A Glossary of Key Terms in Keap Integration & API Terminology
In the rapidly evolving landscape of HR and recruiting, leveraging robust CRM systems like Keap and integrating them with other essential tools is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. Understanding the core terminology surrounding Keap integrations and APIs is crucial for HR leaders and recruitment professionals looking to streamline operations, enhance candidate experiences, and make data-driven decisions. This glossary provides clear, authoritative definitions to help you navigate the technical jargon and unlock the full potential of your Keap ecosystem, ensuring your automation efforts drive real, measurable ROI.
Keap CRM
Keap is a powerful customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation platform designed for small and growing businesses. For HR and recruiting professionals, Keap serves as a centralized hub for managing candidate pipelines, automating communication workflows, and tracking interactions from initial contact to hiring and onboarding. Its capabilities extend beyond simple contact management, allowing for sophisticated lead scoring, segmentation, and automated follow-up sequences, which can be tailored to nurture passive candidates or streamline the applicant journey. Integrating Keap effectively means transforming fragmented data into a cohesive, actionable candidate and employee record system, significantly reducing manual administrative burdens.
API (Application Programming Interface)
An API, or Application Programming Interface, is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate and exchange data with each other. Think of it as a menu at a restaurant: it defines what you can order (requests) and what you’ll get back (responses) without needing to know how the kitchen (the application) prepares the food. For HR and recruiting, APIs are fundamental to connecting Keap with other essential systems like applicant tracking systems (ATS), HRIS platforms, or assessment tools. This connectivity enables seamless data flow, for instance, pushing new applicant details from an ATS into Keap or updating candidate statuses across multiple platforms automatically, eliminating redundant data entry and reducing human error.
Integration
Integration refers to the process of connecting two or more disparate software applications so they can work together and share information. In the context of Keap and HR, an integration might involve linking Keap with a calendaring tool to automate interview scheduling, or with a background check service to initiate processes directly from a candidate record. Effective integrations create a unified ecosystem, breaking down data silos and ensuring that information relevant to a candidate or employee is consistent and accessible across all necessary platforms. This leads to more efficient workflows, improved data accuracy, and a more cohesive experience for both your team and your candidates.
Webhook
A webhook is an automated message sent from an application when a specific event occurs, essentially a “user-defined HTTP callback.” It’s a way for apps to provide real-time information to other apps. For HR and recruiting leveraging Keap, webhooks are incredibly powerful. For example, when a candidate reaches a specific stage in a Keap sequence (e.g., “Interview Scheduled”), a webhook can be triggered to notify an external ATS, update a project management tool, or even send a personalized text message reminder. This real-time, event-driven communication automates immediate actions and ensures all connected systems are promptly aware of critical changes, significantly streamlining response times and operational efficiency.
Automation Platform (e.g., Make.com)
An automation platform, such as Make.com (formerly Integromat), is a low-code or no-code tool that allows users to visually connect various web applications and automate workflows without writing complex code. These platforms act as a central orchestrator, listening for events in one app (e.g., a new contact in Keap) and then performing actions in one or more other apps (e.g., creating a new row in Google Sheets, sending a Slack notification, or initiating a background check order). For HR and recruiting, these platforms are transformative, enabling teams to build sophisticated, multi-step automations that might involve Keap, an ATS, email clients, document management systems, and more, saving hundreds of hours in manual data transfer and repetitive tasks.
OAuth 2.0
OAuth 2.0 is an industry-standard protocol for authorization that allows a third-party application to access a user’s data on another service (like Keap) without requiring the third-party application to ever see the user’s password. Instead, it provides a secure, token-based mechanism for delegated access. When you connect an external application to your Keap account, Keap often uses OAuth to grant secure, limited access to specific data or functionalities. This is critical for HR and recruiting as it ensures the security and privacy of sensitive candidate and employee data, preventing unauthorized access while still facilitating necessary integrations for streamlined operations.
API Key
An API Key is a unique identifier provided by a service (like Keap) that allows users or applications to access its API. It functions like a password for programmatic access, authenticating the calling application to the API. While convenient for quick connections, API keys are generally less secure than OAuth 2.0 because they grant direct access and often need to be carefully protected. For HR and recruiting, when setting up integrations, it’s vital to handle API keys with extreme care, storing them securely and restricting their use to only necessary applications to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive Keap data, such as candidate profiles or confidential employee information.
Endpoint
In the context of APIs, an endpoint is a specific URL where an API can be accessed to retrieve or send data. It represents a particular resource or function that the API offers. For instance, a Keap API might have an endpoint for retrieving all contacts, another for adding a new contact, and yet another for updating a contact’s tag. When an external system wants to interact with Keap (e.g., to fetch a list of all applicants or to update a candidate’s status), it sends a request to a specific Keap API endpoint. Understanding endpoints is key to precisely targeting the data and actions needed for efficient HR and recruiting integrations.
Payload
The term “payload” refers to the actual data being sent in an API request or received in an API response, excluding any overhead or metadata. When an application communicates with Keap’s API, the payload is the body of information being transmitted. For example, if you’re using an integration to create a new candidate record in Keap, the payload would contain all the candidate’s details: name, email, phone number, resume link, desired position, etc. Understanding how to structure and interpret payloads is essential for ensuring that data is correctly mapped and transferred between Keap and other HR systems, guaranteeing data integrity and accurate record-keeping.
Custom Fields (in Keap)
Custom Fields in Keap are user-defined data fields that allow businesses to store specific information not covered by Keap’s standard fields. For HR and recruiting, custom fields are invaluable for capturing unique candidate data that is critical to your hiring process—examples include “Desired Salary,” “Earliest Start Date,” “Referral Source,” “Visa Sponsorship Required,” or “Skill Sets.” These fields enable a tailored approach to data collection and segmentation, allowing for more precise candidate matching and personalized communication. When integrating Keap with other systems, correctly mapping data to and from custom fields ensures that all relevant candidate information is consistently captured and leveraged across your entire tech stack.
Tagging (in Keap)
Tagging in Keap is a powerful organizational feature that allows users to categorize contacts (candidates) with specific labels based on attributes, behaviors, or interests. For HR and recruiting, tags are fundamental for segmenting your talent pool, automating workflows, and personalizing communications. Examples of tags include “Software Engineer,” “Interviewed – Round 1,” “Passive Candidate,” “Pre-Screened,” or “Offer Extended.” Tags can trigger automated sequences, filter contact lists for targeted outreach, and provide quick insights into a candidate’s journey or qualifications. Effective use of Keap tags, often automated through integrations, significantly enhances candidate management, allowing for precision in talent acquisition strategies.
Sequence/Campaign (in Keap)
In Keap, a Sequence (sometimes referred to as a Campaign in older terminology or a more general automation) is a pre-defined series of automated actions and communications designed to nurture contacts through a specific journey. For HR and recruiting professionals, Keap sequences are invaluable for automating candidate outreach, follow-ups, and onboarding processes. Examples include a “New Applicant Onboarding Sequence” with welcome emails and document requests, a “Passive Candidate Nurture Sequence” delivering valuable industry content, or a “Post-Interview Feedback Sequence.” These automated workflows ensure consistent communication, save significant time for recruiters, and improve the candidate experience by providing timely and relevant interactions without constant manual intervention.
Data Sync
Data synchronization, or data sync, refers to the process of establishing consistency between data from two or more systems. In the context of Keap and HR, data sync ensures that changes made to a candidate’s record in one system (e.g., an ATS) are automatically reflected in Keap, and vice versa. This prevents data discrepancies, reduces the risk of working with outdated information, and ensures that all stakeholders have access to the most current candidate data. Implementing robust data sync protocols, often through API integrations and automation platforms, is crucial for maintaining a single source of truth for candidate information across your entire recruitment tech stack, driving efficiency and accuracy.
Two-Way Sync
Two-way sync is a specific type of data synchronization where information flows in both directions between two integrated systems. This means that changes made in Keap are automatically updated in the connected system (e.g., an ATS or HRIS), and changes made in that connected system are simultaneously updated in Keap. For HR and recruiting, two-way sync is immensely beneficial because it eliminates the need for manual updates in multiple places, reducing administrative burden and minimizing errors. For example, if a recruiter updates a candidate’s status in Keap, that update automatically appears in the ATS, and if a hiring manager updates the candidate’s feedback in the ATS, it’s reflected in Keap, ensuring both systems always have the most current information.
Lead Scoring (in Keap)
Lead scoring in Keap is a methodology used to assign a numerical value to each contact (or candidate, in an HR context) based on their engagement, demographic information, and fit against defined criteria. The score indicates how “hot” or qualified a candidate is. For recruiting, this could involve assigning points for specific skills, past experience, interactions with your career page, or responses to recruitment emails. A higher score signifies a more promising candidate, allowing recruiters to prioritize their efforts on those most likely to be a good fit. Automating lead scoring in Keap helps HR teams efficiently sift through large applicant pools, ensuring valuable time is spent on high-potential candidates and streamlining the initial screening process.
If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Keap CRM Data Protection: Essential Backup and Recovery for Business Continuity
