Why it matters
Contacts are the foundation of messaging in Whippy. Every message, campaign, sequence, and personalization relies on accurate contact data. Editing a contact correctly ensures messages are delivered, workflows trigger as expected, and your team has the right context when engaging with a contact.
Whippy lets you edit contacts from multiple entry points so you can update details quickly without interrupting your workflow.
Key Concepts
Contact: An individual person you communicate with in Whippy. Contacts include core fields (name, phone, email), optional fields (language, default channel), and related data such as tags, lists, and objects.
Contact Profile Panel: A side panel that displays a contact’s details, actions, tags, lists, notes, conversations, campaigns, and sequences.
Tags: Labels applied to contacts to group them, trigger campaigns or sequences, and support segmentation.
Lists: Static groups of contacts, often created manually or via CSV upload. Lists do not update automatically.
Segments: Dynamic groups of contacts built from rules. Segments update automatically when contact data changes.
Default Channel: The preferred channel Whippy will use when sending messages to the contact, when applicable.
Blocked: A contact-level setting that stops your organization from receiving inbound messages from that contact.
Where You Can Edit a Contact
You can open and edit a contact from three main places in Whippy:
From a conversation
Go to the Omnichannel Inbox.
Open a conversation.
Click the contact/profile icon on the right-hand side.
The Contact Profile Panel opens.
This is the fastest option when you are already messaging a contact.
From the Data tab
Open the Data tab.
Select Contacts.
Find the contact and click the Edit icon (pencil with a square).
This is best for structured data updates or bulk review.
From the Contacts tab
Open Contacts.
Click the contact’s name in the table.
The Contact Profile Panel opens.
This is ideal for quick lookups and one-off edits.
Step-by-Step: Edit Contact Details
Open the Contact Profile Panel from any entry point.
In the Details section, click the pencil icon.
Edit any of the following fields as needed:
Name
Phone number
Email address
External ID
Address
Birth date
Default channel
Language
Blocked (set to True to stop inbound messages)
Click Save Contact to apply changes.
Changes take effect immediately and may impact segmentation, campaigns, or sequences that reference this contact.
Managing Contact Actions and Related Data
From the Contact Profile Panel, you can also:
Take direct actions
Message the contact
Call the contact
Add to a sequence
Add tags
Add notes
Add to lists
Review contact context
Tags currently applied to the contact
Lists the contact belongs to
Active campaigns
Sequences
Past conversations
Attachments and notes
This makes the contact panel a central hub for both editing and decision-making.
How Contact Edits Affect Messaging and Automation
Updating contact fields can immediately affect segments, which may add or remove the contact from audiences.
Adding or removing tags can trigger campaigns or sequences.
Changing the default channel influences how new messages are sent.
Blocking a contact prevents inbound messages but does not delete conversation history.
Notes added to a contact help with internal handoffs and context but are never visible to the contact.
Tips and Best Practices
Always verify phone numbers and email addresses to avoid delivery failures.
Use tags for quick grouping instead of creating segments for simple use cases.
Keep contact fields consistent to ensure segments work reliably.
Use notes for internal context rather than sending internal information in messages.
Block contacts only when necessary and review blocked status periodically.
Use the Data tab when you need precision; use the Inbox or Contacts tab for speed.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Possible Cause | Fix |
Edit controls not visible | Insufficient permissions | Ask an admin to grant contact edit access |
Changes not saving | Required field missing or invalid format | Complete all required fields and use valid formats |
Still receiving messages after blocking | Block not saved or cached view | Reopen the contact panel to confirm Blocked = True, then refresh |
Contact not behaving as expected in campaigns | Tags or fields changed | Review tags, lists, and segment membership |