# Contacts

> Manage your client database - import contacts, use custom fields, tags, segments, and lifecycle stages.

Every conversation, opportunity, invoice, and workflow in Seedly CRM connects back to a contact record. This page covers creating, organizing, and managing your contacts.

<DocVideo slug="contacts" />

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## Contact List

The contacts page shows all contacts in your sub-account as a searchable, filterable table.

<DocShot src="/docs-screens/contacts.webp" alt="Your contact database with search, filters, tags, and engagement at a glance." />

### Columns

The table displays name, email, phone, company, lifecycle stage, engagement score, tags, assigned user, and created date. You can customize which columns are visible.

### Searching

Use the search bar to find contacts by name, email, phone number, or company.

### Filtering

Filter contacts by:

- Lifecycle stage
- Tags
- Assigned user
- Source
- Company
- Custom field values
- Date ranges (created, last contacted)

Combine multiple filters to narrow your view. Save a filter combination as a **Segment** to reuse it later.

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## Creating a Contact

1. Click **Create Contact**
2. Fill in the details:

<DocShot src="/docs-screens/contact-create.webp" alt="Add a contact, with custom fields right on the form." />

| Field | Required | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| **First name** | Yes | Contact's first name |
| **Last name** | No | Contact's last name |
| **Email** | No | Email address (needed for email campaigns and Gmail sync) |
| **Phone** | No | Phone number (needed for SMS) |
| **Company** | No | Company name (creates or links to a company record) |

3. Add any custom fields, tags, or notes
4. Click **Create**

At minimum, a contact needs a first name. To communicate with a contact, you need their email (for email) or phone number (for SMS).

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## Contact Detail

Click a contact to open their detail page. This includes:

### Profile Fields

All standard and custom fields - edit any field by clicking on it. Fields include name, email, phone, company, address, source, lifecycle stage, assigned user, and any custom fields you have defined.

### Activity Timeline

A chronological log of everything related to this contact:

- Messages sent and received
- Emails opened and clicked
- Stage changes in pipelines
- Form submissions
- Workflow enrollments
- Notes added
- Appointments booked
- Invoices created

### Conversations

View all conversations with this contact across every channel (SMS, email, Messenger, Instagram). Click a conversation to jump to the inbox.

### Notes

Add internal notes about the contact. Notes are visible to your team and appear in the activity timeline.

### Opportunities

All pipeline opportunities associated with this contact.

### Invoices

All invoices sent to this contact.

### Appointments

Scheduled and past appointments.

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## Companies

Companies group contacts that belong to the same organization.

### Creating a Company

Companies can be created:

- **Automatically** - When you enter a company name on a contact, the company record is created if it does not exist
- **Manually** - From the Companies tab in the contacts module

### Company Detail

A company record shows:

- Company name, website, industry, address
- All contacts linked to this company
- A combined activity timeline across all associated contacts

### Linking Contacts

Set the **Company** field on a contact to link them. Multiple contacts can share the same company.

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## CSV Import

Import contacts from a spreadsheet.

### Import Flow

1. Click **Import** on the contacts list
2. Upload a CSV file
3. **Map columns** - Match each CSV column to a contact field (first name, email, phone, tags, etc.)
4. Choose **duplicate handling** - Skip duplicates or merge with existing records
5. Review the preview
6. Click **Import**

### Tips

- Tags can be included as a comma-separated list in a single column
- Custom fields are available in the column mapping if they have been created in settings
- The import preview shows how many contacts will be created and how many will be skipped or merged

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## Custom Fields

Extend contact records with fields specific to your business.

### Field Types

- Text, number, phone, email, URL
- Monetary (currency amount)
- Dropdown (single select)
- Radio buttons
- Checkbox (yes/no)
- Date
- File upload
- Signature
- Text list (multiple text entries)

### Managing Custom Fields

Go to **Settings → Custom Fields** to create, edit, reorder, and delete fields. Custom fields appear on the contact detail page and are available in filters, segments, workflows, and forms.

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## Tags

Tags are labels you apply to contacts for quick categorization and filtering.

### Using Tags

- Add tags from the contact detail page or during import
- Remove tags by clicking the X on a tag badge
- Filter the contact list by one or more tags
- Tags can be organized into folders in **Settings → Tags**

### Bulk Tagging

Select multiple contacts in the list view and use the bulk actions toolbar to add or remove tags from all selected contacts at once.

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## Segments

Segments are saved filter combinations that define a group of contacts. They are used for campaign targeting and reporting.

### Creating a Segment

1. Apply filters on the contact list (lifecycle stage, tags, custom fields, date ranges, etc.)
2. Click **Save as Segment**
3. Enter a name
4. The segment is saved and available for reuse

### Dynamic Segments

Segments are dynamic - the contacts in a segment update automatically as contact data changes. If a contact meets the filter criteria, they are included. If they no longer meet the criteria, they are removed.

### Using Segments

- Target a segment in **Campaigns** to send to a specific audience
- Use segments in **Reporting** to analyze subsets of your contacts
- Reference segments in **Workflows** for conditional logic

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## Lifecycle Stages

Every contact has a lifecycle stage that indicates where they are in your relationship:

<DocDiagram src="/docs-screens/contact-lifecycle.svg" alt="Contacts advance through lifecycle stages as they engage and convert." />

| Stage | Meaning |
|-------|---------|
| **Lead** | New contact, not yet qualified |
| **Qualified** | Evaluated and considered a potential client |
| **Customer** | Active paying client |
| **Repeat** | Returning client with multiple engagements |
| **Inactive** | No recent activity or engagement |

Change a contact's lifecycle stage from their detail page. Stage changes are logged in the activity timeline and can trigger workflows.

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## Engagement Scoring

Each contact has an engagement score that reflects how actively they interact with your communications and content.

| Tier | Score Range | Meaning |
|------|------------|---------|
| **Hot** | 76-100 | Highly engaged |
| **Warm** | 51-75 | Moderately engaged |
| **Cool** | 26-50 | Some engagement |
| **Cold** | 0-25 | Low or no engagement |

Scores update automatically based on activity - opening emails, clicking links, replying to messages, submitting forms, and other interactions. You can also adjust scores manually or through workflow actions.

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## Bulk Actions

Select multiple contacts in the list view to:

- Add or remove tags
- Change lifecycle stage
- Assign to a user
- Enroll in a workflow
- Export as CSV
- Delete (soft delete - contacts move to trash)

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## Trash and Deletion

When you delete a contact, it moves to the **Trash**. Contacts in the trash:

- Are hidden from the main list and all modules
- Can be **restored** back to active status
- Can be **permanently deleted** after a retention period

To view trashed contacts, switch to the trash view from the contacts list.

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## Exporting

Export your contacts as a CSV file:

1. Optionally apply filters or select specific contacts
2. Click **Export**
3. Download the generated CSV file

The export includes all standard and custom fields.

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## Referrals

The Referrals tab lets you track client referrals - who referred whom, their status, and conversion outcomes.

### Creating a Referral

Click **New Referral** to log a referral. Enter the referrer's name, the referred person's contact details, and any notes. A unique referral link is generated automatically - copy it to share with the referrer.

### Tracking Referrals

Each referral shows its current status (pending, contacted, converted, or lost), the referrer, and when it was created. Click any row to open the detail drawer for the full history.

### Referral Stats

The top of the page shows KPI cards for total referrals, converted count, conversion rate, and revenue attributed to referrals.

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## Summary

| Feature | Detail |
|---------|--------|
| Fields | Name, email, phone, company, address, source, lifecycle stage, custom fields |
| Companies | Group contacts by organization with shared timelines |
| Import | CSV upload with column mapping and duplicate handling |
| Custom fields | Text, number, date, dropdown, radio, checkbox, URL, email, phone, monetary, file, signature, text list |
| Tags | Labels for categorization, with folder organization |
| Segments | Dynamic saved filters for targeting and reporting |
| Lifecycle stages | Lead, Qualified, Customer, Repeat, Inactive |
| Scoring | Hot (76+), Warm (51-75), Cool (26-50), Cold (0-25) |
| Bulk actions | Tag, assign, enroll in workflow, export, delete |
| Trash | Soft delete with restore capability |

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Source: https://seedlycrm.com/docs/help/contacts