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Contacts

Manage customer and supplier relationships with comprehensive contact records.

Overview

The Contacts system helps you:

  • Store customer and supplier information
  • Track interaction history
  • Manage multiple addresses per contact
  • Organize contacts by type and group
  • Link contacts to orders and transactions

Access contacts from the Contacts tab.

Adding Contacts

Manual Entry

Create a new contact from scratch:

  1. Navigate to Contacts tab
  2. Tap the + button
  3. Enter contact details:
    • Name/Company Name (required)
    • Email Address
    • Phone Number
    • Address (with smart search)
    • Contact Type: Customer, Supplier, or Partner
    • Tax ID / Company Registration
  4. Add optional information:
    • Additional phone numbers
    • Website
    • Notes
    • Tags for organization
  5. Tap Save

Quick Add During Order Creation

Create contacts without leaving your workflow:

  1. While creating an order, tap New Customer
  2. Enter minimal required information:
    • Name
    • Phone or email
  3. Save and continue with order
  4. Complete full contact details later

The order automatically links to the new contact.

Import from Web (Business/Enterprise)

For publicly available contact information:

  1. Tap Import from Web
  2. Enter company website or search term
  3. Review auto-populated fields
  4. Verify and edit information
  5. Save contact

This feature helps quickly build your contact database.

Contact Information

Basic Information

Every contact record includes:

Identification:

  • Full name or company name
  • Contact type (Customer/Supplier/Partner)
  • Tax ID or registration number
  • Customer reference or account number

Contact Methods:

  • Primary phone number
  • Additional phone numbers
  • Primary email address
  • Additional email addresses
  • Website URL

Address Information:

  • Physical address with smart search
  • Multiple addresses per contact
  • Default shipping address designation
  • Billing address (if different)

Additional Details

Enhance contact records with:

Business Information:

  • Industry or sector
  • Company size
  • Years in business
  • Credit terms
  • Payment preferences

Notes and Tags:

  • Free-form notes
  • Custom tags for organization
  • Internal references
  • Special handling instructions

Preferences:

  • Preferred communication method
  • Best contact times
  • Language preference
  • Special requirements

Address Management

Smart Address Search

When entering addresses:

  1. Start typing the address
  2. System provides autocomplete suggestions using Apple Maps
  3. Select suggested address
  4. System fills in:
    • Street address
    • City
    • State/Province
    • Postal code
    • Country
  5. Verify and adjust if needed

This ensures accurate addresses for shipping.

Multiple Addresses

Add multiple addresses per contact:

  1. Edit contact
  2. Tap Add Address
  3. Enter address type:
    • Shipping address
    • Billing address
    • Warehouse location
    • Office location
  4. Mark one as default shipping address
  5. Save contact

When creating orders, select from saved addresses.

Address Validation

The system validates addresses to prevent shipping errors:

  • Checks for complete information
  • Verifies postal code format
  • Confirms city/state combinations
  • Flags international addresses for special handling

Contact Types

Organize contacts by their relationship to your business:

Customer

Primary contact type for sales:

  • Links to orders and invoices
  • Track purchase history
  • Monitor account balance
  • Set credit limits
  • Manage payment terms

Supplier

For vendor relationships:

  • Link to purchase orders
  • Track delivery performance
  • Manage payment schedules
  • Store product catalogs
  • Monitor lead times

Partner

For business partnerships:

  • Collaboration tracking
  • Joint venture information
  • Revenue sharing details
  • Contract terms
  • Communication logs

You can change contact type at any time.

Contact Groups and Tags

Creating Groups

Organize contacts into meaningful segments:

  1. Create groups for:

    • VIP customers
    • Wholesale buyers
    • Retail customers
    • Regional segments
    • Industry verticals
    • Credit risk levels

  2. Assign contacts to groups:

    • Edit contact
    • Select group(s)
    • Save

Contacts can belong to multiple groups.

Using Tags

Tag contacts for flexible organization:

  • Custom Tags: Create any tag system you need
  • Quick Filters: Filter contacts by tag
  • Bulk Actions: Apply actions to tagged contacts
  • Reporting: Segment reports by tags

Example tags:

  • "High Value"
  • "Net 30"
  • "Requires Credit Check"
  • "International"
  • "Seasonal Buyer"

Contact History

Viewing History

Each contact record shows complete interaction history:

Orders:

  • All orders from this contact
  • Order dates and values
  • Current status
  • Outstanding balances

Dispatches:

  • Shipments to this contact
  • Delivery confirmations
  • Return history
  • Tracking information

Payments:

  • Payment records
  • Outstanding invoices
  • Payment methods used
  • Credit status

Communications:

  • Message history
  • Email correspondence
  • Phone call logs
  • Meeting notes

Transaction Summary

Quick view of financial relationship:

  • Total lifetime value
  • Average order value
  • Number of orders
  • Outstanding balance
  • Payment history
  • Credit utilization

Contact Search and Filters

Search Options

Find contacts quickly:

By Name:

  • Search company or contact name
  • Partial matches supported
  • Case-insensitive

By Contact Information:

  • Search by email
  • Search by phone number
  • Search by address

By Order or Reference:

  • Find customer from order number
  • Search by customer account number
  • Search by tax ID

Filtering Contacts

Filter the contact list:

By Type:

  • Customers only
  • Suppliers only
  • Partners only

By Group:

  • VIP customers
  • Regional segments
  • Any custom group

By Status:

  • Active contacts
  • Inactive contacts
  • Credit hold accounts
  • Past due payments

By Activity:

  • Ordered in last 30 days
  • No orders in 90 days
  • High frequency buyers

Credit Management

Setting Credit Limits

For credit-based customers:

  1. Edit contact
  2. Set Credit Limit
  3. Choose Payment Terms:
    • Net 7
    • Net 15
    • Net 30
    • Net 60
    • Net 90
    • Custom terms
  4. Save contact

System warns when orders exceed credit limit.

Credit Hold

Flag customers with payment issues:

  1. Edit contact
  2. Toggle Credit Hold ON
  3. Add reason and notes
  4. Save contact

Orders from credit hold accounts require manager approval.

Payment Terms

Set default payment terms per contact:

  • Terms auto-apply to new orders
  • Can override on individual orders
  • Track aging of receivables
  • Generate payment reminders

Contact Communication

Integrated Messaging

Communicate directly with contacts:

  1. Open contact record
  2. Tap Message or Email
  3. Compose message
  4. Send directly from app

All communications logged to contact history.

Communication Preferences

Respect contact preferences:

  • Mark preferred contact method
  • Note best times to contact
  • Flag do-not-contact requests
  • Track communication frequency

Best Practices

Data Quality

Maintain accurate contact information:

  • Verify addresses before first shipment
  • Update contact information when it changes
  • Remove duplicate contacts
  • Regular data cleanup sessions
  • Verify email addresses and phone numbers

Contact Organization

Structure your contact database:

  • Use consistent naming (Last, First or Company Name)
  • Apply meaningful tags and groups
  • Document special requirements in notes
  • Link related contacts (parent companies, branches)
  • Archive inactive contacts rather than deleting

Privacy and Security

Protect contact information:

  • Limit access to authorized team members
  • Don't share contact details externally
  • Follow data protection regulations
  • Keep notes professional
  • Secure sensitive information

Communication Management

Effective contact communication:

  • Log all important interactions
  • Set reminders for follow-ups
  • Maintain professional tone
  • Respond to inquiries promptly
  • Document agreements and commitments

Common Workflows

New Customer Onboarding

When adding a new customer:

  1. Create complete contact record
  2. Verify and validate address
  3. Set payment terms and credit limit
  4. Assign to appropriate groups
  5. Add any special requirements
  6. Create welcome message or call

Regular Customer Maintenance

Periodic contact review:

  1. Review contact accuracy quarterly
  2. Update changed information
  3. Merge duplicate records
  4. Archive inactive contacts
  5. Update groups and tags
  6. Review credit limits
  7. Check communication preferences

Order Creation Flow

Using contacts in orders:

  1. Create new order
  2. Search and select contact
  3. Choose from saved addresses
  4. Payment terms auto-populate
  5. Access order history for reference
  6. Continue with order creation

Supplier Management

Working with suppliers:

  1. Create supplier contact
  2. Add product information to notes
  3. Track lead times
  4. Monitor delivery performance
  5. Manage payment schedules
  6. Review and rate periodically

Troubleshooting

Duplicate Contacts

If you have duplicate records:

  1. Identify duplicates (search by name/email)
  2. Open both records
  3. Merge information into primary record
  4. Update order links if needed
  5. Delete duplicate
  6. Verify merge was successful

Missing Contact in Order

If customer doesn't appear when creating order:

  • Check spelling in search
  • Verify contact wasn't archived
  • Check filter settings
  • Try searching by email or phone
  • Create new contact if necessary

Address Validation Fails

If system rejects an address:

  • Verify address is complete
  • Check for special characters
  • Try manual entry instead of search
  • Confirm postal code format
  • For international addresses, verify country code

Can't Edit Contact

If contact is locked:

  • Check if contact has pending orders
  • Verify your permission level
  • Contact may be in use by another team member
  • Try again after closing active sessions
  • Contact admin if persistently locked

Next Steps