Lists: collect applications, waiting lists and requests

Lists collects structured items from customer conversations: job applications, waiting-list sign-ups or quote requests. You choose what to collect and when a conversation belongs in the list.

How it works

The bot collects the required answers during the conversation, rather than presenting the whole form at once. Once it has the required information, it records an item and replies to the customer.

This is not the Setup checklist or a plan with the Coach. It is also different from labels and customer groups, which organize customers rather than collecting a separate set of answers. A connected list spreadsheet is not a knowledge source.

Where to find it

Open Lists in the sidebar to create lists and manage their items. For the instructions shared across lists, open Handbook → What [assistant name] does when…, then find Lists. If the rule is unchanged, use Show under Unchanged rules.

Readers can inspect the effective instructions without edit controls. Editing that rule requires Handbook editing and bot-settings permission; list items keep their own permissions.

Set it up

Required for bot recording: create a list, add at least one column, define When to record, and turn the list On.

Optional: add duplicate matching or verified-contact columns, link a Google Sheet, or try recording in a rehearsal. A list works inside omotto without a sheet. Choose columns and checks that fit the information you need.

Before you begin

Your plan must include Lists, with room for another list. Managing lists needs permission, which is separate from viewing them.
Decide what you want to collect, such as applicants’ names and availability, and in which situation the bot should start collecting it.
For a Google Sheet copy, connect Google Drive first. A sheet is optional.

Create a list and turn it on

Choose New list. On an empty page, you can instead choose Job applicants, Waiting list or Quote requests to start with a suggested name and purpose.
Enter Name.
Complete When should the bot record to it? Describe the situation, not the fields. For example: “When someone asks to join the waiting list for a workshop.”
Choose Create list.
Add the columns you need, using Add column.
Open Settings and review When to record and How to handle it.
Turn On on when you are ready.

A new list starts Off, with no columns, no duplicate matching and no Google Sheet. Turning it on requires at least one column and a nonempty When to record. Guidance and a sheet are optional. Turning it off stops this list being offered for new bot recording; it does not erase existing items or unlink its sheet. The list switch does not replace turning the customer bot on.

Viewing lists and managing them require different permissions. Creating lists also depends on your plan’s list allowance. If creation is blocked or editing controls are missing, ask your workspace owner to check these.

Optional: connect a Google Sheet

The items remain saved in omotto. A linked Google Sheet provides a copy your team can edit; accepted edits are read back into the list. A sheet is optional, and only one can be linked to a list at a time.

Connect Google Drive first if needed. See Google Drive connection instructions; connecting the account does not make a Lists sheet a knowledge document.
Return to the list and click No Google Sheet.
Choose Create a new sheet, or Add a tab to a spreadsheet I have.
For an existing spreadsheet, select it in the Google file chooser. omotto adds its own tab; it does not adopt an existing tab of answers.
When ready, choose Open sheet from the sheet badge.

Choosing an existing spreadsheet additionally needs integration-management permission and Google Drive sync in your plan. If that option is unavailable, ask your workspace owner to check access. A spreadsheet already linked as knowledge cannot also be linked to Lists; choose a different file.

In Google, the connected account needs permission to edit the spreadsheet. Its owner can use Share and grant that account Editor access; see Google’s sharing instructions. Do not make customer information public to solve an access problem.

Optional: check the behavior you chose

Check that the list switch is On, with at least one column and a When to record.
Test in a rehearsal with a message that matches When to record. Read the rehearsal guide first to choose between Real and Dry-run writes, since a Dry-run simulates changes instead of making them.
Open the list and check the item, its fields and Open conversation.
If a sheet is linked, open it and check that the badge says Sheet synced and the row matches.

Settings

The bot’s Lists skill also has Who is this for in its Handbook rule. Its audience and required proof limit the skill as a whole; the verified-identity source of an individual contact column stays a separate rule. A label does not supply a missing verified phone or email.

Shared Lists instructions

These instructions apply across your enabled lists, not just one list or column. At the shared instructions location above:

Expand Advanced on the Lists capability card.
Edit Instructions.
Click outside the field to save.

The built-in instructions tell the bot to phrase questions using what it already knows and the conversation so far, in the customer’s language; and avoid asking again for information it already has. Your custom text replaces those editable instructions. Clearing it restores the built-in text. Required answers are still collected over the conversation, not as a whole form at once. The bot must not say details were recorded when a save did not succeed.

This capability is available when your plan includes Lists and at least one list is on. The shared instructions do not replace How to handle it for one list or Instructions for the bot for one column. Put list-specific guidance and field explanations in those respective settings.

Individual list settings

Click the list title to rename it. Choose Settings to open List settings.

Setting	What it means	Starting value
Name	The list’s visible name, up to 200 characters.	What you entered during creation.
When to record	The situation in which this list applies to a conversation.	The purpose you entered during creation; required before turning on.
How to handle it	Guidance once the list applies. For example: “Collect availability, but do not promise a place. Explain that the team will review the request.”	Empty; optional.
Duplicates	Shows the columns currently used together to recognize repeated items. Change this in the column editors.	Not set. Repeats are allowed.
On	Makes this list available for bot recording. The switch is beside the list title, not inside Settings.	Off.

When to record and How to handle it each allow up to 1,000 characters. The title and these two text fields save automatically. Watch the save status at the top of the screen.

Where available, Draft a When or Add to this list when… produces a suggested situation. Review and edit it, then choose Use this to put it into When to record, or Dismiss to leave the current text unchanged. A suggestion is not applied just because it appeared. See the Handbook for how these situations fit into your bot’s guidance.

Add or edit columns

Choose Add column, or click an existing column heading. On a phone, use the column controls below the item cards.
Enter the column’s Name.
Choose its Type and the other options below.
Choose Done to save the column.

A list supports up to 20 columns. A new column starts as Text, with an empty name, Required off, verification off, duplicate matching off and no bot instructions. Before structural fields become fixed, Remove column removes a saved column; in an unsaved new column, it cancels the addition.

Every column type

Type	What it stores
Text	Written answers, such as a name or the service requested. This is the default.
Number	A number, including decimals. Use Text for an identifier that must keep leading zeroes.
Phone	A valid phone number. International format with the country code is the clearest choice. A valid number is not automatically proof of ownership.
Email	A valid email address, stored in lowercase. This alone does not verify ownership.
Date	A calendar date without a time. For a manually typed sheet value, use an unambiguous date such as `2026-11-05`.
Choice	One answer from your Choices. Add each with Add option or Enter; remove it with the × beside it. Supply 1–20 distinct, nonempty choices.

Every column control

Control	What it does	Default
Name	The heading people see, up to 100 characters. Give it a clear meaning, such as “Earliest start date”.	Empty; required.
Required	Prevents a new item being recorded without a value in this column.	Off.
Choices	The allowed answers for a Choice column.	None; you must add choices for this type.
Verified phone number / Verified email	Appears only for Phone or Email. For bot recording, uses an ownership-verified value on the customer’s profile rather than accepting an unproven answer.	Off.
Use to spot duplicates	Includes this column in the combination that identifies a repeat.	Off.
Instructions for the bot	Clarifies what the field means, such as “The date they can start, not today’s date.” Up to 500 characters.	Empty; optional.

For a verified contact column, an existing verified value can be reused without asking again. If no verified value is available, an optional column can stay empty; a required one prevents recording until verification is available. Typing an address or number into the sheet does not verify ownership. See User identification for the distinction between contact verification and business-system membership, and customer profiles for stored details.

How duplicate matching works

Marked columns are matched together, within this list and against active items. For example, marking email and workshop means the same email plus the same workshop is a repeat. The same email for a different workshop is not. If any marked value is missing, that combination does not block repeats.

A repeated bot submission does not add a second active item or overwrite the existing one. Changing the selected columns is refused if existing active items would collide. Correct the conflicting values in the linked sheet, or archive the unwanted item, before trying again. Duplicates in Settings summarizes the selection.

What to configure next

Choose only the options that fit what you want this feature to do.

Refine How to handle it and each column’s Instructions for the bot.
Choose duplicate matching if repeated sign-ups should be recognized.
Tell your team to open Lists in the sidebar to see new items.
Turn on the customer bot with the go-live guide if you have not yet.

What happens when…

What becomes fixed after the list has items or a sheet?

Once any item, including an archived item, or a linked sheet exists, you cannot remove existing columns, change their types or switch them between ordinary and verified contact values. Their existing order also stays fixed.

You can still rename headings, edit instructions, change Required or Choices, change duplicate matching and add columns at the end. Changing Required or Choices does not rewrite old answers or fill missing historical values. If you need a different type or verification rule, add a new column or create a new list.

You inspect, archive or restore items

The list overview shows each list’s item count, most recent item, bot state and sheet state. Open a list to see its items. On a phone, tap an item card to see all fields. The item panel is for inspection, not editing saved answers; use the linked sheet to correct answers.

Opening an item shows when it was recorded, whether it came from the bot or was added in the sheet, its customer and conversation where available, its fields and its sheet status. Open conversation opens the source conversation in the Inbox. The customer link opens the customer profile when you have access. Items entered directly in the sheet may have no linked customer or conversation. A verified badge indicates a stored contact value that matches verified customer information.

Archive item hides an item from the active list after confirmation. It leaves its sheet row unchanged.
Include archived shows archived items alongside active ones. Open one and choose Restore item to make it active again. Active items returns to the active-only view.
Restore is refused if another active item already uses the same duplicate-matching values.
If the item’s sheet row was deleted, restoring the item is local only. Use Copy all items to the sheet again to return its missing row.

To stop using a whole list, open Settings, choose Archive list and confirm. This turns the list off and archives all its active items. The spreadsheet remains in Google Drive, but its automatic readback stops. Use Archived lists on the Lists overview to inspect retained history; Active lists returns to current lists. Archived lists are read-only: there is no list-restore action, and you cannot restore their individual items there.

You edit the connected sheet

Edit answer cells in the managed tab. Valid changes are read back periodically, not instantly. Existing sheet answers are not overwritten merely by copying items again.
You can add answer rows in the managed tab. Valid rows can become items marked as added in the sheet, provided the sheet is within the scan limit below. Missing required answers, invalid types or duplicate conflicts can prevent import.
Do not change the system columns, hidden identity column, header layout or column order. Manage columns in omotto instead. You can rename the tab.
Invalid cell changes are not accepted into the corresponding list fields. They are not silently repaired in the sheet. Review Show all activity and correct the sheet.
Deleting a recognized sheet row can archive its local item after the deletion is confirmed. This is different from archiving locally, which leaves the sheet row alone.

When several sheet rows disappear

A large set of missing rows can trigger a review instead of immediate archiving. Open the sheet badge and check the spreadsheet before choosing:

Archive those … items: archives the items in the current deletion review.
Put the rows back: restores missing rows for active items rather than accepting those deletions. Existing rows and staff edits are preserved.

If the review changed or expired, refresh and inspect the current review before confirming again. Do not assume every deleted row always needs confirmation; smaller confirmed deletions can be archived automatically.

The sheet reaches its row limit

omotto scans up to 10,000 data rows, plus the header, in the managed tab. Unused blank grid rows count toward this boundary, not just rows with items. If the tab extends beyond it, omotto cannot complete the scan: new sheet rows are not imported and missing rows are not treated as deletions. This does not mean every edit to an existing item stops.

Copying new items to the sheet can also stop before there are 10,000 items, because adding a row would increase the tab’s total grid height beyond the limit. Remove unused grid rows as described under Troubleshooting; clearing their contents is not enough.

Troubleshooting

Sheet status and recovery controls

Status or control	What to do or expect
Sheet synced	Shows the latest successful read time when available. Open the badge for Open sheet, recent changes and Show all activity.
Creating sheet…	Wait for preparation to finish.
Sheet access lost	Use Reconnect Google, restore the original account’s access, then Put the rows back or Retry cleanup, as appropriate. Connecting a different Google account does not transfer the old sheet’s authorization.
Sheet not found	Check whether the spreadsheet still exists. The badge offers Create a new sheet, Pick a spreadsheet or Unlink. Replacement copies active items, not archived history.
Sheet needs attention	Open the sheet, review the message and activity, then fix the cause before restoring rows or retrying cleanup.
More → Copy all items to the sheet again	Tries to return active items to the sheet. It preserves rows already present and their edits; it is not a reset to older omotto values.
Retry cleanup	Retries removal of customer information awaiting erasure. This is not ordinary archiving. Restore access first if that is the problem.
Unlink	Stops copying and readback. Both local items and the spreadsheet remain. It does not delete the Google file.

Pending erasure cleanup blocks unlinking or replacing a sheet until cleanup is confirmed. The badge lists affected cleanup tasks and their last attempt. If a row cannot be located safely, follow the instruction to remove the forgotten information manually; contact support if you cannot identify it confidently. Removing the whole Google Drive connection is different: if you accept its cleanup handover, completing those tasks becomes your responsibility, and reconnecting does not restart them.

New rows are not imported, or copying stops at the row limit

On a computer, open the managed tab in Google Sheets.
Check for unused blank rows below your answers.
Select only those unused rows by their row numbers and delete the rows themselves. Do not delete the header or customer answers. See Google’s instructions for deleting rows.
Keep the grid within 10,000 data rows plus the header, leaving room below the limit if more items need copying.
Allow the next periodic read to run. For items still missing from the sheet, use Copy all items to the sheet again.

If all rows contain needed information, or removing unused rows does not resolve the error, contact support before deleting customer answers.

A change does not save

If you see This list was changed by someone else; your edit was not saved, review the refreshed list and reapply the intended title, switch or column change. Settings text can retain your draft and retry after loading the current version; check the final saved text before leaving.

If the list saved but a sheet update failed, your list change may already be saved. Check the sheet badge rather than recreating the list. For a header warning, restore the expected header layout and column order. If a list changed during sheet creation, review the newly created file or tab in Drive before trying again: it may exist without being linked.

Contact support if a persistent save, connection or cleanup error remains after checking the displayed message, permissions and sheet access.