So you want to know when a new lead hits your site—without constantly refreshing a dashboard or checking an app? Good call. If you're using Visitor Queue to identify which companies are visiting your website, you can absolutely set up email notifications for new leads. The catch: Visitor Queue doesn't make this as "one-click" as you'd hope (welcome to B2B SaaS), but it's totally doable with a few minutes of setup.
Whether you’re in sales, marketing, or just tired of missing out on hot prospects, this guide is for you. No fluff. No unnecessary tech jargon. Just a practical how-to for automating those new lead alerts so you can actually act on them—fast.
What You'll Get (and What You Won't)
Before we dive in, let’s set expectations:
- You’ll get: An automated email every time Visitor Queue finds a new lead, delivered to your inbox (or your team's inbox).
- You won’t get: Instant, live alerts for every single website visitor—Visitor Queue identifies companies, not individuals, and sometimes with a lag (it can be up to 24 hours).
- You’ll need: Access to your Visitor Queue account, and optionally, a Zapier account if you want more advanced automation.
If you’re after real-time notifications for every visitor, this isn’t the tool. But if you want to know when a company worth calling is snooping around, read on.
Step 1: Decide If Built-In Notifications Are Enough
Visitor Queue does offer some basic notification features out of the box. Here’s how they work:
- Daily Lead Summary: You get a daily email with a list of new leads.
- Custom Filters: You can set up filters (e.g., only get notified about companies from a certain country or industry).
What’s missing? - No immediate, per-lead notifications—just summaries. - No real customization beyond filtering the daily email.
If a daily summary is enough:
Just go to “Settings” in Visitor Queue, find “Notifications,” and turn on daily emails. You’re done. Go make coffee.
If you want more control (like instant alerts or team notifications):
You’ll need to set up some automation. Let’s get into that.
Step 2: Connect Visitor Queue to Zapier
If you haven’t used Zapier before, it’s basically glue for web apps. Visitor Queue integrates with Zapier, which lets you trigger email notifications, Slack messages, CRM updates, and all kinds of stuff.
Here’s how to connect Visitor Queue to Zapier:
- Log in to Visitor Queue.
- Head to “Integrations” (usually in your account menu).
- Find Zapier and click “Connect” (they might call it “Add Integration” or similar).
- Follow the on-screen instructions to authorize Zapier with your Visitor Queue account. You’ll likely need your Visitor Queue API key.
Pro tip:
If you don’t see Zapier integration, make sure your Visitor Queue plan supports it. Some cheaper plans don’t. If that’s the case, you’re stuck with daily summary emails—or you’ll have to get creative with email filters and forwarders.
Step 3: Set Up Your Zap (Automation)
Now we’ll build the automation, or “Zap,” that will send you an email whenever a new lead pops up.
3.1. Create a New Zap
- In Zapier, click “Create Zap.”
3.2. Set Visitor Queue as the Trigger
- Trigger App: Search for “Visitor Queue.”
- Trigger Event: Choose “New Lead” (or whatever the closest match is—wording may vary).
- Connect your Visitor Queue account if prompted.
Note:
You can often add filters here—like only triggering for certain company sizes, locations, or industries. This lets you cut out junk leads.
3.3. Add the Email Step
- Action App: Choose “Email by Zapier” (or Gmail, Outlook, whatever you use).
- Action Event: Pick “Send Outbound Email.”
- Set Up Email:
- To: Your email address (or your sales team’s shared inbox).
- Subject: Something like “New Website Lead: {{Company Name}}”
- Body: Pull in data from Visitor Queue, like company name, website, pages viewed, time of visit, etc.
Pro tip:
Keep the email short and actionable. If you’re sending these to a team, include a link to the Visitor Queue record so they don’t have to hunt for details.
3.4. Test and Turn On
- Zapier will let you run a test—do it, and make sure the email looks right.
- If all’s good, turn on the Zap.
Step 4: Fine-Tune (or Get Fancy)
Once you’ve got basic notifications working, you can tweak things:
- Add Filters: Only get emails for companies above a certain size or from certain industries.
- Send to Slack: Swap out the email step for Slack if your team lives there.
- Log to CRM: Add a step to create a lead in Salesforce, HubSpot, or whatever you use.
- Batch Notifications: If instant notifications are too much, set it to send a digest every few hours.
Honestly? Don’t overcomplicate it at first.
Start with a simple notification. You can always add more steps later.
What About Privacy and Spam?
A couple of things to keep in mind:
- Privacy: Visitor Queue uses reverse IP lookup. You’re not spying on individuals, but you are tracking company visits. Be thoughtful about how you use this info.
- Spam: If you set up notifications for every single lead, your inbox will get crowded—fast. Use filters to stay sane.
Troubleshooting: When Notifications Don’t Work
- No emails coming through? Double-check your Zapier connection and make sure your trigger is firing (test with a fresh website visit).
- Too many emails? Tighten your Visitor Queue filters or add a Zapier filter step.
- Emails going to spam? Use a recognizable subject line and send from a trusted address.
If you hit a wall, Zapier’s logs are actually pretty helpful. Visitor Queue support isn’t the fastest, but they’ll usually sort you out if it’s a real integration issue.
Stuff to Ignore
- Expensive add-ons: Don’t pay extra for “advanced notifications” unless you really need something that Zapier can’t do (which is rare).
- Overly complex workflows: Resist the urge to build a Rube Goldberg machine that pings your phone, creates a Trello card, and orders you a coffee every time a lead comes in. More steps = more ways for things to break.
- “AI lead scoring” plug-ins: Most of these are just fancy filters and marketing fluff. Start simple, see what works.
Wrap Up: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Automating email notifications for new leads in Visitor Queue is straightforward if you stick to the basics. You don’t need a developer, and you don’t need to buy a new tool. Start with simple notifications, see how your team uses them, and tweak from there.
Remember, more alerts don’t equal more sales. Focus on the leads that matter, and don’t let automation become another source of noise. Good luck—and if it gets too complicated, you’re probably doing too much.