Forward lead emails into TradesWork

Overview#

Every company gets a private lead address, plus a tagged version per lead site (for example leads-…+angi@…, +yelp, +homedepot, +lsa). Anything sent there that is a lead becomes an entry in Leads within about a minute, with duplicates merged and the AI text agent ready to reply. Angi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, Yelp, The Home Depot, Google Local Services, Networx, Porch and Modernize emails are read by a template made for that site; other layouts are read by AI when it's on, and otherwise arrive flagged for you to check. Emails that aren't leads are ignored. The tag tells TradesWork which site a lead came from, even when the forwarded email no longer shows it.

Before you start#

• You need the Owner or Admin role.

• Access to the mailbox that receives lead notifications today (Gmail, Google Workspace, Outlook or Microsoft 365).

• About 5 minutes.

Steps#

1. Get your lead address#

1. Open Settings › Lead sources and press Connect on the lead site's card (or Any lead email for everything else). If you see Create my … forwarding address, press it.

2. Press Copy address next to the tagged address for that site. Networx, Porch and Modernize show one address each.

3. You can also find the plain address in Settings › Email under Your forwarding addresses. Keep it private: anyone with it can send you leads.

2a. Forward from Gmail or Google Workspace#

1. In Gmail open Settings (gear) › See all settings › Forwarding and POP/IMAP › Add a forwarding address. Paste your lead address and press Next › Proceed.

2. Gmail emails a confirmation code to that address. TradesWork catches it and shows it at the top of Your forwarding addresses (refresh in a minute). Press Copy code, paste it in Gmail and press Verify.

3. Don't forward everything. Create a filter per site instead: in the Gmail search bar open the options, put that site's senders in From (the panel shows them, for example angi.com OR angieslist.com), press Create filter, tick Forward it to, choose that site's tagged address, and press Create filter. Each tagged address needs its own Gmail confirmation code.

2b. Forward from Outlook or Microsoft 365#

1. In Outlook on the web: Settings › Mail › Rules › Add new rule.

2. Condition: From includes angi.com (add the other lead senders). Action: Forward to › your lead address. Save.

3. No confirmation code is needed with Outlook.

2c. Website forms#

Point your website form's notification email at your lead address, or add the lead address as an extra recipient.

3. Check the first lead#

1. In the card's panel press Send a test lead. It sends a fictional lead in that site's format to your tagged address and says how it was read. Test leads are archived and never counted.

2. Or forward one real lead notification (an old one is fine) to the tagged address.

3. The card changes from Waiting for first lead to Connected when the first real lead arrives, and shows the last lead time and leads this month.

Settings that change this#

• Settings › Lead sources › All connections and secrets: turn the lead address off or on, or make a New address if it leaked.

• Settings › AI: on, unknown layouts are read by AI; off, they arrive flagged Read without AI: check the details.

• Settings › Phones › AI Text Agent: how the AI text agent replies to new leads.

Tips#

• Angi and HomeAdvisor: if your Angi account lets you add an extra email for lead notifications, add your lead address there (no forwarding needed). For instant delivery with phone numbers, connect Angi directly in Lead Sources.

• Thumbtack: its emails often don't include the customer's phone number, so you may need to reply in Thumbtack first. The lead still lands in your inbox.

• Yelp: forward Request a Quote notifications. Yelp hides the customer's email, so reply through Yelp; the request is still recorded as a lead.

• If a site both emails you and sends leads by webhook, the two are merged by phone and email.

• Google Local Services: message and booking leads come by email; phone-call leads ring your phone.

• Home Depot: Pro Referral leads are emailed to the address on your Home Depot pro account; forward them from homedepot.com and proreferral.com.

Troubleshooting#

• The Gmail code never shows → forwarding was added for a different address, or lead email isn't switched on for your account. → Re-add the forwarding address; codes from the last 7 days are shown. If the card says Not available, contact support.

• "Add a forwarding address" is greyed out in Google Workspace → your admin turned off automatic forwarding. → They can allow it in the Admin console › Apps › Google Workspace › Gmail › End User Access.

• Microsoft 365 forwards nothing → Microsoft 365 blocks forwarding to outside addresses by default. → Your admin must allow it: Microsoft Defender › Policies › Anti-spam › Outbound policy › Automatic forwarding rules = On.

• "Your lead address is turned off" → someone turned it off. → Turn it on in Settings › Lead sources › All connections and secrets.

• A lead arrived as "Lead email" instead of the site → it was forwarded to the plain address and its layout wasn't recognized. → Forward that site's emails to its tagged address.

• A lead shows "Read without AI: check the details" → unknown layout and AI is off. → Check the details on the lead, or turn on AI.

• A lead is missing details → the lead site's email left them out, or uses an unusual layout. → Open the lead; reply through the lead site if the phone or email is hidden.

FAQ#

Will non-lead emails become leads? No. Emails that aren't leads (newsletters, receipts) are ignored.

What if my address leaks? Make a new one with New address in Settings › Lead sources › All connections and secrets, then update your forwarding rules. The old address (and its tags) stops working.

Do the tags change which company gets the lead? No. Only the private part before the tag picks your company; the tag only names the source.

Does this read my whole mailbox? No. TradesWork only sees what you forward to the lead address.

Coming from ServiceTitan#

ServiceTitan brings lead-site bookings in through Booking Providers. In TradesWork, lead sites arrive either by email forwarding (this article) or directly by webhook (see Connect lead sources). Both land in one Leads inbox, with a campaign per source.