> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://help.close.com/best-practices/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://help.close.com/_mcp/server.

# Best Practices

## Docs

- [Designing a Cold Outbound Cadence](https://help.close.com/best-practices/designing-a-cold-outbound-cadence.md): Design a cold outbound cadence: rhythm, signal-based enrollment, multi-threading, and channel mix, with a worked example and how to build it in Close.
- [Inbound Lead Response](https://help.close.com/best-practices/inbound-lead-response.md): Respond to inbound leads within minutes. Why speed-to-lead matters, when to call vs. email, and how to capture, route, and surface new leads in Close.
- [Using Workflows for Newsletters](https://help.close.com/best-practices/using-workflows-for-newsletters.md): Send email newsletters with Workflows in Close. Define your goals, create Email Templates, build the Workflow, and track performance over time.
- [Lead Scoring](https://help.close.com/best-practices/lead-scoring.md): Score leads in Close with Custom Fields, Custom Activities, and Smart Views. Define your ideal customer criteria, track them, and prioritize top Leads.
- [Simplify Your Workflows with Automated Senders](https://help.close.com/best-practices/simplify-your-workflows-with-automated-senders.md): Set a different sender for each Workflow step in Close, such as the Lead owner, instead of the user who enrolled the Lead. How it works and use cases.
- [Assign Leads to Users via Round-Robin](https://help.close.com/best-practices/simplify-your-workflows-with-automated-senders/new-assign-leads-to-users-via-round-robin.md): Assign new Leads to your team in rotation with Robin, a round-robin app for Close, or with Zapier. Set up Groups and Lead Lists and review activity.
- [Build a Sales Process](https://help.close.com/best-practices/build-a-sales-process.md): Build a repeatable sales process: what it includes, how to design each stage from lead to customer, and how to track and refine it in Close.
- [Designing your sales pipeline](https://help.close.com/best-practices/build-a-sales-process/designing-your-sales-pipeline.md): Design your sales pipeline in Close. Choose your stages, write exit criteria, set up forecasting, and enforce pipeline hygiene with Smart Views.
- [Automating Close with Zapier](https://help.close.com/best-practices/automating-close-with-zapier.md): Automate actions inside Close by connecting Close to itself with Zapier. Get started with Zaps and see common ways customers automate their process.
- [Create a new Lead once a Calendly meeting is booked](https://help.close.com/best-practices/automating-close-with-zapier/create-a-new-lead-once-a-calendly-meeting-is-booked.md)
- [Perform an action when a Workflow ends](https://help.close.com/best-practices/automating-close-with-zapier/perform-an-action-when-a-workflow-ends.md): Use Zapier to trigger an action when a Workflow ends in Close, such as enrolling the Lead in a long-term follow-up Workflow or updating its status.
- [Creating additional SMS notifications for users](https://help.close.com/best-practices/automating-close-with-zapier/forwarding-sms.md): Get extra alerts for incoming SMS in Close. Use Zapier to email the assigned user or forward the message to their cell phone.
- [Enforcing required fields in Close via Zapier](https://help.close.com/best-practices/automating-close-with-zapier/enforcing-required-fields-in-close-via-zapier.md): Use Zapier to enforce required fields in Close. Check whether fields are filled in before a status change, then send an alert or revert the change.
- [Create an Opportunity when Status is changed to Qualified](https://help.close.com/best-practices/automating-close-with-zapier/create-an-opportunity-when-a-lead-status-is-moved-to-qualified.md): Use Zapier to create an Opportunity in Close automatically whenever a Lead's status changes to Qualified, so every qualified Lead enters your pipeline.
- [Creating a multi-channel sales workflow in Close](https://help.close.com/best-practices/creating-a-multi-channel-sales-workflow-in-close.md): Plan a multi-channel sales workflow in Close. Map your email, call, and SMS touch points, then build them with Workflows, Smart Views, and the dialers.
- [Avoiding Lead Rot and Consolidating Smart Views](https://help.close.com/best-practices/avoiding-lead-rot-and-consolidating-smart-views.md): Use Smart Views in Close to find Leads and deals that have sat in a status too long, and combine several Smart Views into one.
- [Parent/Child Lead Hierarchy](https://help.close.com/best-practices/how-do-i-create-a-parentchild-account-hierarchy.md): Link parent and child accounts in Close with a Lead custom field and integration links, so you can move between related companies like franchises.
- [Keyboard shortcuts](https://help.close.com/best-practices/keyboard-shortcuts.md): Keyboard shortcuts in Close: press ? on any page to see the full list, and open the command palette with Cmd+K on Mac or Ctrl+K on Windows.
- [Automatically set Opportunity Confidence based on pipeline status](https://help.close.com/best-practices/automatically-set-opportunity-probability-based-on-pipeline-status.md): Use Workflows in Close to update an Opportunity's Confidence when it moves into a new status, with an example mapping and tips to avoid conflicts.