Quickstart
Get GroupCRM running in about 10 minutes. This guide walks you from sign-up to your first captured lead.
What you need
- A Facebook account with admin access to at least one Group
- Google Chrome on a computer (required for the extension)
- A payment card to start the 7-day free trial
Step 1: Create your account
Go to app.groupcrm.co/signup and create a GroupCRM account with your name, email and a password. You use this email and password to sign in to the dashboard.
Your Facebook account is linked separately in Step 3, through the Chrome extension. GroupCRM never asks for your Facebook password.
Step 2: Start your free trial
Pick a plan and start the 7-day free trial. A card is required to start. Cancel before day 8 and you pay nothing; otherwise your plan starts automatically. Every plan includes every feature. Plans differ only in how many groups you can automate. See Billing & Plans.
Step 3: Install the extension and connect Facebook
Onboarding walks you through this:
- Install the GroupCRM Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store and pin it in your toolbar
- Make sure you are logged into Facebook in the same Chrome profile
- GroupCRM reads your Facebook session and shows the profile it will use. Confirm it
The extension does the work on Facebook, so Chrome needs to be open for GroupCRM to check your groups. If your computer sleeps or Chrome is closed, GroupCRM catches up on missed requests when Chrome is back. See the Chrome Extension guide.
Step 4: Pick your groups
GroupCRM lists the Facebook Groups where you are an admin. Turn on the groups you want it to watch. Your plan sets how many groups can run at once (1 on Starter, 3 on Pro, unlimited on Unlimited).
Step 5: Choose a mode and configure the group
Open My Groups and click Settings next to a group. Group settings have five tabs:
| Tab | What you set |
|---|---|
| Mode | Off, Lead saving only, or Lead saving + auto-approve, plus how often to check for new requests |
| Approval criteria | Who gets approved or declined in auto-approve mode |
| Messages | Welcome, decline and "ask to finish answering" messages |
| Sheets & integrations | Google Sheet for this group and when leads are written to it |
| Test rules | Run your current criteria against recent real requests without acting on anyone |
New groups start in Lead saving only: every join request is saved to your CRM, and you approve or decline on Facebook yourself. Once a few requests are captured, use Test rules to check your criteria before switching to auto-approve. Every setting is explained in the Settings Reference.
Step 6: Let it run
Once configured, GroupCRM works in the background:
- The extension checks each group for new join requests at the interval you chose (every 15 minutes by default)
- Each request is saved with answers, email, phone and a lead score
- In auto-approve mode, your criteria decide who is approved, declined or left for review
- Leads flow to your Google Sheet, email tool, CRM or webhooks
What's next?
- Rule Recipes: ready-made setups you can copy
- Auto-Approve Members: set up approval criteria
- Lead Capture: extract emails and phone numbers
- Webhooks: connect to Zapier, Make, n8n, GoHighLevel or your own backend
- Troubleshooting: fix the most common problems
Need help? Check the FAQ or email support@groupcrm.co.