# Contacts

{% hint style="info" %}
User permission: CRM
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{% hint style="info" %}
During your Phocas implementation, we often import your Contacts and Leads as a one-time process. However, you might want to re-import these items occasionally, for example, to update custom fields in bulk. This isn’t something you can do yourself, but you can submit a request using the [Upgrades and services form](https://app.gitbook.com/s/qRvX8Eg8GftkyP0R8RVU/more-help-and-support#upgrades-and-services) in the Phocas side navigation menu.
{% endhint %}

A contact can’t exist on its own; it must be linked to an account. Contacts can be employees of a prospective customer (lead), employees of an existing customer, or consultants who manage their own clients that could become customers of your business.

{% embed url="<https://phocassoftware.wistia.com/medias/qqthea4oby>" %}
CRM: Manage contacts and leads
{% endembed %}

## View a list of all contacts <a href="#viewandeditcontacts-viewalistofallcontacts" id="viewandeditcontacts-viewalistofallcontacts"></a>

Select the **CRM** menu button > **Contacts**.

The **Contacts** screen displays a list of all the contacts you have permission to view. You can view, edit and delete individual contacts from here.&#x20;

## Find a contact <a href="#viewandeditcontacts-findacontact" id="viewandeditcontacts-findacontact"></a>

On the **Contacts** screen, you can find a particular contact using the filter and search options above the grid or by sorting the list.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Desktop version 2" %}

* Use the **Status** dropdown menu to filter the list by all, active, or inactive accounts.
* Use the **Job Title** filter to display only contacts with a specific job title.
* Use the **Owner** filter to display only your contacts or contacts that belong to another user (that you have the permission to view).
* Use the **Team** filter to display contacts allocated to a specific team to which you belong.
* Use the **Search** box to search for a specific contact by name. This performs an *is like* search on the name column.
* Click a column heading to sort data into ascending or descending order.&#x20;

Filters remain active until you turn them off, so if you apply a filter and move away from the screen and then return, the filter will remain. To clear any filter you have applied, select **All** from the dropdown list, or **Select none**.

Learn more about [filtering and searching in CRM](https://docs.phocassoftware.com/crm/overview-of-crm).
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Desktop version 1" %}

* Use the **Active** filter to switch between viewing active and inactive accounts in the list. &#x20;
* Use the **Owner** filter to display only your contacts or contacts that belong to another user (that you have permissions to view).
* Use the **Team** filter to display contacts allocated to a specific team to which you belong.
* Use the **Search** box to search for a specific contact by name. This performs an *is like* search on the name column.
* Click a column heading to sort data into ascending or descending order.&#x20;

Filters remain active until you turn them off, so if you apply a filter and move away from the screen and then return, the filter will remain. To clear any filter you have applied, select **All** from the dropdown list.&#x20;

Learn more about [filtering and searching in CRM](https://docs.phocassoftware.com/crm/overview-of-crm).
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Mobile" %}
To find the contact you requir&#x65;**,** type your search term into the box, such as a name or company, and any matching results will instantly be displayed.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

## View or edit a contact <a href="#viewandeditcontacts-vieworeditacontact" id="viewandeditcontacts-vieworeditacontact"></a>

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Desktop version 2" %}

* On the **Contacts** screen, select the contact's name (blue link) to open the contact record.
* On the contact's record:
  * **Contact** tab: View and edit the contact details, such as its name, owner and address. The contact owner is the Phocas CRM user responsible for communicating with that contact.
  * **Activities** tab: View and edit the activities relating to the contact, or delete (remove) activities from the contact. Parent account activities (activities relating directly to the account) do not display here.  See [View and edit activities](https://docs.phocassoftware.com/crm/activities).
* When done, select **Save** > **Close**.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://4133978327-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F1DdwWAKI55yCxN4CVAUT%2Fuploads%2FuHKeC9Zh3ILX4sJadzFr%2Fcontacts_CRM12.gif?alt=media&#x26;token=8c9b0aa4-0a29-4d84-9a24-c055ed546caf" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Desktop version 1" %}

* On the **Contacts** screen, select the contact name (blue link) to open the contact record.
* On the contact's record:
  * **Contact** tab - View and edit the contact details, such as its name, owner and address. The contact owner is the Phocas CRM user responsible for communicating with that contact.
  * **Activities** tab - View and edit the activities relating to the contact, or delete (remove) activities from the contact. Parent account activities (activities relating directly to the account) do not display here.  See [View and edit activities](https://docs.phocassoftware.com/crm/activities).

    <div align="left"><figure><img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/1DdwWAKI55yCxN4CVAUT/blobs/QvojyvGO6Ktf8XkDeczq/614469.png" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>
* Click **Save** > **Close**.
  {% endtab %}

{% tab title="Mobile" %}

* On the **Contacts** screen, select the contact name to open the contact record.
* On the contact's record:
  * **Contact** tab: View and edit the contact’s details, including name, owner, and address. You can also add activities or take direct actions, such as calling, messaging, or emailing the contact.
  * **Activities** tab: Add new activities, or view and edit existing activities relating to the contact. Parent account activities (activities relating directly to the account) do not display here. See [View and edit activities](https://docs.phocassoftware.com/crm/activities).
* When done, select **Save** > **Close**.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://4133978327-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F1DdwWAKI55yCxN4CVAUT%2Fuploads%2FrkSYUfovnMfDqhMGBugS%2FMobilecontacts.gif?alt=media&#x26;token=e2337881-79aa-4ee2-9397-79293895e956" alt="" width="91"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>
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## Add a contact <a href="#addanddeletecontacts-addacontacttoanaccount" id="addanddeletecontacts-addacontacttoanaccount"></a>

Select the **CRM** menu button > **Contacts**. On the **Contacts** screen, select the **Add** **contact** button (blue plus sign). Choose the [account](https://docs.phocassoftware.com/crm/accounts) you want to add the contact to, then enter the contact details and select **Save > Close**. The new contact displays in the list of contacts.

{% columns %}
{% column %}

<figure><img src="https://4133978327-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F1DdwWAKI55yCxN4CVAUT%2Fuploads%2FYPbfeSnxHbqpBSAd39lZ%2FaddcontactCRM.gif?alt=media&#x26;token=504dba0e-6434-49a2-8007-3e5145b0e92b" alt=""><figcaption><p>Desktop version</p></figcaption></figure>
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{% column %}

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://4133978327-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F1DdwWAKI55yCxN4CVAUT%2Fuploads%2FooelI2RtKGzXtChcYY5M%2FaddcontactmobileCRM.gif?alt=media&#x26;token=69a7c751-b835-46c2-8f74-73165b6d4ccf" alt="" width="91"><figcaption><p>mobile-friendly version</p></figcaption></figure></div>
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## Set a primary contact for an account <a href="#addanddeletecontacts-setaprimarycontactforanaccount" id="addanddeletecontacts-setaprimarycontactforanaccount"></a>

{% hint style="info" %}
Primary contacts can only be set in the **desktop version** of CRM.
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[Open the account record](https://docs.phocassoftware.com/crm/accounts), select the **Contacts** tab, select the menu button (three dots) at the end of the contact row, then select **Set as primary**.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://4133978327-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F1DdwWAKI55yCxN4CVAUT%2Fuploads%2F1mY32dZ6YnrjBpOVmv01%2FScreenshot%202025-09-08%20at%2014.59.10.png?alt=media&#x26;token=137be82a-91ca-487f-9c79-9ea7967bd8d4" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

## Delete a contact <a href="#addanddeletecontacts-deleteacontact" id="addanddeletecontacts-deleteacontact"></a>

{% hint style="info" %}
Contacts can only be deleted in the **desktop version** of CRM.
{% endhint %}

If you do not have delete permissions, the **Delete** button might not display or you might see a message at the top of the screen indicating you do not have permission to delete. Talk to your administrator about your permissions. Deleted items can be restored by administrators.

1. Select the **CRM** menu button > **Contacts** to open the **Contacts** screen.
2. Select the menu button (three dots) at the end of the contact’s row, then choose **Delete**.

In older versions of Phocas, deleting a contact also deletes activities associated with it, so you are deleting the entire history of that contact. An alternative is to mark the contact as inactive.

## Export contacts

You can't export your contacts directly from within CRM, but you can do it from your CRM Analysis database.&#x20;

1. Open your CRM Analysis database.
2. Select the **Entity Type** dimension, then select and focus on the **Contact** entity type.
3. Select the **Entities** dimension.
4. Switch to **Search** mode to view the full list of contacts (no period range is applied).
5. Add more properties to the grid, if required.
6. [Export the data](https://app.gitbook.com/s/itAvDF3MljQXV0rjHRP7/copy-or-export-data). Note that there's a limit to the number of records you can export at a time, so you might need to export the data in batches (using an advanced search filter on the Code property).