Send a Webhook (Send a Payload to a Third-party App) – Leadfwd

Push Contacts and Data Field Properties to Third-Party Apps When Specific Events Occur using Webhooks.

Webhooks are a powerful and simple method to transmit useful data between applications when an 'event' occurs. While webhooks are similar to an API, they don't require scheduled polling to figure out when data is modified. Instead the webhook is triggered instantly when an event you define takes place.

Why Use a Webhook Over an API?

API’s require that we poll data frequently to get the data update we need. Polling is not an ideal solution for either the server or the client making the request. Ultimately it leads to a lot of wasted time and server resources to prepare and send requests and replying to responses that contains nothing new. Also, when there is data, it’s only as new as the latest polling interval, which means its not processed in real-time.

The historic drawback to a webhook was that they could be complicated to set up. You would need to create a script called an end-point to receive your data or a custom script to gather and send data to another apps end-point. But, thanks to platforms like Zapier, a webhook can be easily created in a no-code setup wizard and connected thousands of apps in a matter of minutes.

Create an Outbound Webhook

Leadfwd separates Webhooks into two categories, Inbound and Outbound. With an Outbound webhook you configure Leadfwd to POST to a webhook endpoint when a specific event or action takes place. These triggers can be created using Automation or as action steps within a Sequence.

Navigate to Settings

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2. Expand Integrations and Select Webhooks

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3. Click the Outbound Connectors tab and Select Create Connector

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Name your Connector

A simple and easily identifiable name that you and your team can recognize. Consider a naming convention to organize multiple connectors. The connector name will also appear with the webhook post and can be useful for identifying the underlying purpose. So, for example, if you're creating an event that sends a Slack alert when an existing lead returns to your website, then naming the connector for that purpose is a good idea. Slack Integration | Returning Site Visitor | Alerts | $user

Webhook Destination / Endpoint URL

This is the URL that your webhook will POST to, when a specific event is true.

Data Fields to Send

Leadfwd allows you to customize the specific data and custom fields that are pushed to the Outbound Connector. The selected data fields will be automatically filled with your contact(s) field values each time the webhook event is triggered.

Simply select the menu field below 'Data fields to POST' and select one or multiple different fields available. The available fields in the menu span all available Contact and CRM lists within your Leadfwd account, so in the event of multiple lists it's important to understand that not every contact will have every field or a value in the field. It can and will likely vary from contact to contact.

Some fields are not available for selection and will send by default in addition to the data fields you've selected. These fields include Name, Email address, Date Created, List Source, Status, etc.

Test Connector

Once you've selected your data fields you can now send a test POST to your endpoint by clicking Test Connector. During this process we will send a fully formatted webhook payload post to your endpoint.

Webhook Payload: Data Fields

contact_id 1236581
email austin@*****.com
name Austin Manning
list_id 6608
list_name Leadfwd Contacts
status Active
lead_score 110
lead_source Prospect [Software - 02/25/21 08:15:26]
timezone PT
unixtime_created 1614278370
date_created 02/25/2021 10:39:30am
unixtime_last_modified 1654569553
date_last_modified 06/06/2022 7:39:13pm
src_id 0
src_name Push to Custom CRM
src_type Outbound Connector