatically
Update leads with info from a JotForm
Automatically sending physical mailers to a lead through Lob
Triggering stage changes or updating leads from emails from Appfolio, Tenant Turner, and others
Connecting LeadSimple with bulk mailing tools such as Constant Contact
Learn more about other Zapier ideas in this webinar!

Zapier offers a free plan that allows you to build one-step zaps (when this happens in software A, this will happen in software B). Their paid plans allow for more advanced zaps, with multiple steps, including filtering and building multiple paths. For the purposes of this zap, the free plan will suffice.

Using Our Template

Zapier has the ability to share zap templates so you don't have to build it out from scratch. After signing up for a free Zapier account, click this link to copy this zap into your account, where you can then finish setting it up with your LeadSimple account and your phone number (using the instructions below): https://zapier.com/shared/691770fb4a381ab154c0960d88960c7b3bd5b0dd

Building the Zap

Here's a quick outline of the process we're going to follow to build this zap today:

Sign up for a Zapier account (if you haven't already)
Create and name your Zap
Add the trigger in LeadSimple (lead opens email)
Connect your LeadSimple account
Define the action (text/email)
Customize your notification
Test & Review
Set your zap live!

Alright, let's get started!

Step 2: Create your first zap and name it

On your Zapier home page, click the Make a Zap button on the lefthand side.

Give it a name to make it easy to find if you need to update it later.

Step 3: Select your trigger

We're going to start by selecting our trigger. In this case, we want the trigger to be when a lead opens an email in LeadSimple.

First, we need to search for and select LeadSimple as our trigger app.

Next, we need to select our chosen trigger in LeadSimple. In this case, "Lead Opens Email".

Next, we need to connect our LeadSimple account to Zapier. If you've used LeadSimple with Zapier before, your account and API key will already be there. If this your first zap with LeadSimple, you will need to go back to your LeadSimple account and grab your API key.

In LeadSimple, click Settings > Integrations in the lefthand sidebar (you will need admin access to access this page). Copy it and bring it back to Zapier.

After putting in your API key, click Continue.

Click Test Trigger. Zapier will look for an example lead to test the zap with as we continue.

When a lead has been found, review it to make sure it has an email address. If not, check the other leads Zapier pulled through.

Click Continue.

Step 4: Define the action

Now that we've defined the trigger we want from LeadSimple, let's set up and customize the notification we will receive when the lead opens an email.

(Note that you could add a filter step between the trigger and the action. This would be helpful if you have multiple team members working and assigned to leads. By default, all leads will be included in these notifications, even ones not assigned to you. A filter would allow you to set up the zap to only apply the action if something is true about the lead, such as who the assignee of the lead is. Note however that multi-step zaps are not possible on Zapier's free plan.)

This is where you can decide whether you want to receive email or text notifications.

Search for SMS by Zapier or Email by Zapier. In this example we will be setting up a text notification, so we need to use SMS by Zapier.

You'll need to create an SMS by Zapier account if you haven't before. (It will walk you through the steps to adding your mobile number to receive texts at.)

Once connected, you'll receive a test message to your phone number to confirm that it is working.

Next, choose a from number to receive these notifications from. (Not critical; it simply allows you to define a specific number so you can add it to your contacts).

Next, customize your message. There are available merge tag options (that are being pulled from LeadSimple) that you can use as you write your notification. You could include the lead's name, email address and phone number in the text so you can reach out to them as quickly as possible.

Here's an example:

Hit Continue and then Test & Review.

Confirm that you received the text message and then click "Turn on Zap" to set your zap live and start ramping up your sales game!