LeadForge AI CRM

📖 Introduction

Welcome to LeadForge AI CRM - the next generation Customer Relationship Management system powered by artificial intelligence. Built on the robust Laravel 12 framework and featuring a modern Vue.js interface, LeadForge combines cutting-edge technology with intuitive design to transform how you manage customer relationships.

Key Highlights

• AI-Powered Intelligence: Get smart suggestions for emails, deals, and customer interactions
• Modern Tech Stack: Built with Laravel 12, Vue 3, and Inertia.js
• Multi-Tenant Architecture: Perfect for SaaS applications or agencies
• Fully Responsive: Beautiful interface on desktop, tablet, and mobile
• Comprehensive Features: Everything you need in a modern CRM
• Customer Portal: Allow clients to access their information securely

Who is this for?

LeadForge AI CRM is perfect for:

• Sales teams looking to boost productivity
• Agencies managing multiple clients
• SaaS providers needing multi-tenant CRM
• Businesses wanting AI-assisted sales processes
• Developers building custom CRM solutions

✨ Features

Core CRM Features

AI-Powered Features

Marketing & Automation

• Email Campaigns: Create and send bulk email campaigns
• Marketing Automation: Automated workflows and sequences
• Landing Pages: Build and track landing pages
• Lead Capture Forms: Embed forms on your website
• A/B Testing: Test email subject lines and content
• Campaign Analytics: Track opens, clicks, and conversions

Customer Portal

• Client Access: Secure portal for customers
• Document Sharing: Share files and documents
• Invoice Management: View and pay invoices online
• Support Tickets: Submit and track support requests
• Activity Timeline: View interaction history

Team Collaboration

• Role-Based Permissions: Granular access control
• Team Assignment: Assign deals and tasks to team members
• Activity Feed: Real-time updates on team activities
• Notes & Comments: Internal collaboration on records
• Shared Templates: Team-wide email and document templates

Integrations

• Email Providers: Gmail, Outlook, IMAP
• Calendar Sync: Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar
• Payment Gateway: Stripe integration
• OpenAI: GPT-4 for AI features
• Webhooks: Custom integrations via webhooks
• REST API: Full API access for custom integrations

⚙️ Server Requirements

Minimum Requirements

Required PHP Extensions

• BCMath
• Ctype
• cURL
• DOM
• Fileinfo
• JSON
• Mbstring
• OpenSSL
• PDO
• PDO MySQL
• Tokenizer
• XML
• IMAP (for email integration)
• GD or Imagick (for image processing)

Recommended Server Specifications

• CPU: 2+ cores
• RAM: 4GB minimum, 8GB recommended
• Storage: 10GB+ SSD
• Bandwidth: Unlimited or high limit

Third-Party Services (Optional)

• OpenAI API Key: For AI features (GPT-4 recommended)
• Stripe Account: For payment processing
• Google OAuth Credentials: For Gmail/Calendar integration
• Microsoft OAuth Credentials: For Outlook integration

🚀 Installation Guide

Step 1: Upload Files

Upload all files to your server's web directory (e.g., public_html, www, or htdocs).

Step 2: Set Permissions

Set the correct permissions for Laravel directories:

chmod -R 755 storage
chmod -R 755 bootstrap/cache

Step 3: Create Database

Create a new MySQL database and user:

CREATE DATABASE leadforge_crm;
CREATE USER 'leadforge_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_strong_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON leadforge_crm.* TO 'leadforge_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Step 4: Configure Environment

Copy .env.example to .env and update the following:

APP_NAME="LeadForge AI CRM"
APP_ENV=production
APP_KEY=
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=leadforge_crm
DB_USERNAME=leadforge_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_strong_password

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=your-smtp-host
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=your-email@domain.com
MAIL_PASSWORD=your-email-password
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS="noreply@yourdomain.com"
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"

Step 5: Install Dependencies

Install PHP and JavaScript dependencies:

composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev
npm install
npm run build

Step 6: Generate Application Key

php artisan key:generate

Step 7: Run Migrations

Create database tables:

php artisan migrate --force

Step 8: Seed Demo Data (Optional)

If you want to populate the database with demo data:

php artisan db:seed --class=DemoDataSeeder

Step 9: Configure Queue Worker

Set up supervisor or cron job for queue processing:

# Add to crontab
* * * * * cd /path-to-your-project && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

Step 10: Configure Web Server

Apache Configuration

Create a .htaccess file in your public directory:

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteRule ^(.*)$ public/$1 [L]
</IfModule>

Nginx Configuration

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;
    root /path-to-your-project/public;

    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN";
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff";

    index index.php;

    charset utf-8;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location = /favicon.ico { access_log off; log_not_found off; }
    location = /robots.txt  { access_log off; log_not_found off; }

    error_page 404 /index.php;

    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $realpath_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }

    location ~ /\.(?!well-known).* {
        deny all;
    }
}

Step 11: Set Up SSL Certificate

We highly recommend using Let's Encrypt for free SSL certificates:

certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com

Step 12: Create Your First User

If you didn't seed demo data, create an admin user:

php artisan make:admin

⚙️ Configuration

Email Configuration

Configure your email settings in the .env file:

# Gmail Example
MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=your-email@gmail.com
MAIL_PASSWORD=your-app-password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls

# Mailgun Example
MAIL_MAILER=mailgun
MAILGUN_DOMAIN=your-domain.mailgun.org
MAILGUN_SECRET=your-mailgun-key

AI Configuration (OpenAI)

To enable AI features, configure your OpenAI API key:

OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-openai-api-key
OPENAI_ORGANIZATION=org-your-organization-id
OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-4o-mini
OPENAI_MAX_TOKENS=1000

Payment Gateway (Stripe)

Configure Stripe for invoice payments:

STRIPE_KEY=pk_live_your_public_key
STRIPE_SECRET=sk_live_your_secret_key
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_your_webhook_secret

Google OAuth (Gmail/Calendar)

GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id.apps.googleusercontent.com
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret

Microsoft OAuth (Outlook)

MICROSOFT_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
MICROSOFT_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
MICROSOFT_TENANT_ID=common

Storage Configuration

Configure file storage (local, S3, etc.) in config/filesystems.php:

# AWS S3 Configuration
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your-access-key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your-secret-key
AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_BUCKET=your-bucket-name

Redis Configuration (Optional)

For better performance, configure Redis for caching and queues:

REDIS_CLIENT=phpredis
REDIS_HOST=127.0.0.1
REDIS_PASSWORD=null
REDIS_PORT=6379

QUEUE_CONNECTION=redis
CACHE_DRIVER=redis
SESSION_DRIVER=redis

Application Settings

Customize application behavior:

# Trial Period
LEADFORGE_TRIAL_DAYS=14

# Currency
LEADFORGE_DEFAULT_CURRENCY=USD

# Timezone
APP_TIMEZONE=America/New_York

# Email Tracking
LEADFORGE_TRACK_OPENS=true
LEADFORGE_TRACK_CLICKS=true

📚 Usage Guide

Getting Started

After logging in for the first time, follow these steps to set up your CRM:

1. Complete Profile: Update your profile information and preferences
2. Configure Settings: Set up company information, currency, and timezone
3. Create Pipelines: Set up your sales pipelines and stages
4. Import Contacts: Import your existing contacts (CSV supported)
5. Invite Team: Add team members and assign roles
6. Connect Email: Integrate your email account
7. Create Templates: Set up email and proposal templates

Managing Contacts

Adding a Contact

1. Navigate to Contacts > Create New
2. Fill in contact details (name, email, phone, etc.)
3. Assign to a company (optional)
4. Set lifecycle stage (Lead, Opportunity, Customer)
5. Add tags for easy filtering
6. Click Save

Importing Contacts

1. Go to Contacts > Import
2. Download the CSV template
3. Fill in your contact data
4. Upload the CSV file
5. Map fields to CRM columns
6. Review and confirm import

Managing Deals

Creating a Deal

1. Go to Deals > Create New
2. Enter deal title and value
3. Select pipeline and stage
4. Associate with contact/company
5. Set expected close date
6. Add notes and custom fields
7. Click Save

Moving Deals Through Pipeline

Use the Kanban board view to drag and drop deals between stages, or use the deal detail page to change stages manually.

Email Features

Connecting Email Account

1. Navigate to Settings > Email Integration
2. Click Connect Account
3. Choose provider (Gmail, Outlook, or IMAP)
4. Authorize access
5. Configure sync settings

Sending Emails

1. Open a contact or deal record
2. Click Send Email
3. Choose from templates or write custom
4. Use AI to generate or improve content (optional)
5. Track opens and clicks
6. Schedule send time (optional)

Using AI Features

AI Email Assistant

1. Click AI Assist when composing email
2. Provide context or select suggestion type
3. Review AI-generated content
4. Edit as needed
5. Send or save as template

AI Deal Insights

View AI-powered predictions on deal probability, recommended next actions, and optimal pricing suggestions on each deal page.

Creating Proposals

1. Navigate to Proposals > Create New
2. Select template or start blank
3. Add sections (executive summary, pricing, terms)
4. Customize content
5. Preview proposal
6. Send to client via email
7. Track views and e-signature status

Setting Up Workflows

1. Go to Marketing > Workflows
2. Click Create Workflow
3. Choose trigger (e.g., "New Contact Created")
4. Add actions (send email, create task, update field)
5. Set conditions and delays
6. Activate workflow

Customer Portal

Inviting Customers

1. Navigate to Customer Portal > Invitations
2. Click Send Invitation
3. Select company or contact
4. Set permissions and access level
5. Send invitation email

Sharing Documents

1. Go to Customer Portal > Documents
2. Click Upload & Share
3. Select file
4. Choose which customers can access
5. Set expiration date (optional)
6. Notify customers via email

Reporting & Analytics

Access comprehensive reports from the Dashboard menu:

• Sales Dashboard: Revenue, pipeline value, conversion rates
• Activity Reports: Team performance and activity metrics
• Revenue Forecast: Predicted revenue based on pipeline
• Contact Analytics: Lead sources, lifecycle stages, engagement
• Email Performance: Open rates, click rates, campaign results
• Custom Reports: Build your own reports with filters

User Management

Adding Team Members

1. Navigate to Settings > Team
2. Click Invite User
3. Enter email and name
4. Assign role (Admin, Manager, Sales Rep, Support)
5. Set permissions
6. Send invitation

Role Permissions

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Installation Issues

500 Internal Server Error

Solutions:

• Check file permissions: chmod -R 755 storage bootstrap/cache
• Verify .env file exists and is configured correctly
• Run php artisan config:clear
• Check server error logs for specific errors
• Ensure all required PHP extensions are installed

Database Connection Error

Solutions:

• Verify database credentials in .env
• Ensure MySQL service is running
• Check database user has proper privileges
• Try connecting with mysql -u username -p
• Verify host is correct (usually 127.0.0.1 or localhost)

CSS/JS Not Loading

Solutions:

• Run npm run build to compile assets
• Clear browser cache
• Check APP_URL in .env matches your domain
• Verify public/build directory exists and has files
• Check file permissions on public directory

Email Not Sending

Solutions:

• Verify SMTP credentials in .env
• Check if port 587 or 465 is open on your server
• Try different mail driver (log, smtp, mailgun)
• Check storage/logs/laravel.log for errors
• For Gmail, enable "Less secure app access" or use app password
• Ensure queue worker is running: php artisan queue:work

AI Features Not Working

Solutions:

• Verify OPENAI_API_KEY is set correctly
• Check API key has sufficient credits
• Ensure you're using correct model (gpt-4, gpt-3.5-turbo, etc.)
• Check rate limits haven't been exceeded
• Review error message in application logs

Performance Issues

Slow Page Load Times

Solutions:

• Enable Redis for caching: CACHE_DRIVER=redis
• Run php artisan config:cache
• Run php artisan route:cache
• Run php artisan view:cache
• Optimize database with indexes
• Enable OPcache in PHP configuration
• Use CDN for static assets

High Memory Usage

Solutions:

• Increase PHP memory limit in php.ini
• Use database indexing for large tables
• Implement pagination for large datasets
• Clear old log files: php artisan log:clear
• Optimize images before upload

OAuth Integration Issues

Google OAuth Not Working

Solutions:

• Verify redirect URI matches in Google Console
• Check credentials are for correct project
• Ensure OAuth consent screen is published
• Add your email to test users if in development
• Clear browser cookies and try again

Getting Help

If you continue to experience issues:

1. Check storage/logs/laravel.log for detailed error messages
2. Enable debug mode temporarily: APP_DEBUG=true
3. Review server error logs
4. Search our knowledge base
5. Contact support with detailed error information

💬 Support & Updates

Getting Support

We're committed to providing excellent support for LeadForge AI CRM:

Update Policy

LeadForge AI CRM receives regular updates including:

• Security Updates: Released as needed for critical vulnerabilities
• Bug Fixes: Monthly maintenance releases
• Feature Updates: Quarterly major updates with new features
• Framework Updates: Laravel and dependency updates

Updating LeadForge

To update to the latest version:

1. Backup: Always backup your database and files first
2. Download: Get the latest version from CodeCanyon
3. Replace Files: Replace all files except .env
4. Run Updates:

   composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev
   npm install && npm run build
   php artisan migrate --force
   php artisan config:clear
   php artisan cache:clear
   php artisan view:clear

5. Test: Verify all features work correctly

Changelog

Version 1.0.0 (Initial Release)

• Complete CRM functionality
• AI-powered features
• Email integration
• Customer portal
• Marketing automation
• Proposal management
• Multi-tenant architecture
• Responsive mobile design

License Information

LeadForge AI CRM is licensed under the Envato Regular License:

• ✅ Use for single end product
• ✅ Modify and customize for your needs
• ✅ Use for client projects
• ❌ Redistribute or resell
• ❌ Use in multiple end products without Extended License

For SaaS applications or multiple installations, purchase the Extended License.

Credits & Attribution

LeadForge AI CRM is built with these excellent technologies:

• Laravel Framework: PHP web application framework
• Vue.js: Progressive JavaScript framework
• Inertia.js: Modern monolith framework
• Tailwind CSS: Utility-first CSS framework
• OpenAI API: AI and machine learning capabilities
• Chart.js: Data visualization
• DomPDF: PDF generation

Customization Services

Need custom features or integration?

• Custom Development: We can build custom features
• Integration Services: Connect with your existing systems
• Training: Onsite or remote team training
• Consulting: CRM strategy and implementation consulting

Contact us at sales@leadforge.app for a quote.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Q: Can I use LeadForge for multiple companies?

A: Yes! LeadForge features multi-tenant architecture. Each tenant (company) has isolated data. You'll need the Extended License for SaaS use.

Q: Is the source code included?

A: Yes, you receive the complete source code and can customize it to your needs.

Q: Can I remove the "Powered by LeadForge" branding?

A: Yes, you can remove or customize all branding elements.

Q: Does this work with shared hosting?

A: While possible, we recommend VPS or dedicated hosting for best performance. Shared hosting may have limitations with cron jobs and queue workers.

Technical Questions

Q: Can I integrate with my existing systems?

A: Yes, through our REST API or custom development. We also support webhooks for real-time integrations.

Q: Is it mobile responsive?

A: Absolutely! LeadForge is fully responsive and works beautifully on all devices.

Q: Can I use my own domain?

A: Yes, you can use any domain you own. Just configure your web server accordingly.

Q: Does it support multiple languages?

A: Currently English is fully supported. The codebase is translation-ready using Laravel's localization features.

AI Features

Q: Are AI features mandatory?

A: No, AI features are optional. The CRM works fully without OpenAI integration.

Q: How much does OpenAI API cost?

A: Costs vary by usage. GPT-3.5-turbo is approximately $0.002 per 1K tokens. GPT-4 is more expensive but provides better results.

Q: Can I use a different AI provider?

A: Currently we support OpenAI. Custom integrations can be developed for other providers.

Support Questions

Q: How long is support provided?

A: Purchase includes 6 months of support. Extended support can be purchased separately.

Q: Do you offer installation services?

A: Yes, installation services are available for an additional fee. Contact us for pricing.

Q: Can you customize features for me?

A: Yes, we offer custom development services. Contact sales@leadforge.app for a quote.

Q: How do I report bugs?

A: Email support@leadforge.app with detailed information about the issue and steps to reproduce.