If you use live chat to capture leads, you know the pain: a promising conversation in your chat widget, then... nothing. Leads get forgotten, scattered, or just lost. If you want to get serious about following up, you need those leads to land in your CRM, not just your inbox. This is for anyone managing leads with Tidio and annoyed by manual data entry or missed opportunities. Let’s get you set up the right way—without the fluff, the hype, or the endless “integration” rabbit holes.
Why bother connecting Tidio and your CRM?
Let’s be blunt: copying leads from chat into a spreadsheet or your CRM sucks. It’s slow, it’s boring, and you’ll mess it up eventually. Automation here isn’t about being fancy—it’s about not dropping the ball.
What you actually get out of this: - No more lost leads. Every chat goes straight into your CRM. - Follow-up is automatic (or at least, easier). - Cleaner data. You don’t have to decipher your own typing at 6pm on a Friday.
But—don’t expect magic. If your chat widget asks for a phone number and your CRM needs an email, and your leads only give you “lol123@email.com,” automation won’t fix that. Garbage in, garbage out.
What you’ll need before starting
Let’s keep this simple. You’ll need: - Admin access to your Tidio account - Admin access to your CRM (doesn’t matter if it’s HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, or something else) - A willingness to poke around a bit—there’s no “one-click” button for every CRM
Optional, but handy: - A Zapier account (or Make, or a similar automation tool) if your CRM isn’t directly supported by Tidio - 10 minutes where you won’t be interrupted
Step 1: Decide how you want to connect
Not all CRMs are created equal, and Tidio’s built-in integrations are a bit hit-and-miss. Here’s the honest rundown:
- Direct Tidio integrations: Easiest, but limited to the big names (Mailchimp, HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.). If you see your CRM in Tidio’s “Integrations” tab, count yourself lucky.
- Zapier/Make (or similar): Covers a ton of CRMs, but you’ll need to set up a “Zap” (or scenario/automation) to move data from Tidio to your CRM.
- Webhooks or API: For the control freaks or if you’re using something truly obscure. More flexible, but you’ll need some technical chops.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure, start with Zapier. It’s rarely the fastest, but it almost always works.
Step 2: Map out what info you actually need
Don’t just throw every chat message into your CRM. Figure out: - Which fields matter? (Name, email, phone, question asked, etc.) - Where should new leads go? (A “New Leads” list? A pipeline stage?) - Do you want every chat, or only when someone fills a form or leaves contact info?
You’ll thank yourself later if you sort this out now. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a CRM full of half-finished records and random messages.
Step 3: Set up the integration
Let’s break this down by method.
A. If your CRM is directly supported by Tidio
- In Tidio, go to Settings > Integrations.
- Find your CRM and click “Connect.”
- You’ll have to log in and authorize Tidio to access your CRM.
- Pick what data to sync.
- Usually you can choose which fields go where. If you can’t, Tidio just dumps the basics (name, email, message).
- Test it.
- Send yourself a message via the chat widget. Check your CRM—did the lead show up? Are the fields correct?
- Tweak as needed.
- If it’s not quite right, see if you can adjust the mapping or filters.
What works: Fast, minimal setup. Less to break. What doesn’t: You’re stuck with whatever options Tidio gives you. Custom fields? Good luck.
B. If you need to use Zapier or Make
- Create an account (if you don’t have one already).
- In Tidio, go to Integrations > Zapier (or Make).
- Follow the prompts to connect Tidio to Zapier.
- Set up your “trigger.”
- Usually something like “New Lead in Tidio” or “New Chat Ended.”
- Set up your “action.”
- E.g., “Create Contact in [Your CRM].”
- Map the fields.
- This is where you decide what info goes where. Take your time.
- Test the Zap.
- Run a test and see if the lead shows up in your CRM.
- Turn it on and monitor.
- Watch the first few leads to make sure nothing’s weird or missing.
What works: Tons of flexibility. You can clean up data, filter, or even send alerts. What doesn’t: More moving parts = more things that can break. Free Zapier plans can be limited (e.g., only 100 tasks/month).
C. Using webhooks or API (only if you have to)
If you’re technical or have a dev handy: - Use Tidio’s webhook integration to send lead data to your own endpoint. - Write a script to receive the webhook and create a CRM record. - Good for very custom setups, but overkill for most folks.
What works: Total control. What doesn’t: You’re on your own. If it breaks, it’s your problem.
Step 4: Clean up your CRM (seriously)
Don’t just firehose everything into your CRM and hope for the best. Some tips: - Set up a dedicated “Tidio Leads” list or pipeline stage. - Add a tag or source field so you know where leads come from. - Regularly check for duplicates or junk records. - If you get lots of spam, consider adding a simple validation (e.g., don’t create a lead if there’s no email).
You want actionable leads, not just noise.
Step 5: Train your team (or yourself)
Automation’s great, but people still need to follow up. Make sure everyone knows: - Where Tidio leads show up in the CRM - What info’s included (and what isn’t) - Who’s responsible for follow-up
A 5-minute Slack message or quick Loom video goes a long way.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Leads missing info: Your chatbots/forms need to ask for what you need. No email = no follow-up.
- Duplicate contacts: If your CRM can merge or dedupe, turn that on.
- Data mismatch: Double-check your field mapping. “First Name” in Tidio isn’t always the same as “First Name” in your CRM.
- Integration stops working: Zapier quotas, expired tokens, or changes in Tidio can break things. Set a calendar reminder to test every month.
What to ignore (for now)
- Over-complicated workflows. Start simple. Don’t try to score, nurture, and route every lead on day one.
- Syncing every chat message. Most people just want lead details, not a transcript of the whole conversation.
- Fancy analytics. Get the basics right before you start building dashboards.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple, iterate often
Connecting Tidio to your CRM isn’t hard, but it’s easy to overthink. Start with a basic integration that gets leads into your system. See what breaks, fix it, and only add complexity if you really need it. Manual data entry is a waste of time—let the machines do what they’re good at, and you focus on talking to your leads.
If you hit a wall, don’t be shy about asking support (or, honestly, just Googling for someone’s Zapier template). Most of us are making this up as we go along anyway.
Good luck—and don’t let another lead slip through the cracks.