How to send leads to Freshsales with the API

To send leads to Freshsales, copy your API key from Settings → API settings, note your bundle name (the first part of yourname.myfreshworks.com), and POST each lead to /crm/sales/api/contacts/upsert with the email as the unique identifier. Freshsales adds new people and updates the ones it already has.

Find your key and bundle name

1. In Freshsales, click your profile picture and choose Settings.
2. Open API settings and copy Your API key.
3. Look at the address you sign in at. In https://ridgewayfencing.myfreshworks.com, the bundle name is ridgewayfencing.

The request

POST https://ridgewayfencing.myfreshworks.com/crm/sales/api/contacts/upsert
Authorization: Token token=<your API key>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "unique_identifier": { "emails": "[email protected]" },
  "contact": {
    "first_name": "Ruth",
    "last_name": "Morgan",
    "emails": "[email protected]",
    "mobile_number": "+447700900654",
    "zipcode": "CF10 1EP"
  }
}

Note the unusual header: Token token=…, not Bearer. It’s the most common reason a first request comes back 401.

Things to set up in Freshsales

• Lead source. Create a lead source called “Website estimator” under Admin settings → Lead sources and send its ID as lead_source_id, so reports show where work comes from.
• Assignment rules. Under Admin settings → Assignment rules, send new contacts by postcode or service to the right person.
• Sales sequences. Start a short sequence for new website contacts: a thank-you email the same day and a follow-up task two days later.

Required fields can block leads

If an admin has made a contact field required (say, “Company”), API requests without it fail with a 400. Either relax the rule for the API or send a sensible default. Trades whose customers are homeowners usually don’t need a company at all.

Doing it in RoughFigure

In RoughFigure we’ve built Freshsales in as a direct connection. Under Integrations → Send leads to your CRM, choose Freshsales, paste your API key and bundle name, and click Connect. Every estimator lead is then upserted as a contact with their name, email, mobile number and postcode, with no code and no duplicates. See the Freshsales integration.

Questions

Is Freshsales the same as Freshworks CRM?

Yes. Freshworks has used both names, and accounts live at yourname.myfreshworks.com. Older accounts on freshsales.io addresses use the same API under that address.

Can I create a deal too?

Yes, by posting to the deals endpoint with the contact’s ID. Many teams let a workflow create deals once a contact is qualified instead.

Why does the contact have my first name as the last name?

Freshsales needs a last name. If a customer only gives one name, a sensible fallback is to use it for both, which you can tidy up when you call.