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Add and manage leads in brightwheel CRM

[For Admins] Learn how to add leads, customize your leads view, and use the lead drawer to edit student details.

Written by Audrey

Your CRM pipeline gives you a clear view of every prospective family, called a lead, and where they stand in your enrollment process. For example, when a family calls to ask about toddler openings, you can add them as a lead, note their child's peanut allergy, and email them a tour invite, all in one place.

This article walks you through adding leads, managing their details, and moving them through stages.

🚀 Not seeing brightwheel CRM in your account? New schools see it automatically, while existing schools need to opt in. Learn how to opt in.

Add a lead

You can add leads one at a time, in bulk, or they'll appear automatically when a family submits your CRM interest form. If you already have prospects in brightwheel and are an existing user, you can move them into CRM by following the steps below to Migrate leads.

Add individual leads

Use this for a family who calls or walks in.

  1. Log in on the web

  2. In the sidebar menu, click CRM > Leads

  3. Click Add lead

  4. Enter the child's and parent's information, desired start date, and pipeline stage

  5. Optionally add a lead source and any notes, then click Add lead

Add leads in bulk

If you have an existing list of prospects, use Import leads to add them all at once. Upload your file, and our team reviews it and adds your leads to CRM.

  1. Log in on the web

  2. In the sidebar menu, click CRM > Leads

  3. Click Import leads

  4. Upload a file with your lead information, such as names, contact info, and child details

  5. Click Upload

Leads are typically imported within 1 business day, often sooner. You'll receive an email once it's complete.

Add leads with your CRM Interest form

When a family completes your interest form, they're added to the New inquiry stage automatically. Learn how to set up and share CRM forms if you haven’t already.

Migrate leads (for existing brightwheel customers)

If you already have prospective students in brightwheel, you can quickly migrate students over to CRM with just a few clicks.

  1. On the web, go to Admissions

  2. In the banner at the top, click Migrate

  3. Select the students you want to migrate and confirm

Customize your leads view

From the Leads page, you can customize what you see with the filters at the top.

Switch between a board and a list, and filter by program or lead source. To choose what shows on each lead card, click the settings icon and turn on details like the child's age, siblings, desired start date, program, or parent contact info.

Manage a lead

Click any lead to open the lead drawer. From there you can:

  • Edit child and parent details, including desired start date and siblings

  • Add notes, such as allergies or questions to cover on a tour

  • Log a call, like when you connected with a family or left a voicemail

  • Schedule a tour or send an application

  • View the lead's full history, which all admins can see

Send an email from the lead drawer

You can email a family at any time within brightwheel CRM. Please note that these are only outbound emails, and you won’t see any replies in brightwheel. We recommend checking your email inbox for replies and to send additional responses.

  1. Log in on the web

  2. In the sidebar menu, click CRM > Leads

  3. Click a student to open the lead drawer

  4. Select the email icon to choose from a template or draft your own

  5. Click Send email when ready

💡 Tip: Set up email templates ahead of time so you can send consistent messages each time. Learn how: Customize and manage CRM message templates.

Delete a lead

Delete a lead if they were added by mistake or you no longer want access to their information. Deleting a lead is permanent, so only delete a lead if you're sure you won't need their data.

Delete one lead

  1. Log in on the web

  2. In the sidebar menu, click CRM > Leads

  3. Select a student to open the lead drawer

  4. Click the three dots and select Delete

  5. Review the message and check the box to confirm

  6. Click Delete

Delete several leads at once

  1. In the sidebar menu, click CRM > Leads

  2. Click Select at the top of the page

  3. Choose the leads you want to delete

  4. Click Actions > Delete

  5. Click Delete to complete the final steps

FAQs

Why can't I find a lead in my student list?

Leads become students only after you move them to the Enrolled stage in your pipeline.

Can I text a lead?

Not yet. CRM currently sends emails only.

Who can see a lead's history?

All admins can see the history on a lead.

Can I recover a deleted lead?

No, deleted leads can't be recovered at this time.

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