How Live Intake works
Live Intake is SALT's guided, step-by-step way to fill out a Submission in real time during a phone call or in-person conversation. Use it when you're capturing answers yourself instead of sending a Link to a prospect to complete on their own.
In short: Use Live Intake when you’re on a call with a prospect and want to capture their answers as you go. Use a Link when you want them to fill out the form themselves on their own time.
When Live Intake fits
Both Live Intake and a Link end the same way — with a Submission you can quote and route. The difference is who’s typing.
- Live Intake: you (the agent) drive a structured interview. The prospect answers verbally; you click through. Good for warm leads, walk-ins, or any moment where the prospect would rather talk than type.
- Link: the prospect fills out the form themselves at their own pace. Good for cold leads, after-hours captures, embedded marketing, or anything you want to capture without a synchronous conversation.
The same questions are available in both modes; they’re just delivered differently.
What a Live Intake session looks like
A Live Intake session walks through a Live Intake template — a sequence of categories, each containing one or more steps, each containing the questions, instructions, and integration triggers needed for that part of the conversation.
Most agencies have two kinds of templates:
- The SALT Default template — a built-in template SALT ships and maintains. Covers the standard insurance intake flow. Uneditable.
- Custom templates your agency builds — purpose-built for specific lines of business, agent roles, or call scripts.
You pick a template when you start (or are continuing) a Submission’s Live Intake. You can switch templates mid-call — useful when a conversation expands beyond the original scope.
Where Live Intake creates Submissions
Starting a Live Intake session always creates or updates a Submission — the same kind of Submission you’d get from a Link. After the call, the Submission lives in your agency’s list with all the answers, attached records (drivers, vehicles, properties), and integration responses.
You can also start Live Intake on an existing Submission — useful when a prospect filled out part of a Link, then called you to finish.
What Live Intake doesn’t do
- It doesn’t replace your CRM or AMS. Submissions still flow through your normal post-Submission workflows — assigning, status changes, integration sync — exactly as they would from a Link.
- It isn’t a phone system. SALT doesn’t dial anyone. Live Intake assumes you’ve already got the prospect on the phone (or in front of you) by your own means.
- It doesn’t lock the Submission. Two team members can technically have the same Submission open at once. Coordinate verbally if you’re collaborating.
Common questions
Can I send the prospect a Link to finish on their own if the call gets cut short? Yes. Once the Submission exists, you can send a Continue Link by email or SMS. The prospect picks up where you left off.
Does Live Intake autosave? Yes — answers save as you click through. If your browser crashes mid-call, your progress is preserved. There’s no separate “save” step.
Can the prospect see what I’m typing? No. Live Intake is on your screen only. The prospect is talking to you; SALT doesn’t surface anything to them.
Which template should I use? If you don’t know, start with SALT Default. It covers most lines of business out of the box. If your agency builds custom templates, those will appear alongside the default in the picker.