Integration Guide

How to Integrate AI SMS
with Your CRM

PepperSend's AI captures leads via SMS text-back after missed calls and sends the contact data to HubSpot, Salesforce, GoHighLevel, and more. Here is how to set it up.

5s
text-back after missed call
75-90%
AI lead containment rate
$0.03
per SMS message
How It Works

The AI SMS to CRM data flow

PepperSend sits between your phone system and your CRM. When a call is missed, the AI sends a text, has a conversation, and captures the lead. The lead data is then pushed to your CRM via webhook or Zapier.

Think of PepperSend as the AI capture layer: it converts anonymous missed calls into named, qualified contacts with full conversation transcripts. Your CRM receives clean, structured data it can act on immediately.

Step by Step

5 steps to connect AI SMS to your CRM

1

Configure your AI knowledge base

Add your business FAQs, pricing, hours, and services to PepperSend's knowledge base. The AI uses this to answer questions and qualify callers during SMS conversations. A well-configured knowledge base directly increases containment rate and lead quality.

2

Enable lead capture

In PepperSend settings, set the AI objective to "Qualify Leads." The AI will collect the caller's name, email, and inquiry during conversation. When all fields are captured, PepperSend creates a contact record and fires a [LEAD_CAPTURED] event.

3

Connect your CRM via webhook or Zapier

Use Zapier to connect PepperSend's "New Contact" trigger to your CRM. Or configure an outbound webhook URL in PepperSend to POST lead data directly to your CRM's API. The webhook fires on every new contact creation event.

4

Map the data fields

Map PepperSend fields to your CRM's contact and deal fields. Set deal stage to your equivalent of "New Inbound Lead." The lead score field (0-100) is useful for prioritization: 80+ means name and email were both captured.

5

Test and verify

Send a test SMS to your PepperSend number. Complete a short lead capture conversation. Verify the contact appears in your CRM with the correct fields, lead score, and transcript. Check for any field mapping errors before going live.

Data Fields

What PepperSend sends to your CRM

Every contact PepperSend creates includes these fields. Map them to your CRM's native fields or store them as custom properties.

Field Description Example value
phone Caller's phone number in E.164 format +18015551234
name Name captured during AI conversation Sarah Johnson
email Email captured during AI conversation sarah@example.com
inquiry_category What the caller was asking about Pricing / Scheduling / Emergency
lead_score 0-100 score based on completeness. 80+ = name + email captured 80
transcript Full SMS conversation between AI and caller AI: Hi, this is... Caller: Hi I wanted...
first_contact_at Timestamp of the first text message sent 2026-06-07T14:32:00Z
handoff_reason Why the AI handed off to a human, if applicable lead_captured / low_confidence / cap_reached
CRM Compatibility

Works with your existing CRM

Zapier

HubSpot

Create or update contacts, add to a deal pipeline, and log the transcript as a note. Use the HubSpot "Create Contact" Zap action.

Zapier

Salesforce

Create a Lead or Contact record, assign to a campaign, and attach the transcript as an activity. Use Salesforce's standard Zap integration.

Webhook

GoHighLevel

POST directly to your GHL sub-account's inbound webhook URL. GHL creates a contact and tags it automatically. No Zapier needed.

Zapier

Pipedrive

Create a Person and a Deal in the correct pipeline stage. Map lead_score to Pipedrive's probability field for automatic prioritization.

Zapier

Zoho CRM

Create a Lead record with all captured fields. Use Zoho's "Create Lead" Zap action and map inquiry_category to the Lead Source field.

Webhook

Any CRM

PepperSend's outbound webhook sends JSON to any endpoint. If your CRM accepts HTTP POST with JSON, it can receive PepperSend leads with no middleware.

Bidirectional

CRM can also send context to PepperSend

PepperSend supports a customer lookup webhook that queries your CRM before the AI responds. When a known customer texts back, the AI greets them by name and references their history. Configure the lookup URL in the admin panel -- no code required.

This is especially useful for service businesses where repeat callers (existing customers) deserve a different greeting than new inquiries.

FAQ

Common questions

How does AI SMS integrate with a CRM?
AI SMS integrates with a CRM by sending lead data collected during text conversations to the CRM via an outbound webhook or Zapier. When PepperSend's AI captures a lead during a missed-call text-back conversation, it creates a contact record with the caller's phone, name, email, inquiry, and lead score. That record then triggers a webhook to your CRM, creating or updating a contact and optionally a deal.
Which CRMs does PepperSend integrate with?
PepperSend integrates with any CRM that accepts webhook data or connects via Zapier. This includes HubSpot, Salesforce, GoHighLevel, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, and hundreds of others. Native one-click integrations for HubSpot and Salesforce are available as a managed add-on ($2,000 one-time setup). Most businesses set up the Zapier integration in under 15 minutes.
What data does PepperSend send to the CRM?
PepperSend sends the following fields per lead: caller phone number (E.164 format), captured name, captured email, inquiry category, lead score (0-100), full conversation transcript, timestamp of first contact, and the reason the conversation was handed off to a human if applicable. The transcript field gives your sales team full context before they follow up.
Can the CRM send caller context back to PepperSend?
Yes. PepperSend supports a bidirectional customer lookup webhook. When an inbound call arrives, PepperSend can query your CRM for the caller's history before the AI responds. If the caller is a known customer, the AI greets them by name and references their past interactions. This is configured via the Customer Lookup Webhook setting in the admin panel.
Do I need a developer to set up the CRM integration?
No. The Zapier integration requires no coding. You select PepperSend as the trigger app, pick your CRM as the action app, and map the fields using Zapier's visual editor. The webhook integration requires a CRM API endpoint URL and basic HTTP knowledge. Managed native integrations for Salesforce and HubSpot are available through PepperSend's professional services team for $2,000 one-time setup.

Start capturing leads from missed calls today

PepperSend texts back every missed caller within 5 seconds and sends the lead to your CRM. From $15/mo. No contract.