Why it matters
Contacts are the foundation of messaging in Whippy. Every message, automation, campaign, and personalization flows from contact data. Understanding how contacts relate to objects, segments, and lists helps you manage accurate data, target the right audiences, and automate workflows effectively.
Key Concepts
Contacts: Individual people who receive messages. Each contact includes fields like name, phone number, email, tags, and custom fields. Contacts are the core unit of communication in Whippy.
Tags: Labels you can add to a contact to group them or trigger actions. Tags can be used to start campaigns or sequences without creating a segment. Imported contacts also receive an upload tag, which forms a contact list.
Segments: Dynamic groups of contacts filtered by rules. Segments update automatically when contact data changes and are commonly used for real-time targeting in automations and campaigns.
Lists: Static groups of contacts created manually or via CSV upload. Lists do not update automatically. They are best for fixed audiences such as event invites. Upload tags make lists function as reusable groups.
Custom Objects: Structured data related to a contact or related records (for example, orders, appointments, assignments). Objects contain fields used for personalization and automation. They often come from integrations or API syncs.
Data Interconnection: Contact fields, tags, and object data can power segments, which can trigger campaigns or sequences. A contact may have multiple objects, tags, and field values that influence automation logic.
Step-by-Step: Navigating and Managing Contacts
Go to the Data tab in the sidebar and select Contacts.
Review the All Contacts table to see names, phone numbers, emails, tags, default channel, language, created and updated timestamps.
Select contacts using the checkbox beside each name.
Click the pencil icon to edit a contact’s details.
Click the speech bubble to open a conversation with the contact.
Open the more actions menu (three dots) to add tags, unsubscribe, block, or delete the contact.
Use the Add Contact button to create a new contact manually.
Click the three vertical dots beside Add Contact to download a CSV of all contacts or filtered contacts.
Use sorting and filtering to narrow your view by field values or update date.
Create a contact list by selecting the cloud-and-arrow icon, naming the list, selecting channels, and uploading or pasting numbers.
Tips and Best Practices
Use tags to group contacts quickly and trigger campaigns without building a segment.
Keep contact fields complete to improve segmentation accuracy.
Maintain consistent naming for tags and lists to make automation easier.
Use segments for audiences that change over time; use lists for fixed, one-time sends.
Review object data when diagnosing automation behavior because object values often drive triggers.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Possible Cause | Fix |
Contact not appearing in a segment | Contact data does not match segment filters | Check fields, tags, and object values; update data as needed |
Imported list not showing expected contacts | Incorrect file format or missing channel opt-ins | Reupload the CSV, confirm formatting, and review selected channels |
Unable to edit an object record | UI does not allow populating object data | Populate data via integration or API; verify sync configuration |
Campaign not triggering for a contact | Contact lacks required tags or default channel | Add missing tags or set a default channel |