Hey, Vlad here. If you run a home service business – plumbing, HVAC, electrical, cleaning, anything – then you probably know Thumbtack. It is one of the biggest websites where homeowners go to find service professionals like you. When someone posts a request on Thumbtack saying “I need my AC fixed,” that is called a “lead” – it is a potential customer knocking on your door. The problem is, without this integration, you would have to constantly check your Thumbtack inbox, copy customer information by hand, and hope you did not miss anyone. I designed this integration so that every single lead flows straight into your Exoserva dashboard automatically – no copy-pasting, no missed inquiries, no lost customers. This guide will walk you through setting everything up step by step, even if you have never connected two software tools before.
Estimated time: 15 minutes
Before You Begin
- An active Exoserva account with Owner or Admin role – if you are not sure what role you have, click your profile icon in the top-right corner and look under your name. It should say “Owner” or “Admin”
- A Thumbtack Pro account with an active business listing – this is the account you use to receive customer requests on Thumbtack. If you do not have one yet, go to thumbtack.com/pro and sign up first
- Your Thumbtack Business ID – this is a unique number that identifies your business on Thumbtack. Think of it like your Social Security number, but for your Thumbtack business. We will show you exactly where to find it in the steps below
- A stable internet connection – since we will be connecting two online services together, you need reliable internet throughout the setup process
Step 1: Navigate to the Thumbtack Integration Page
First, let us get to the right page. In Exoserva, look at the left side of your screen – you will see a menu bar (we call it the “sidebar”) with icons and labels. Click on “Settings” – it looks like a gear icon. Think of Settings as the control room for your entire Exoserva account. This is where you configure how everything works, from your team members to your integrations with other tools.
Once you are in Settings, you will see several cards (rectangular boxes) representing different setting categories. Find and click the “Integrations” card. Integrations are connections between Exoserva and other software tools you use – think of them like bridges that let information flow automatically between two systems instead of you having to carry it back and forth manually.
On the Integrations hub page, you will see cards for all available integrations. Look for the “Thumbtack” card – it has a briefcase icon on a cyan-tinted background (cyan is a light blue-green color, using the Thumbtack brand color #009FD4). Click it. The Thumbtack Integration settings page opens with a breadcrumb trail at the top showing Settings > Integrations > Thumbtack – breadcrumbs are those little text links that show you where you are, like a trail of breadcrumbs in a forest so you can always find your way back.
If this is your first time here, you will see a “disconnected” state – that just means Thumbtack is not connected yet, which is expected! The page will show a hero section (a big, prominent area at the top) explaining three key benefits of connecting: Auto-Capture Leads (new leads appear instantly in your dashboard), Unified Inbox (all customer messages in one place instead of scattered across different apps), and AI Auto-Respond (our AI can instantly respond to customers for you). Do not worry about all of that yet – we will get there step by step.
Tip: You can also reach this page by typing /settings/integrations/thumbtack directly in your browser address bar (the long bar at the top where you see the website URL). This is a handy shortcut if you need to come back to this page later.
Step 2: Choose Your Connection Method
Now you need to decide HOW you want to connect Thumbtack to Exoserva. The page offers two methods, and I want to explain both so you can make an informed choice. Think of it like choosing between two routes to get to work – both get you there, but one might be easier for your situation.
Method 1: Manual Setup (RECOMMENDED for most businesses) – This method uses something called “webhooks.” A webhook is like a phone number that Thumbtack calls every time something happens (like a new lead arriving). You give Thumbtack a special URL (web address) and a secret password, and from that moment on, Thumbtack automatically sends every new lead to that address. It is faster to set up, does not require any special approval from Thumbtack, and is more reliable for real-time lead delivery. I recommend this method for 95% of businesses.
Method 2: OAuth (Full API Connection) – OAuth is a more complex connection method where you give Exoserva direct access to your Thumbtack account through their official login system. It is like giving someone a key to your house instead of just a doorbell. The advantage is that it can do more things (like sync statuses back to Thumbtack), but it has downsides: Thumbtack needs to approve your API access, and the “key” (called a token) can expire, which means the connection stops working and you have to reconnect.
If you choose OAuth, click the “Connect to Thumbtack” button. A popup window (a smaller window that opens on top of your current page, sized at 600x700 pixels) will appear showing the Thumbtack authorization page. Sign in with your Thumbtack Pro username and password, then click “Allow” or “Authorize” to grant Exoserva access. If your Thumbtack account manages multiple businesses (for example, you run both a plumbing company and an HVAC company), a business selector will appear so you can choose which one to connect. After you authorize, the popup closes automatically and the page refreshes to show that you are connected. If the popup does not appear, your browser might be blocking it – see the warning below.
Warning: If you choose OAuth and the popup window does not appear, your browser is probably blocking it. Look for a small icon near the address bar that says “popup blocked.” Click it and choose “Always allow popups from this site” for the Exoserva domain, then try clicking the button again.
From Vlad: I built the Manual Setup path after watching dozens of users struggle with OAuth token expiration. Here is what would happen: everything works great for a few weeks, then the token expires, leads stop flowing, and the business owner does not notice until they realize they have not gotten a Thumbtack lead in days. Webhooks are simpler, more reliable, and do not require periodic re-authorization. Start with Manual Setup – you can always switch to OAuth later if you need the additional two-way sync features.
Step 3: Enter Your Business Information (Manual Setup – Step 1 of 3)
If you chose Manual Setup (which I recommend), click the “Manual Setup” button. A 3-step wizard will appear – a wizard is just a step-by-step form that guides you through a process, kind of like those “Step 1 of 3” forms you see when signing up for things online.
Step 1 asks for two required pieces of information and one optional one. Let me explain each:
Business ID (required) – This is the unique identifier for your business on Thumbtack. Think of it like your business’s license plate number on the Thumbtack platform. To find it: open a new browser tab, log into your Thumbtack Pro account (pro.thumbtack.com), navigate to your Account Settings or click on your business profile. Look at the URL in your browser – the Business ID is typically the last segment of numbers or letters in that URL. For example, if the URL says “pro.thumbtack.com/business/abc123,” then “abc123” is your Business ID. Copy it and paste it into the Business ID field in Exoserva.
Business Name (required) – Enter your business name exactly as it appears on Thumbtack. This matters because it helps us match your account correctly. If your Thumbtack listing says “Johnson Plumbing & Heating LLC,” type that exact name – do not shorten it to “Johnson Plumbing” or change the capitalization.
Thumbtack Email (optional) – This is the email address associated with your Thumbtack account. It is not required, but entering it helps us keep a reference in case we need to troubleshoot anything later.
All fields validate “on blur” – that means the system checks if what you typed is correct when you click outside the field (when the field “blurs” or loses focus). If something is wrong, you will see a red error message appear below the field. Once both required fields are filled in correctly, the “Next” button at the bottom becomes clickable. Click it to move to Step 2. Behind the scenes, Exoserva generates a unique webhook URL and webhook secret for your account – these are what allow Thumbtack to communicate with your Exoserva dashboard.
Step 4: Configure the Webhook in Thumbtack (Manual Setup – Step 2 of 3)
Step 2 is the most important step, and I want you to pay close attention here. This is where you connect the bridge between Thumbtack and Exoserva. The page displays two critical pieces of information that you need to copy:
Webhook URL – This is a special web address that belongs to your Exoserva account. Think of it like a mailbox address – when Thumbtack has a new lead for you, it sends it to this address. It looks something like “Exoserva” Next to the URL, there is a “Copy” button with a clipboard icon. Click it, and the URL is copied to your clipboard (the invisible notepad your computer uses when you copy and paste things). A brief “Copied!” message appears for two seconds to confirm it worked.
Webhook Secret – This is a secret password that proves the leads are really coming from Thumbtack and not from someone pretending to be Thumbtack. Think of it like a secret handshake – when Thumbtack sends a lead, it includes this secret, and Exoserva checks it before accepting the lead. Click the “Copy” button next to the secret to copy it as well.
Now comes the part where you need to work in your Thumbtack dashboard. Open a new browser tab (do NOT close the Exoserva tab – you will need to come back to it). Navigate to your Thumbtack Pro dashboard (pro.thumbtack.com). Find the webhook or integration settings section – this is typically under Settings > API, Settings > Integrations, or Settings > Webhooks (Thumbtack moves this around occasionally, so you might need to look through the menu). Once you find the webhook settings:
- Paste the Webhook URL (that you copied from Exoserva) into the endpoint or URL field
- Paste the Webhook Secret into the signature verification or secret field
- Subscribe to ALL available events – check every box you see, including leads, messages, and status changes
- Click Save or Apply in your Thumbtack dashboard
- Switch back to your Exoserva browser tab
The page also shows a list of webhook events you should subscribe to. Events are specific things that can happen – like “a new lead arrived” or “a customer sent a message.” By subscribing to all events, you make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
Step 5: Verify and Complete Setup (Manual Setup – Step 3 of 3)
You are almost done! Step 3 is the verification step – this is where you make sure everything is actually working before you rely on it. Think of it like testing a doorbell after installing it – you press the button to make sure it rings before walking away.
Click the “Test Webhook” button. What happens behind the scenes is that Exoserva sends a test signal to check if the connection between Thumbtack and your account is working properly. Wait a few seconds (usually 3-10 seconds). If the test succeeds, you will see a green success message with the round-trip latency – for example, “Webhook test successful! Latency: 45ms.” Latency is how long the signal took to travel – 45ms (milliseconds) is incredibly fast, like the blink of an eye. Anything under 500ms is perfectly fine.
If you see a message that says “Waiting for Thumbtack to send a test webhook,” do not panic. This means the webhook connection has not received a test event from Thumbtack yet. This can happen if Thumbtack takes a few minutes to process your webhook configuration. Wait 2-5 minutes and try clicking the test button again. If it still does not work after five minutes, go back to your Thumbtack dashboard and double-check that you pasted the correct webhook URL and that you saved the settings.
Once the test succeeds, click “Complete Setup” to finalize everything. The page will transform – the setup wizard disappears and is replaced by the “connected” state, showing your business name, a connection health indicator (a colored badge that tells you how healthy the connection is), and a full statistics dashboard. Congratulations – your Thumbtack integration is live! From this moment on, every new Thumbtack lead will automatically appear in your Exoserva dashboard.
Step 6: Review Your Connection Dashboard
Now that you are connected, let me give you a tour of what you see. This is your Thumbtack command center – think of it like the dashboard in your car that shows you speed, fuel level, and engine status, but for your Thumbtack leads.
At the very top, the page header displays your connection health as a colored badge. This badge tells you at a glance if everything is working smoothly: Excellent (green – everything is perfect), Good (blue – working well with minor notes), Warning (yellow – something might need attention), or Critical (red – leads may not be flowing, take action immediately). Think of it like a traffic light for your integration.
Below the header, a stats bar shows five key metrics in a row of cards. Let me explain each one:
- Health – with small colored dots (called HealthDots) that give a visual representation of recent connection reliability. Green dots mean recent webhooks were received successfully
- Total Leads – shows the total number of leads received from Thumbtack since you connected (target icon on a cyan background). This number grows over time
- Synced – shows how many of those leads have been successfully synced into your Exoserva inbox (checkmark icon on a green background). Ideally, this matches your Total Leads number
- Messages – the total number of Thumbtack messages exchanged across all leads (chat icon on a blue background)
- Hire Rate – the percentage of leads that turned into actual paying customers (bar chart icon). This is the most important number for your business, and I will explain why in the founder tip below
Below the stats bar, a Lead Status Breakdown row shows how your leads are distributed across four stages with colored dots: New (blue – just arrived, you have not responded yet), Contacted (yellow – you have reached out to the customer), Hired (green – the customer chose you!), and Not Hired (red – the customer went with someone else). Each status shows a count, giving you an instant pipeline view. If the integration needs attention (like a token about to expire or a webhook error), an alert bar appears with a warning icon and a reconnect prompt. Do not ignore this alert – it means leads might not be flowing properly.
Step 7: Configure Integration Settings
Now let us customize how the integration works for your business. Click the gear icon button (it looks like a small cogwheel) in the top-right corner of the page header. A settings panel will slide open below the stats bar. Think of this panel as the “preferences” for your Thumbtack connection – just like you can adjust the volume and brightness on your phone, you can adjust how Exoserva handles your Thumbtack leads.
The panel contains three toggle switches (those little on/off sliders that look like light switches) and some additional controls. Let me explain each one in detail:
Integration Enabled – This is the master on/off switch for lead ingestion. When it is ON (the default), new leads from Thumbtack will flow into your dashboard. If you turn it OFF, Exoserva will stop accepting new leads but will keep all your existing leads and data. You might want to turn this off temporarily if you are fully booked and cannot take new customers for a while.
AI Auto-Respond Mode – This is one of the most powerful features we offer. When enabled, Exoserva’s AI automatically sends a personalized response to every new Thumbtack lead within SECONDS of arrival. The AI reads the customer’s service request, understands what they need, and writes a professional response based on your business context and the service category. Why does this matter? Because Thumbtack’s algorithm heavily favors businesses that respond fast. A response in 10 seconds versus 10 minutes can be the difference between getting hired and losing the customer to a competitor. The options are Off and On.
Sync to Inbox – When enabled, Thumbtack conversations appear in your unified Conversations inbox alongside all your other customer communications (email, SMS, etc.). This means you do not have to check multiple apps – everything is in one place. I strongly recommend keeping this ON.
Below the toggles, you will also find a Test Connection button (runs a quick health check and shows latency results) and a Technical Info section showing your Business ID, integration mode (Manual or API), and webhook status. After making any changes, click “Save Settings” to apply them. A green confirmation toast will appear at the top of your screen. There is also a sync button in the header that lets you trigger a manual sync – use this if you think some leads might have arrived during a brief disconnection.
Step 8: Manage Incoming Leads
Now that everything is configured, let us talk about what happens when leads actually start arriving. Below the settings panel, you will find the Recent Leads section. This is where your Thumbtack leads appear as expandable cards – think of each card as a folder containing all the information about one potential customer.
Each lead card shows a summary in its header: the customer name (in bold white text), a status badge (color-coded: blue for New, yellow for Contacted, green for Hired, red for Not Hired), the service category (in grey text – like “Plumbing” or “HVAC Repair”), and a relative timestamp showing when the lead arrived (like “2h” meaning 2 hours ago, or “3d” meaning 3 days ago). The most recent leads appear at the top.
Click any card to expand it and see the full details. Think of expanding a card like opening a folder to see everything inside:
- Contact info – the customer’s phone number and email address, shown as clickable links so you can call or email them directly from this page
- Service Request – the title and description of what the customer needs (e.g., “Leaking faucet in kitchen, water dripping constantly”)
- Location – the customer’s city, state, and ZIP code with a map pin icon, so you know if they are in your service area
- Schedule Preference – when the customer wants the work done: “Flexible” (anytime), “ASAP” (urgent), or a specific date they prefer
At the bottom of each expanded card, you will see action buttons: “View Conversation” (takes you to the full message thread in your unified inbox) and “View Job” (takes you to the job that was created from this lead, if one exists). In the Conversations view, the ThumbtackLeadContext sidebar panel provides quick action buttons to update the lead status: “Mark Contacted” (for New leads), “Mark Hired” and “Not Hired” (for Contacted leads), and the incredibly useful “Create Job from Lead” button – which creates a new job in your schedule with the customer’s name, contact info, and service category already filled in. One click, and the lead becomes a real job.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Forgetting to enable ALL webhook event subscriptions in the Thumbtack dashboard – if you only subscribe to “lead” events, you will miss message updates and status changes. Always check every available checkbox when setting up webhooks.
- Leaving AI Auto-Respond disabled and then wondering why your hire rate is low – Thumbtack’s algorithm prioritizes fast responders, and even a 10-minute delay can cost you the job. The AI responds in seconds. Enable it.
- Not checking the connection health badge regularly – a “Warning” or “Critical” status means leads may not be flowing properly. You could be losing potential customers without even realizing it. Check it at least once daily.
- Disconnecting and reconnecting OAuth to “fix” a problem instead of reading the specific error message first – disconnecting resets your webhook secret, which means you have to reconfigure everything in your Thumbtack dashboard from scratch. Always read the error message before taking drastic action.
- Copying the webhook URL or secret incorrectly – sometimes when you copy text, you accidentally miss the first or last character, or you copy extra spaces. Double-check that the full URL is pasted correctly in your Thumbtack dashboard. Even one missing character will cause the connection to fail.
- Ignoring the “Synced” count on the stats bar – if Total Leads is higher than Synced, it means some leads are not making it into your inbox. This usually indicates a sync issue that needs attention. The two numbers should always be equal or very close.
What’s Next?
Now that you’ve completed this guide, check out:
Need help? Post in the Tech Support category or contact support@exoserva.com.