Free lead capture: a form, a Google Sheet and a Telegram alert in seconds (Tally + Make, no plugins, no CRM)
Short answer
A free Tally form can post every submission to a Make webhook, which logs it in Google Sheets and sends a Telegram alert within seconds — no plugin and no CRM. Tally's free plan includes webhooks, hidden fields and unlimited responses, and the chain costs 3 Make operations per lead. Keep the form fields in the order the blueprint maps them, or check the mapping after any change.
Capture leads with a free Tally form, log each one in Google Sheets and get a Telegram alert in seconds. Free Make blueprints, exact fields, limits.
Disclosure: links marked "paid link" pay us a commission from the vendor if you sign up. Your price is unchanged, and every file here works without them. How we choose tools →
The lead alert is the first automation every consultant sets up, and the first question every client asks is "does it work with my form?". Often it does not: the site has a contact form that emails somebody and can do nothing else. Replacing it is a project. Embedding a free Tally form on the same page is ten minutes, and it can post to a webhook out of the box.
This guide is the fully free version of the chain: Tally for the form, Google Sheets for the log, Telegram for the alert, and Make (free plan) in the middle. Then two more automations that use the same form tool for the next problems a client has: bookings that never reach a sheet, and feedback nobody acts on.
It is the main guide of the leads series. The other guides each take one question further: why minutes matter (the lead response research), how to connect a form the site already has, which free form builder to pick, and how to count leads by source once they are in the sheet. They are listed at the end of this page.
Keeping the form your site already has?Webhook settings for Elementor, WPForms, Gravity Forms, Webflow and Contact Form 7
What Tally gives you that a site form usually does not
- A webhook: every submission is sent to a URL you choose (Integrations → Webhooks). That URL is the Make scenario.
- Hidden fields: a "source" field filled from the page link (?source=facebook), so the sheet knows where each lead came from without asking.
- No limits on forms or responses on the free plan, and the form embeds on any page or works as its own link.
It is the form we build the blueprints with, and it is free: Create a free form → paid link · we earn a commissionPaid link. If you ever upgrade to a paid plan through it we earn a commission from Tally; your price is the same, and the free plan covers every automation here.
The free lead alert
Tally form → lead log → Telegram alert. The free version of the lead alert
No website form, no CRM, no paid tool. A free Tally form posts to Make; the lead lands in Google Sheets and Telegram pings sales in seconds.
Get all 27 blueprints in one ZIP, by email
How Tally sends the data, and the one thing to get right
Tally posts the submission as a list of fields in the order they appear in the form. The blueprint maps by position: name, phone, email, source. Keep the form in that order, and if you ever move a field, open the Google Sheets module in Make and check the mapping before the next lead arrives — otherwise a phone number lands in the email column and nobody notices for a week.
- Create the Tally form with four fields: Name, Phone, Email, and a hidden field named "source".
- Import the blueprint into Make; the webhook module shows an address. Copy it.
- In Tally: Integrations → Webhooks → paste the address. Submit a test.
- Back in Make, "Run once" catches the test; connect Google Sheets and Telegram; switch on.
Bookings that actually reach the sheet
Booking form → meetings sheet → confirmation email. Feeds the no-show reminder
A booking arrives and nobody confirms it. A Tally form writes the meeting to the sheet, emails the client a confirmation and pings you on Telegram.
The no-show reminder only works when the meeting is in the sheet. A booking form the client fills in is how the sheet stays complete without anyone typing — and the confirmation email is the client's first proof that the process is organised.
Two clients booking the same slot is the one thing a form cannot prevent. When that matters, use a scheduling tool with real availability; its booking webhook drives the same automation: Set up free scheduling → paid link · we earn a commissionPaid link. If you upgrade to a paid plan through it we earn 20% from Cal.com for a year, and you get 20% off for 12 months. The free plan covers one calendar.
A meeting tomorrow → a reminder 24 hours ahead, with a "can't make it" link
A no-show is a slot nobody could refill. Every morning, each of tomorrow's meetings gets a reminder email with the time and a "can't make it" link.
One question at the end of every project
Feedback score → the same thank-you and review link for everyone; a low score also alerts you
Unhappy clients stay silent until the review. A one-question Tally form (0–10) sends everyone the same review link; a 6 or lower also pings Telegram.
Every client who answers gets the same thank-you email with your review link, whatever the score. That is not a style choice: asking only the happy ones (review gating) breaks Google's rule against selectively soliciting positive reviews, and Google can remove the reviews it finds. What the score changes is what you do: a 6 or lower also reaches your phone with the comment the same minute, the window in which a bad experience can still be fixed with a call. For the review ask on its own, a week after delivery, use the review request automation below; it asks every finished project the same way.
Project closed → 7 days → a Google review request
A week after a project is marked "done", the client gets a personal email with a direct link to write a review. Once, at the right moment.
Quoted, and no reply? When to follow up and what to writeA day-3 follow-up and a day-10 last email, with two free blueprints
What does not work
- Tally's free plan shows a small "Made with Tally" at the bottom of the form. Clients who mind can upgrade; the automation is the same.
- A booking form does not check availability. For a calendar with real slots, use a scheduling tool and keep this chain for the log and the reminders.
- A webhook does not verify who is calling it. Tally signs its requests; if spam becomes a problem, add the signing secret check in Make.
- The blueprint maps the form by position. Moving a question moves the data into the wrong column; the field-mapping guide below switches it to map by question label instead.
Map Tally fields by name, and reject fake requestsLabel and key mapping in Make, a secret header filter, and Tally's signature
Does this need a paid Tally plan?
No. Webhooks, hidden fields and unlimited responses are on the free plan. A paid plan adds a custom domain and removes the branding.
Can I keep my existing website form?
Yes, if it can send a webhook (Elementor Pro, WPForms, Gravity Forms, Typeform, Jotform and Webflow can). The original lead alert blueprint handles that. Tally is for the sites where the form cannot.
What does it cost to run in Make?
Three operations per lead, four per booking, three per feedback answer. The free Make plan covers a small business comfortably; check your plan's monthly allowance against your lead volume.
In this series
- Lead response time: what the research measured, what it does not show, and a checklist for small teams
- Connect the form your website already has to Make: webhook settings for Elementor, WPForms, Gravity Forms, Webflow and Contact Form 7
- Track where your leads come from in Google Sheets — and catch the ones going cold
- The best free form builder with webhooks: Tally vs Google Forms vs Typeform vs Jotform
- How to get a Telegram chat ID for Make alerts (2 minutes)
- Tally webhook to Make: map fields by name instead of position, and check that the request really came from your form
- Quote follow-up with no reply: when to send it, what to write, and how to automate both emails (free blueprints)
Next step
All automations →
AUTO WELCOMENew client → welcome email → onboarding checklist → alert
A client signs and hears nothing until someone is free. On signing, they get an email saying what comes next, a checklist opens and the team is alerted.
LEAD ALERTLead comes in → logged → alert. No hands.
A form on the client site sends a lead; it is logged and an alert reaches Telegram in seconds. The first automation every consultant sets up.
QUOTE FOLLOW-UPQuote unanswered for 3 days → one follow-up, automatic
Every quote sent and unanswered within three days gets one short follow-up email, and the consultant gets an alert. Nothing to remember, nobody to chase.
Get one new Make automation each week
Get the full 27-blueprint pack (ZIP) by email, then one new automation a week. Every build on the site stays open and free without it.