> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.novala.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Capture leads and manage your sales pipeline in Novala

> Capture leads, score them automatically, qualify the best ones, and track deals through your pipeline stages from first contact to close.

Novala's sales features span two connected modules: **Leads** and **Pipeline**. Leads is where new opportunities enter — captured from web forms, conversations, or manual entry — and the Pipeline is where qualified opportunities live as deals moving through stages toward close. This page covers both.

## Leads

### How leads work

When a new lead comes in, Novala automatically calculates a score based on your configured scoring rules. Higher scores indicate leads that better match your ideal criteria. From there, you can qualify a lead to convert it into a deal in your pipeline, or disqualify it if it's not a fit.

### Capture a lead manually

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Leads">
    Navigate to **Sales → Leads** in the left sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a new lead">
    Click **New Lead** and fill in the contact information, source, and any notes. The lead is scored automatically when saved.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign the lead">
    Use the **Assigned To** field to route the lead to the right sales rep.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Leads can also be created automatically when an AI agent conversation resolves — for example, when a prospect fills out a web chat.
</Tip>

### Lead scoring

Novala scores each lead based on rules you configure. Scoring rules evaluate fields on the lead record — such as company size, source channel, or industry — and assign points accordingly. The total determines the lead's score.

To configure scoring rules, go to **Settings → Leads → Scoring Rules**. You need the **Manage Scoring Rules** permission to edit rules.

### Qualify or disqualify a lead

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the lead">
    Go to **Sales → Leads** and open the lead you want to action.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the details">
    Check the score, communications history, and any notes before deciding.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Qualify or disqualify">
    Click **Qualify** to mark the lead as sales-ready, or **Disqualify** with a reason if it's not a fit.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Convert a lead to a deal

When a qualified lead is ready to move forward, convert it to a contact and a deal in your pipeline.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the qualified lead">
    Navigate to **Sales → Leads** and open the lead.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Convert">
    Click **Convert Lead**. Novala creates a contact record (or links to an existing one) and opens the new deal form.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set deal details">
    Confirm the deal name, value, pipeline stage, and assigned rep. Click **Save** to create the deal.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Escalation and SLA

Leads that aren't contacted within a set timeframe can be automatically escalated. Escalation rules specify how long a lead can remain uncontacted before it's flagged and optionally reassigned to another rep.

Configure escalation rules in **Settings → Leads → Escalation Rules**. You need the **Manage Escalation Rules** permission.

***

## Pipeline

### How the pipeline works

The Pipeline view shows your deals as cards on a Kanban board, organized by stage. You can drag deals between stages, filter by owner or value, and get a summary of what's in each stage at a glance.

### Create a deal

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Pipeline">
    Navigate to **Sales → Pipeline**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a deal">
    Click **New Deal** (or the **+** button on any stage column). Fill in the deal name, associated company and contact, expected value, and close date.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign and save">
    Set the assigned sales rep and click **Save**. The deal appears on the board in the selected stage.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Move a deal through stages

Drag a deal card to a new column to move it to the next stage. Novala automatically logs a stage-change activity on the deal timeline.

Quote events also update the pipeline automatically:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Quote sent" icon="paper-plane">
    Novala logs an activity on the deal when a quote is sent to the customer.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quote accepted" icon="circle-check">
    The deal is automatically closed as won and the activity is logged.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quote declined" icon="circle-xmark">
    An activity is logged on the deal so you have a full record of the interaction.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Log an activity

You can manually log calls, emails, meetings, and notes directly on a deal to keep the timeline up to date.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the deal">
    Click any deal card to open the detail view.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add an activity">
    Click **Log Activity**, choose the activity type, add your notes, and save.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Close a deal

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the deal">
    Click the deal card to open it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Mark as closed">
    Click **Close Deal**, then select **Won** or **Lost**. For lost deals, enter a reason.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Configure pipeline stages

Admins can add, rename, reorder, or remove pipeline stages to match your sales process. Go to **Settings → Pipeline → Stages**.