Managing contacts
How to create, import and manage contacts
Description
The Contacts section contains specific information about a client or customer, including:
> First, middle and second name
> Contact and billing address
> Business name
> Phone number
> Tags
Creating a new contact
An anonymous contact is automatically created when a webchat or WhatsApp message is received from a new contact.
In the case of WhatsApp, the number is saved together with values for the first name and surname, if provided.
When further details are obtained from the contact, the entry can be manually updated by an agent via the edit contact button in the right hand side panel.
In the case of webchat, an anonymous guest is created with a pseudonymised name and email when a new contact sends a new webchat message. This info is displayed in the right hand side contact details panel.
However the new contact is not saved in contacts in order to limit the number of anonymous guest entries.
When the name and other relevant contact data is saved against the anonymous guest, then the new contact is displayed in contacts.
New contact created by an AI agent
As part of the template workflow, when a chat is handed over from the AI agent to a human agent, and a human agent is not found in a short period of time, then the contact details (email and phone number) of the customer are requested by the AI Agent in the same chat, for subsequent follow up.
These details are then auto-saved in contacts.
Adding and deleting contacts
A new contact can be added manually in contacts by inputting the first and last names, and either phone number or email, or both.
It is advised that the contact's mobile number is inputted as their phone number.
The phone number and email (whether belonging to an agent, admin or contact) acts as the unique identifier of a contact or user, and can not be used twice in a business.
You can also not add an agent or admin's phone number that has also been used in contacts.
If a contact is archived and a message is subsequently received from that contact, the previous defined contact name will be associated with the number. If a message is received from an archived contact, it will re-activate the contact.
In order to disassociate a contact name with a number, it's necessary to edit the contact and delete or change the number saved, rather than delete.
Importing contacts
Contacts can be imported via CSV file. Just go to contacts and click on the Import contacts button, and upload your CSV contact list.
Make sure that the column headers in your contacts sheet are in the top row, and that there are no gaps in the rows or columns.
The loader will then automatically map, where possible, the column headers of your contacts to the fields in contacts, as illustrated below. Any remaining columns that are not auto mapped can be mapped manually via the drop downs in the left hand column.
It is important to classify phone numbers correctly in the CSV. International numbers should include the prefix and a + sign before the number (eg +44 for UK). Numbers without an international prefix will be treated as a number from the business's country of origin.
Make sure you map at a minimum, the first name, the last name, and either or both of the phone and email.
Tags and setting assignment of contacts
Tags can be created under Settings > Tags. You can then add tags to a contact via the contacts edit button:
This will allow you to send broadcast messages to specific contact groups via defined tags (when the broadcast feature is available).
You can also set the assignment of all messages received from a contact, so when a new message is received from that contact, it is automatically assigned to that particular agent.
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