A Glossary of Key Terms in Keap Automation & API Terminology for Data Handling
In the fast-evolving landscape of HR and recruiting, leveraging robust automation and data handling systems like Keap is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. To truly harness the power of these platforms, HR leaders, recruitment directors, and operations managers must speak the language of integration and automation. This glossary demystifies key terms related to Keap, APIs, and data management, providing clarity and practical context for professionals aiming to streamline processes, eliminate human error, and achieve significant operational efficiencies. Understanding these concepts is the first step toward reclaiming up to 25% of your day, freeing your team to focus on strategic, high-value recruitment activities.
Keap
Keap is a comprehensive customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation platform designed for small businesses to manage leads, clients, sales, and marketing efforts. In the HR and recruiting context, Keap serves as a powerful central hub for managing candidate relationships. It allows recruiting teams to store contact information, track communication history, manage pipeline stages, and automate follow-ups with potential hires. For HR professionals, Keap can streamline onboarding processes, manage employee data, and automate reminders for compliance or training, ensuring a consistent and personalized experience from applicant to employee.
API (Application Programming Interface)
An API is a set of definitions and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate and exchange data. Think of it as a waiter in a restaurant: you (the application) tell the waiter (the API) what you want from the kitchen (another application), and the waiter brings it back. In HR and recruiting, APIs are crucial for integrating disparate systems such as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), HR Information System (HRIS), background check services, or assessment platforms with Keap. This enables seamless data flow, for instance, automatically pushing new candidate applications from an ATS into Keap or updating candidate statuses across systems without manual data entry.
Webhook
A webhook is an automated message sent from one application to another when a specific event occurs. Unlike traditional APIs which often require polling (repeatedly checking for updates), webhooks provide real-time data notifications. In an automation scenario, a webhook might be triggered when a candidate completes an application form, changes status in an ATS, or submits a personality assessment. This instantaneous notification can then initiate a cascade of automated actions within Keap, such as adding a new tag to the candidate record, sending an automated interview scheduling email, or notifying a recruiter to review the submission, ensuring prompt and efficient responses.
Automation (in Keap)
Automation in Keap refers to predefined sequences of actions that execute automatically based on specific triggers or conditions. These automations remove repetitive manual tasks, allowing HR and recruiting teams to operate more efficiently. Examples include automating welcome emails to new applicants, sending reminder messages for interview appointments, assigning tasks to recruiters when a candidate reaches a certain stage, or initiating a drip campaign to nurture passive candidates over time. By setting up these automations, organizations can ensure consistency in communication, reduce the likelihood of human error, and significantly free up valuable recruiter time.
Data Field (in Keap)
A data field in Keap is a specific attribute or piece of information associated with a contact record. These fields store structured data such as a candidate’s first name, last name, email address, phone number, and company. For HR and recruiting, standard data fields are essential for maintaining a comprehensive candidate profile. They ensure that all critical information is consistently captured and easily accessible, forming the foundation for effective communication and segmentation. Proper use of data fields is critical for accurate reporting and personalized outreach.
Custom Field (in Keap)
A custom field in Keap is a user-defined data field created to capture specific information that is not available in Keap’s standard fields. These fields are invaluable for HR and recruiting teams to track unique data points relevant to their specific hiring process or organizational needs. For instance, a recruiting firm might create custom fields to track “Candidate’s Desired Salary Range,” “Specific Certifications (e.g., PMP, PHR),” “Cultural Fit Score,” or “Source of Referral.” Custom fields allow for highly granular data collection, enabling more precise candidate matching, reporting, and personalized candidate experiences.
Contact Record (in Keap)
A contact record in Keap is a comprehensive profile containing all the information and interactions related to an individual. For HR and recruiting, a contact record serves as the single source of truth for each candidate or employee. It typically includes their personal details, communication history (emails, calls), notes from interviews, assigned tags, campaign progress, and any custom field data. A well-maintained contact record ensures that every team member has a 360-degree view of the individual, facilitating informed decision-making and preventing redundant outreach or missed opportunities throughout the talent lifecycle.
Tag (in Keap)
A tag in Keap is a flexible label applied to contact records for categorization, segmentation, and triggering automations. Tags are highly versatile and can represent a wide array of attributes. In HR and recruiting, tags are used to classify candidates by role (e.g., “Software Engineer,” “Marketing Manager”), experience level (“Junior,” “Senior”), application status (“Interviewed,” “Offer Extended”), skill sets (“Python,” “SQL”), or source (“LinkedIn,” “Referral”). Tags are instrumental for targeted communication, managing different talent pools, and initiating specific automation sequences, allowing for highly personalized and efficient candidate management.
Campaign (in Keap)
A campaign in Keap is a structured series of automated communications and actions designed to achieve a specific goal, such as nurturing a lead or onboarding a new hire. For recruiting, campaigns can automate engagement throughout the candidate journey, from initial application to post-hire follow-up. Examples include a “Candidate Nurture Campaign” for passive talent, sending a sequence of valuable content to maintain interest, or an “Onboarding Campaign” for new employees, delivering timely information and tasks over their first few weeks. Campaigns ensure consistent, timely, and personalized interactions at scale, enhancing the candidate experience and improving retention.
Integration
Integration refers to the process of connecting two or more different software applications so they can work together and share data seamlessly. In the context of HR and recruiting, integration is critical for creating a unified tech stack. This might involve connecting Keap with an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), an HR Information System (HRIS), a background check provider, a video interviewing platform, or even an internal communications tool. Effective integrations eliminate manual data entry, reduce the risk of errors, and ensure that candidate and employee data flows efficiently across all relevant systems, saving significant time and improving overall operational fluidity.
Workflow
A workflow is a series of defined steps or tasks that must be completed in a specific order to achieve a particular outcome. In automation, workflows are designed to streamline and standardize business processes. For HR and recruiting, a workflow might describe the journey of a job application from submission to hire, including steps like resume screening, initial phone interview, technical assessment, in-person interview, reference checks, and offer generation. Automating parts of this workflow within Keap ensures consistency, reduces delays, and provides clear visibility into each candidate’s progress, enhancing efficiency and candidate experience.
Data Mapping
Data mapping is the process of matching data fields from one system to corresponding data fields in another system during an integration. It defines how data elements from a source system will populate fields in a target system. For HR and recruiting, accurate data mapping is crucial when integrating Keap with other platforms like an ATS or HRIS. For example, ensuring that a candidate’s “First Name” field in the ATS maps correctly to the “First Name” field in Keap. Incorrect data mapping can lead to lost information, data corruption, or errors in automation, making careful planning and testing essential for reliable data transfer.
Data Hygiene
Data hygiene refers to the practices and processes employed to ensure the accuracy, consistency, and completeness of data within a system. For HR and recruiting professionals using Keap, maintaining good data hygiene means regularly identifying and rectifying duplicate contact records, updating outdated candidate information, standardizing data formats (e.g., phone numbers, addresses), and removing irrelevant or erroneous entries. Poor data hygiene can lead to inefficient automations, inaccurate reporting, wasted outreach efforts, and compliance risks. Proactive data hygiene practices are fundamental for the reliability and effectiveness of any automation strategy.
REST API
REST (Representational State Transfer) API is a widely adopted standard for designing web APIs, making them efficient, reliable, and scalable. RESTful APIs operate using standard HTTP requests (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to interact with resources (data) on a server. In HR technology, understanding REST APIs is important for integrating modern recruiting platforms, HRIS systems, and other tools with Keap or middleware like Make.com. It dictates how various HR applications can securely and predictably exchange candidate data, manage job postings, or update employee records, forming the backbone of many seamless automation workflows.
Middleware
Middleware refers to software that acts as a bridge between two or more disparate applications, allowing them to communicate and exchange data. In the context of HR automation, platforms like Make.com (formerly Integromat) serve as middleware, connecting Keap with virtually any other cloud-based application, from applicant tracking systems and project management tools to communication platforms and document generators. Middleware simplifies complex integrations, enabling HR and recruiting teams to build sophisticated, multi-step automations without needing to write custom code, transforming siloed systems into a cohesive, interconnected operational ecosystem.
If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Keap Notes Reconstruction for HR & Recruiting: Safeguarding Your Data with CRM-Backup
