Contacts overview
Find your way around the contact list, its filters and bulk actions, and a contact's own page.
Contacts are the people your business talks to on WhatsApp. A contact appears the moment someone messages one of your numbers, and you can also add contacts by hand, import a list or create them through the API.
Go to Contacts › All contacts to see the list. The page has four tabs along the top: People (the list), Segments, Tags & fields and Import.
The contact list
Each row shows:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The contact's display name, or their number if there is no name. |
| WhatsApp number | The number, with its country code. |
| Tags | Up to three tags, then a count of the rest. |
| Lifecycle | New, Active, Dormant or Churned (see below). |
| Consent | Not recorded, Opted in, Opted out or Blocked us. |
| Source | How the contact arrived: Messaged us, Imported, API or Added by hand. |
| Last seen | When the contact last messaged you. |
Scroll down to load more contacts. Click a row to open the contact's page.
Lifecycle stages
The lifecycle stage is worked out from activity once a day. You cannot set it by hand.
| Stage | Meaning |
|---|---|
| New | Added in the last 7 days and has not messaged yet. |
| Active | Messaged in the last 30 days. |
| Dormant | Last messaged between 30 and 180 days ago. |
| Churned | Last messaged over 180 days ago, or opted out. |
Search and filters
- The search box (Name or number) looks in the display name and the WhatsApp number. Wildcards are not supported.
- Tags: pick one or more tags. A contact must carry every tag you choose.
- Segment: show only the contacts that match a saved segment.
- Lifecycle, Consent and Source: narrow the list to one value each.
Click Clear filters to see everyone again.
Bulk actions
- Tick the box beside each contact you want, or tick the box in the header to select every contact loaded on the page.
- Choose an action in the bar at the bottom of the list:
- Add tags or Remove tags: choose up to 20 tags, then click Apply.
- Delete: confirm to delete the selected contacts.
A bulk action takes at most 500 contacts at a time. For larger groups, save the view as a segment instead.
Note: Tagging needs permission to edit contacts (Owners, Admins, Supervisors, Agents and Marketing Managers). Deleting contacts is limited to Owners and Admins.
A contact's page
Open a contact to see and edit their record:
- Identity: display name, WhatsApp number, locale, source, consent and lifecycle stage. Click Edit to change the display name or locale. The WhatsApp number cannot be changed.
- Tags: click Edit tags to add or remove tags, then Save tags.
- Custom fields: the extra values your organisation keeps, such as city or plan. Click Edit, change the values, then Save fields. See Custom fields and tags.
- Consent record: every opt-in and opt-out in order, with Record consent to add one. See Opt-outs and consent.
- Campaign messages: the Stop campaign messages button, for a customer who asks you to stop.
- Activity: when the contact was first and last seen, added and last updated.
The same contact details are also shown beside a conversation in the inbox. See The contact panel.
Deleting a contact
On the contact's page, click Delete contact and confirm. The contact stops appearing in lists, segments and campaigns. Their consent record is kept as evidence. If the same number messages you again later, it starts a fresh contact.
Who can see contacts
Every role except Billing Administrator can view contacts. Read Only and Developer roles can look but not change anything. See Roles and permissions.
Related
Still need help?
Write to us at [email protected] and tell us what you were trying to do. Already a customer? Sign in to IconEngage — the same articles are under Help in the app.