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Creating a Lead Collector

Knowledge Base Lead Collectors
🎯 Lead Collectors · CORE FEATURE

Creating a Lead Collector:
Replace Forms with
Conversations

A Lead Collector is the engine behind every TextingOnly SmartLink — it’s what OTTO runs when a contact taps Send. Build one and you have a live, 24/7 lead capture and qualification system attached to a real phone number.

Lead CollectorsOTTOSmartLinksITR
What It ReplacesWeb forms — abandoned at 81% on mobile. Lead Collectors capture the phone number the moment the contact taps Send, even if they drop off early.
What It DoesOTTO responds instantly, qualifies the contact through a configured conversation, and fires a lead alert to your team’s email. 24/7, zero staff.
Who It’s ForAny business that needs leads — home services, legal, healthcare, real estate, recruiting, automotive. Every industry that currently uses web forms or phone intake.

This is the most important thing you’ll build in TextingOnly. Your Lead Collector is the conversation OTTO runs when someone taps your SmartLink — it determines what gets asked, how leads are routed, and what your team receives in their inbox.

Collector Types

Choose the type that matches how you want to interact with incoming contacts:

Custom Questions

OTTO asks a linear sequence you define. Best for simple opt-ins, event registration, or basic contact capture. Keep it to 3 questions or fewer.

🔢
ITR Menus

Numbered menus with branches — “1 · Sales 2 · Service 3 · Support.” Routes contacts to different qualification flows based on their selection. Most common type for lead gen.

🤖
Conversational (OTTO)

Adaptive multi-turn conversation that adjusts based on replies. Best for complex intake: legal, healthcare, real estate, recruiting.

🌐
Language Funnels

OTTO detects Spanish (or other language) replies and switches to a configured bilingual flow — delivering English lead data to your team. No bilingual staff required.


Creating a Collector

1
Go to Lead Collectors → Create New Lead Collector
From the main nav or within a subgroup (Agency plan)
2
Select your collector type
Custom Questions · ITR · Conversational · Language Funnel — see type guide above if unsure
3
Build your conversation flow
Questions, menu options, branches. Each question = one OTTO message. Each answer routes to the next step.
4
Set the Final Message (Prepare Caller)
What OTTO sends when the conversation ends. Example: “[Rep name] will call from (410) 555-0100 within the hour — save it.”
5
Configure the notification email in Options & Details
Where the lead alert fires when OTTO completes qualification. Use a distribution list (sales@) not a personal address.
Assign a Campaign SMS number → collector goes live
The SmartLink and QR code are auto-generated in Options & Details → QR Code Details. Deploy immediately.
⚠️ Required before going live

The Campaign SMS number assigned to the collector must have active 10DLC registration. Without it, inbound texts won’t be received reliably. Start registration as soon as you add a number — approval takes 5–15 business days.


Every collector automatically generates a SmartLink URL and a QR code. Find them in Options & Details → QR Code Details. The SmartLink is the URL you paste everywhere digital. The QR code is for print. Both point to the same OTTO conversation.

✓ Deploy it immediately

Even before your 10DLC registration is approved, deploy the SmartLink to your website, social bio, and email. Inbound interest starts accruing as soon as you share it — and when the number approves, OTTO activates automatically.

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