Quick answer: Marketplace leads from IndiaMART and JustDial go cold within hours, so the goal is simple: every enquiry lands in one CRM, is assigned to a person automatically, and triggers a call task at once. Cratio CRM lists IndiaMART, JustDial, Facebook Ads and property portals as lead sources with round-robin assignment, and Kylas CRM offers lead routing with marketplace integrations.
The real problem with portal leads
If you pay IndiaMART or JustDial for enquiries, you already know the pattern. Leads arrive on a phone app, in an email, or in a portal dashboard. One salesperson sees them, another does not, and the same buyer has usually sent the same enquiry to five suppliers. The supplier who calls first is often the one who gets the conversation.
Spending on the portal while managing the leads in a notebook is the most common leak in Indian SME sales. A CRM does not create demand, but it stops you wasting what you already paid for. The workflow below applies whichever tool you choose.
What "bringing leads into a CRM" actually means
There are three layers, and it helps to ask a vendor about each separately:
- Capture: the enquiry, with the buyer's name, phone, requirement and city, arrives in the CRM without manual typing.
- Distribution: the lead is assigned to a salesperson by a rule (round-robin, by product, by city, by language).
- Action: a task or call prompt is created straight away, and the lead shows a clear status.
Cratio's site describes all three: it says it "automatically ingests leads" from IndiaMART, JustDial, Facebook Ads, Google Forms, 99acres, MagicBricks and website forms, supports round-robin assignment, and routes leads by territory or round-robin "within seconds of landing". Kylas' site speaks of lead capture and routing: "Route every lead intelligently, & never miss a conversion", and mentions a marketplace of 350+ integrations, naming IndiaMART and JustDial in that context.
Always confirm the exact portal connection you need on the vendor's own integration page, because connection methods (API key, email parsing, or a partner connector) differ and portals change their access rules.
Step-by-step set-up
1. List your lead sources. Write down every place an enquiry can appear: IndiaMART, JustDial, your website form, Facebook or Instagram ads, missed calls, WhatsApp, walk-ins and exhibitions. Most owners find two or three they had forgotten.
2. Create a "Source" field and a short stage list. New, Contacted, Qualified, Quote sent, Won, Lost. Source must be mandatory, as it later tells you which portal pays back.
3. Connect the portals. Follow the vendor's integration guide for each. Test with a real enquiry and check that the number, requirement and source arrive correctly.
4. Set distribution rules. For a small team, round-robin is fine. If you sell several product lines or serve different states, route by product or city, and by language if your team splits on it.
5. Make the first call a rule. Create an automatic task: "Call within 15 minutes." The number is your choice; the point is that someone sees the lead the moment it lands. Cratio's page also states that it logs and records calls and provides disposition tracking, so the first call can happen from the CRM itself.
6. Add a WhatsApp or SMS acknowledgement. Cratio's site lists an official WhatsApp API integration with templated messages and a shared team inbox. Kylas' pricing page lists WhatsApp integration and telephony on its Elevate plan. A short message such as "Thanks for your enquiry for X, our executive will call shortly" tells the buyer you are serious.
De-duplicating enquiries
One buyer may enquire on IndiaMART, call your JustDial number and fill your website form on the same day. If each creates a new lead, three salespeople will phone them. Kylas' site mentions duplicate flagging in its contact database. Whichever CRM you use, test it: submit the same phone number through two sources and see whether you get one record or two. Decide the rule up front: the newest source is logged as an activity on the existing lead, not as a separate lead.
Measuring what each portal gives you
Once source is captured, a basic report answers questions that were out of reach before:
| Question | Report to build |
|---|---|
| Which portal gives the most enquiries? | Leads by source, by month |
| Which gives real conversations? | Leads reaching "Contacted" or "Qualified" by source |
| Which gives orders? | Won deals and value by source |
| Are we slow? | Time from lead creation to first call |
| Who drops leads? | Leads untouched after one day, by owner |
When you compare what you pay a portal with the won value from it, you can renew or cut subscriptions with evidence rather than habit. For a sense of how lead-focused products line up, see our lead generation category and the Corefactors, Kylas and Freshsales comparison.
Choosing between Cratio and Kylas
Cratio CRM: its site lists nine ready-made industry setups: real estate, education, financial services, manufacturing, call centres, travel, recruitment, fitness and automotive. If you are in one of those and want portal leads, calling and WhatsApp in one place, it deserves a trial. Pricing is on its pricing page; its homepage does not list tier costs.
Kylas CRM: its pricing page shows a free Embark plan with 10,000 records and unlimited users, and an Elevate plan that adds workflow automation, telephony, SMS and WhatsApp integration. Check the page for current rupee prices and the add-ons. The free plan is a good way to test the capture and routing before paying.
If your volume is mostly inbound calls rather than portal forms, look at the dialer CRM category and our guide to dialer and telecalling CRMs. For real estate specifically, see best CRM for real estate in India.
What to say on the first call
A CRM only routes the lead; the call decides the sale. Give the team a short script with four questions: what exactly do you need, what quantity or size, by when, and who else are you speaking to. Record the answers in the lead's notes during the call, not afterwards. A buyer who gives a quantity and a date is a real lead; one who will not is usually collecting prices. Mark them accordingly so your best salespeople spend time on the first group, and send the second group a catalogue and a polite follow-up reminder a few days later.
Common mistakes
- Connecting the portal but not the workflow. Leads arrive but nobody is alerted. Always set the call task.
- No loss reasons. Without them you cannot tell bad leads from bad follow-up.
- Everyone logs in with one shared ID. You lose accountability and cannot see who responded.
- Ignoring leads from after hours. Set a rule that morning shift handles night leads first.
- Over-automating the first reply. A template is fine for an acknowledgement; qualification should be a human conversation.
A one-week pilot
Pick one portal and one team. Day 1: connect and test. Day 2: train the team on the three actions (call, update stage, add note). Days 3-5: run live and review leads untouched at the end of each day. Day 7: compare time-to-first-call with last month's estimate. If it improved, add the next source.
FAQs
How do I connect IndiaMART leads to a CRM?
Use the CRM's IndiaMART integration, which usually needs your account credentials or a key from IndiaMART. Ask the vendor for the current steps, as portals change access methods.
Can JustDial leads go directly into a CRM?
Several Indian CRMs list JustDial as a supported source, including Cratio, which names it on its site. Confirm the connection method and test with a live enquiry.
What is round-robin lead assignment?
It hands each new lead to the next salesperson in turn, so everyone gets an equal share. You can also route by city, product or language.
Do I need a CRM if I already use the IndiaMART app?
The app shows leads but does not unify them with other sources, track follow-ups or report which portal makes money. A CRM adds those.
Is there a free CRM for portal leads?
Kylas lists a free plan with 1,000 records and unlimited users. Check which features, such as integrations, are included in it.
Next step: get a free matched shortlist, or compare more in CRM software.
