Use Smartlead Manual Step events in your CRM
OutboundSync now supports Smartlead's Manual Step Reached event. When a prospect reaches a manual step in a campaign, OutboundSync writes it to your CRM.
Harris Kenny
Smartlead → HighLevel
Smartlead + HighLevel integration
Agencies run Smartlead for volume and HighLevel for each client's CRM. OutboundSync writes Smartlead activity as Notes on the matching Contact in the authorized sub-account.
BetaOne-way syncEmail
Smartlead + HighLevel at a glance
Smartlead connects to HighLevel through OutboundSync. Smartlead sends, opens, clicks, replies, bounces, unsubscribes, and lead category changes are written as plain-text Notes on the matching HighLevel Contact inside one authorized sub-account. OutboundSync matches on email, creates Contacts when needed, and keeps name, phone, and company current on each match.
| Status | Beta (HighLevel is a one-way beta CRM) |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Direction | One-way, Smartlead → HighLevel |
| HighLevel records | Contacts in one sub-account (Location) |
| Block lists | Not available for this pairing |
| Smartlead plan | Pro or higher |
| Setup | Guided: Location OAuth in-app, then source setup with the OutboundSync team |
Smartlead's multi-mailbox setup is a natural fit for agencies, and so is HighLevel's sub-account model. OutboundSync connects them per Location, so a client's HighLevel only ever receives activity from the Smartlead source you wired to it. Client teams stop asking for campaign exports because the history is already on their Contacts.
Every Note is plain text, which keeps it readable in HighLevel's Contact view and easy to scan on mobile. The lead category from Smartlead rides along, so the client sees how Smartlead categorized each reply.
What syncs from Smartlead to HighLevel
Every event below arrives in near-real time and lands on the matched HighLevel record. Pick the ones you want per source.
| Event | Channel | Where it lands in HighLevel |
|---|---|---|
| Email sent— Includes manual replies sent from the Smartlead inbox | Plain-text Note on the Contact | |
| Email opened | Plain-text Note on the Contact | |
| Link clicked | Plain-text Note on the Contact | |
| Reply received | Plain-text Note on the Contact | |
| Email bounced | Plain-text Note on the Contact | |
| Lead unsubscribed | Plain-text Note on the Contact | |
| Lead category updated— Smartlead's built-in and custom lead categories | Plain-text Note on the Contact |
Event names come from the Smartlead webhooks OutboundSync receives. HighLevel is a one-way beta, so exact event coverage is confirmed during onboarding. See the Smartlead event reference.
What teams do with Smartlead + HighLevel
Hand clients warm leads
Client teams filter HighLevel Contacts with interested Smartlead replies and call them the same day.
Prove campaign activity
Each Smartlead touch sits on the Contact, which beats a monthly report when a client asks what happened.
Keep Contacts clean
Email stays the dedup key and is never overwritten, so Smartlead activity doesn't fork duplicate Contacts.
Ways to connect Smartlead and HighLevel
The options teams weigh before they commit a production sync.
| Option | What it does | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier, Make, or n8nCompare integration platforms | Catch Smartlead webhooks and write each event to HighLevel with a workflow you build. | Every event type, retry, and field change is a workflow you maintain, billed per task or step. |
| Custom buildBuild vs buy | Write your own service against the Smartlead and HighLevel APIs. | You own matching, deduplication, API limits, and every upstream schema change. |
| OutboundSync | Pre-built email activity sync into HighLevel Contacts. | One-way beta with guided onboarding. Lighter configuration than HubSpot or Salesforce today. |
How to set up Smartlead + HighLevel
Step 1: Connect HighLevel
Authorize the HighLevel sub-account (Location) from CRM Settings in OutboundSync with the same email you use to log in.
Step 2: Connect Smartlead
Add your Smartlead API key in OutboundSync, then paste the source's webhook URL into Smartlead.
Step 3: Create the HighLevel source
Select Smartlead when you create the HighLevel source, and confirm how contacts are matched.
Step 4: Send a test event
Trigger one Smartlead event and confirm it on a real HighLevel Contact.
Step 5: Go live
Launch with the OutboundSync team watching the first production events in HighLevel.
Plan requirements
Smartlead plan
Pro or higher
OutboundSync requires Smartlead's Pro plan or higher, because it relies on Smartlead's webhook and API features.
HighLevel
HighLevel is a one-way beta. There is no HighLevel plan gate on our side; onboarding runs with the OutboundSync team.
Related integrations and guides
Smartlead with other CRMs
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TapcheckSmartlead + HighLevel FAQ
What Smartlead activity does OutboundSync sync to HighLevel?
Email sent, email opened, link clicked, reply received, email bounced, lead unsubscribed, and lead category updated.Which HighLevel records does it write to?
OutboundSync matches or creates HighLevel Contacts. Smartlead events land as plain-text Note on the Contact. See the HighLevel beta guide for details.Which HighLevel records does Smartlead activity touch?
Only Contacts and Notes. Opportunities, pipelines, tasks, and tags are left alone, so your client workflows keep running on the data they already use.Is the integration one-way or two-way?
One-way. Activity flows from Smartlead into HighLevel, and nothing is written back to Smartlead.Can I use HighLevel records as a block list?
Not today. Block lists come from HubSpot lists or Salesforce reports. The HighLevel beta syncs activity in only.Do I need admin access to set it up?
The HighLevel user who authorizes the Location must use the same email as their OutboundSync login.Which Smartlead plan do I need?
OutboundSync requires Smartlead's Pro plan or higher, because it relies on Smartlead's webhook and API features.How is Smartlead + HighLevel priced?
Beta access is scoped with the OutboundSync team during onboarding. Billing follows the same model as every plan: sent messages per month. Replies, opens, clicks, and lead-category updates are not billed. See the pricing page.Can I do this with Zapier, Make, or n8n?
For lightweight Smartlead automations, yes. When you need dependable attribution and suppression, generic builders get expensive and brittle at volume. OutboundSync is pre-built, keeps searchable event logs beyond 30 days, and prices by outbound volume instead of step count.What breaks first when this scales?
Data quality and reliability break first: duplicate events, retries, out-of-order webhooks, and bursts during big sends. OutboundSync handles idempotency, timing buffers, and queue recovery, and flags suspicious or mismapped payloads instead of writing them.
Smartlead resources
Tutorials, case studies, and updates related to Smartlead.
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A quick walkthrough with your own stack. Setup takes minutes, with no long-term contract.
