Contacts

Contact Tags

Tags are coloured labels you assign to contacts for categorisation, filtering, and reporting. They are a simple but powerful way to segment your contact database.

Managing Tags

Go to Contacts > Configuration > Tags. Here you can:

• Create new tags – Give each tag a name and a colour (for visual distinction in kanban/list views).
• Edit existing tags – Change name or colour. All contacts with the tag update automatically.
• Merge tags – If "VIP" and "Very Important" are duplicates, merge them into one.

Common Tag Categories

Using Tags for Filtering

Once contacts have tags, you can:

• Filter – In Contacts list view, click Filters – Add Custom Filter – Field: Tags, Operator: Contains, Value: VIP. Shows only VIP contacts.
• Group By – Click Group By – Tags. Contacts are grouped by their tags. Untagged contacts appear in a separate section.
• Mailing Lists – Create dynamic mailing lists in Email Marketing using tags as criteria (e.g. all contacts with tag "Newsletter" AND tag "Active").
• Reports – In sales/purchase analysis reports, group by contact tags to see performance by segment.

Tags vs Other Categorisation

• Tags – Many-to-many. A contact can have multiple tags. Best for cross-cutting categories (a customer can be both "VIP" AND "Technology").
• Category/Industry – A single-value field on the contact form. One category per contact.
• Sales Team – Determines pipeline ownership, not categorisation.

Bulk Importing Contacts

Use the import feature to load contacts from a CSV or Excel file. This is essential when migrating from another CRM or spreadsheet.

Preparing Your File

The simplest approach is to export a sample file first:

1. Go to Contacts – switch to List view.
2. Click Actions – Export All Records.
3. Select these fields: Name, Company Name, Email, Phone, Mobile, Street, City, State, ZIP, Country, Tags.
4. Check "Export with External IDs" only if you plan to update existing records later.
5. Download the file. Use it as a template – delete the sample rows and add your own data.

Import Field Mapping

Key fields and how to populate them correctly:

Importing with Parent-Child Relationships

To import individuals under existing companies:

1. First, ensure the company contacts already exist in the database (import or create them).
2. Export the companies with External IDs.
3. In your individuals import file, use the "Parent Company (External ID)" column instead of "Company Name" and enter the External ID value.
4. This ensures individuals are linked correctly without ambiguity.

Post-Import Validation

After importing:

• Check the total count matches your source file.
• Spot-check a few records for data accuracy.
• Use the "Duplicates" filter (if available) to find potential duplicates.
• If errors occurred, Quickenerp shows a detailed error log. Download it, fix the rows, and re-import only the failed rows.

Activities on Contacts

Activities represent follow-up actions you schedule against a contact. They ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Activities are visible in the "Activities" kanban view across the entire system.

Types of Activities

• Call – Phone call to the contact.
• Meeting – In-person or virtual meeting.
• To-Do – A general task to complete.
• Email – Send an email.
• Demo – Product demonstration.
• Follow-Up – Generic follow-up activity. You can create custom activity types.

Creating an Activity

1. Open the contact record.
2. Click the Schedule Activity button (bell icon) in the top action bar.
3. Select the Activity Type (Call, Meeting, etc.).
4. Set a Due Date – when this activity must be completed.
5. Set an Alarm – remind you before the due date (e.g. 1 hour before, 1 day before).
6. Enter a Summary – brief description (appears in the kanban activity view).
7. Enter Notes – detailed notes for the activity (discussion points, preparation needed).
8. Assign to – yourself or a colleague.
9. Click Save. The activity appears on your dashboard, the contact's chatter, and the global Activities view.

Marking Activities Complete

From the contact record or the My Activities dashboard:

• Open the activity (click it in the chatter or the kanban card).
• Check the Done checkbox.
• Enter any additional notes about what happened.
• Click Save. The activity is moved to the chatter history.

Communication via Chatter

The chatter at the bottom of each contact record is the communication hub:

• Internal Notes – Type a message and click "Send" to add an internal note. Use @name to notify a colleague. Notes are visible to internal users only (not portal users).
• Email – Click the "Email" button to compose an email to the contact. The email is stored in the chatter. Replies from the contact (via incoming mail) are also attached.
• Log Note – A formal log entry (e.g. "Contract signed", "Support case closed"). Log notes are timestamped and appear in the chatter.
• Attachments – Drag and drop files (PDF, images, documents) onto the chatter. They are stored permanently against the contact.
• Field Tracking – If field tracking is enabled for any contact field, changes appear as automatic log notes in the chatter (e.g. "Email changed from old@email.com to new@email.com by John Admin").