Create a contact
A contact is the core record in SWS Agent—every conversation, deal, task, and campaign ultimately ties back to a person or organization stored in Contact Management (/contact-management). Manual create is for one-off leads; use Import contacts when loading lists at scale.
Video
Who can do this
Users with Create permission on Contacts (most Members with CRM access). Assigning owners or pond-sensitive fields may require additional rights.
Before you begin
- Manage contact settings so Status, Source, and Lifecycle Stage dropdowns are populated
- Custom fields added before you need them on the form
- Integrations connected if you will email or WhatsApp immediately after save
What you'll accomplish
A saved contact visible in the All contacts directory, openable on /contact/:contactId, ready for Inbox threads, tasks, deals, and Smart List membership.
Step-by-step procedure
Open Contact Management
- Sidebar → CRM → Contacts (
/contact-management). - Confirm you are on the All contacts tab unless you intentionally create inside a Smart List tab.
- Related routes from the same module:
- Import:
/contact-management/import - All ponds:
/contact-management/available-to-claim
- Import:
Search before create
- Use toolbar search for phone, email, and name.
- Open a possible duplicate instead of creating a second record—duplicate contacts fragment Inbox history and campaign metrics.
Create the contact
- Select Create, Add contact, or the + action (label varies slightly by view).
- Complete the form:
| Field area | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Name | First/last or full name—required on most workspaces |
| Phone | E.164 or local format; required for WhatsApp and calling |
| Required for email campaigns and Inbox threading | |
| Company | Use for B2B accounts |
| Lifecycle Stage | Shown when pipeline mode uses stages |
| Status | Current pipeline stage—pick configured values only |
| Source | How they entered—be consistent for reporting |
| Owner / Assignee | Who owns follow-up when shown |
| Custom fields | Any fields defined in settings |
| Tags | Quick labels for filters and Smart Lists |
- Select Save or Create.
Optional: save as Smart List from filters
If you arrived via the Filter sidebar, you can save criteria later using the Smart List Name modal—separate from manual create but useful when building queues from the same field values you just entered.
After save — contact detail
You should land on /contact/:contactId.
| Action | Where |
|---|---|
| Log notes | Notes section |
| Send email/WhatsApp | Communication actions on record |
| Create task | Tasks linked to contact |
| Start deal | Deals tab |
| View timeline | Activity / timeline |
| Set reminder | Reminders panel or Reminders module |
Full tour: Use the contact detail page
Verify the contact
- Return to Contacts—search the name on All contacts.
- Open the record—phone and email display correctly.
- If using ponds, confirm Contact Owner matches Lead Distribution rules.
- Optional: send a test email or WhatsApp to confirm channel linkage.
- Apply a Filter sidebar check—filter Email equals the new address and confirm exactly one row returns.
Verify your work
- Directory search finds the new contact on All contacts
- Detail page shows saved Status, Source, and custom fields
- Test message appears on timeline when integrations are connected
- Filter sidebar query returns the record when filtered by unique email or phone
Tips
One phone, one email. Search before create every time.
Source discipline. Train reps to pick real sources—not generic buckets—so Reports stay trustworthy.
Star a Smart List tab after saving filter criteria for the same segment you manually add to often.
Troubleshooting
| Required field error | Fill phone or email as marked required | | Status list empty | Configure statuses under Contact settings | | Cannot assign owner | Permission or pond rule—check with Admin | | Duplicate warning | Open existing contact instead of creating a second record | | Custom field missing on form | Create field first, refresh create modal |