Why it matters
Manual contact creation and editing are useful when a teammate needs to add one person, correct a record, update preferences, or fill in missing contact details without running an import.
Key Concepts
Add a new contact: The Contacts action used to create one contact manually.
Edit contact: The action used to update an existing contact's details.
Core fields: Fields such as name, phone, email, address, birth date, language, default channel, external ID, and blocked status.
Contact organization: Tags, static lists, and communication preferences that help teams sort and manage the contact.
Step-by-Step: Add or edit a contact
Open Contacts from the main sidebar.
Select All contacts.
Select Add, then Add a new contact.
Enter the contact's details.
Add tags, lists, default channel, language, or communication preferences when needed.
Save the contact.
To edit an existing contact, search for the contact and open the record.
Select Edit contact, update the fields, and save.
Tips and Best Practices
Search before adding a contact to reduce duplicate records.
Use external ID when the contact is connected to another system.
Keep communication preferences accurate before sending messages.
Use imports or bulk actions when many contacts need the same update.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Possible Cause | Fix |
The contact cannot be saved | A required field is missing or a field value is invalid | Review phone, email, name, and any required workspace fields |
The Add action is unavailable | The user may not have permission to create contacts | Review Contacts permissions in Settings > Users > Roles |
A manually edited value changes later | An integration may sync over that field | Check whether the field is owned by an external system before editing it again |