> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.meetgail.com/platform/workflows/guides-and-recipes/guides/welcome-new-leads/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.meetgail.com/_mcp/server.

# Welcome New Leads

> Build a workflow that greets every new lead the moment they arrive and enrolls them in a nurture campaign.

When a new lead comes in, the first few minutes matter. This guide builds a
workflow that reacts the instant a lead arrives: it saves them as a contact,
texts them a friendly welcome, and enrolls them in a nurture campaign so the
follow-up happens on its own.

The workflow has five steps that run top to bottom:

Start, then Add Contact, then Send SMS, then Add Contact to Campaign, then End.

![The Welcome New Leads workflow on the builder canvas: Start, Add Contact, Send SMS, Add Contact to Campaign, End.](/_fern-img/18f17d3dd3f01fed6c844496686c9261bdb02eb57d402180b2de69d596937636.webp)

## What each step does

* **Start** is the trigger. Here it is a webhook, fired by an external form or
  your CRM the moment a lead is created. The lead's details ride along in the
  request.
* **Add Contact** saves the lead as a contact in Gail.
* **Send SMS** texts the new lead a warm welcome, sent to the phone number the
  Add Contact step just recorded.
* **Add Contact to Campaign** enrolls the new contact in a nurture campaign so
  outreach continues automatically.
* **End** finishes the run.

## Build it step by step

### Set the Start step to a webhook trigger

Leave the Start step as the entry point and configure it as a webhook, so an
external form or CRM can start a run whenever a lead comes in. Publishing the
workflow gives you a URL the other system calls. See
[Triggers & Webhooks](/platform/workflows/core-concepts/triggers-webhooks) for the
full setup, and the
[Trigger from a Webhook](/platform/workflows/guides-and-recipes/recipes/trigger-from-a-webhook)
recipe for a quick walkthrough.

### Add the Add Contact step

Add an [Add Contact](/platform/workflows/node-reference/gail/add-contact) step below
Start and fill in the lead's details. In this example the fields are typed in
directly so you can see the shape of it:

| Field         | What to enter            |
| ------------- | ------------------------ |
| First name    | `Sarah`                  |
| Last name     | `Chen`                   |
| Email         | `sarah.chen@example.com` |
| Phone number  | `+15555550123`           |
| Business name | `Chen Insurance Group`   |

![The Add Contact settings panel with the new lead's name, email, phone, and business.](/_fern-img/3b2418a3c6cd23efa54c7241ee25ef510d2e1f961a160d30eaa641afd983ea84.webp)

> **Note**
>
> In a live webhook flow you would not type a fixed name. Instead you would
> point each field at the matching value from the incoming request, so every
> run saves the real lead. See
> [Variables & Data Flow](/platform/workflows/core-concepts/variables-data-flow).

### Add the Send SMS step

Add a [Send SMS](/platform/workflows/node-reference/communication/send-sms) step below
Add Contact. For the **To** field, do not type a number. Point it at the phone
number the Add Contact step just saved, using this expression:

```
add-contact.data.phoneNumbers[0].number
```

For the **Message**, write a short, friendly welcome, for example:

```
Hi Sarah, thanks for reaching out to Chen Insurance Group! An agent will be in touch soon.
```

### Add the Add Contact to Campaign step

Add an
[Add Contact to Campaign](/platform/workflows/node-reference/gail/add-contact-to-campaign)
step below Send SMS. Choose the nurture campaign from the picker. For the
**Contact** field, point it at the contact this run just created with the
expression:

```
add-contact.data.id
```

![The Add Contact to Campaign settings panel: a selected campaign and the Contact ID set to the expression add-contact.data.id.](/_fern-img/fc5841bede3016a876dd1435c48b52c0cb8508db7dba77ed7fe3980194ca33b2.webp)

### Connect the steps and save

Draw connections so the run flows top to bottom: Start to Add Contact, Add
Contact to Send SMS, Send SMS to Add Contact to Campaign, and Add Contact to
Campaign to End. Save your work.

## Test it before you rely on it

Before this workflow greets real leads, watch it run once. You can step through
a run and confirm the welcome text goes to the right number and the contact
lands in the campaign. See
[Testing & Debugging](/platform/workflows/core-concepts/testing-debugging).

> **Note**
>
> A run does real work. Send SMS sends a real text and Add Contact really saves a
> contact. Use your own phone number and test details while you are trying things
> out.

## What to try next

#### [Process a Daily CSV](/platform/workflows/guides-and-recipes/guides/process-a-daily-csv)

Handle many leads at once from a partner's daily file.

#### [Branch on a Value](/platform/workflows/guides-and-recipes/recipes/branch-on-a-value)

Route new leads differently based on a condition.

#### [Send a Slack Alert](/platform/workflows/guides-and-recipes/recipes/send-a-slack-alert)

Tell your team the moment a new lead arrives.

#### [Trigger from a Webhook](/platform/workflows/guides-and-recipes/recipes/trigger-from-a-webhook)

Wire an external form or CRM to start this workflow.

> Documentation for Gail, the AI platform for financial services. Learn how to set up GailGPT and Gail Agent to automate customer communications for insurance, banking, and finance.