CommunicationsOutbound

Managing Contacts

View as Markdown

Managing Contacts

Contact lists are the foundation of outbound campaigns. This guide covers how to create, organize, and manage your contacts for effective outreach.

Creating Contact Lists

To create a new contact list:

  1. Navigate to Contacts in the dashboard
  2. Click New List
  3. Enter a name and optional description
  4. Choose how to add contacts (manual, upload, or sync)

List Organization

Organize contacts into logical groups based on:

  • Campaign type (reminders, follow-ups, marketing)
  • Customer segment (new customers, renewals, etc.)
  • Geographic region
  • Product or service line

Adding Contacts

Manual Entry

For small lists or individual contacts:

  1. Open your contact list
  2. Click Add Contact
  3. Fill in the contact details:
    • Name - Full name of the contact
    • Phone Number - Primary phone number (required)
    • Email - Email address (optional)
    • Custom Fields - Any additional data you need

Bulk Upload

For larger lists, upload a CSV or Excel file:

  1. Click Import Contacts
  2. Select your file (CSV, XLSX, or XLS)
  3. Map columns to contact fields
  4. Review and confirm the import

CSV Format Example:

1first_name,last_name,phone,email,account_number
2Sarah,Chen,+15551234567,sarah@example.com,ACC-001
3Marcus,Johnson,+15559876543,marcus@example.com,ACC-002

Phone numbers should include the country code (e.g., +1 for US). Gail will attempt to normalize numbers without country codes.

CRM Integration

Sync contacts automatically from your CRM:

  • Salesforce - Import leads, contacts, and accounts
  • HubSpot - Sync contact lists and segments
  • Custom Integration - Use the API to push contacts

See Integrations for setup instructions.

Contact Fields

Standard Fields

FieldDescriptionRequired
First NameContact’s first nameNo
Last NameContact’s last nameNo
PhonePrimary phone numberYes
Phone 2Secondary phone numberNo
EmailEmail addressNo
CompanyOrganization nameNo
TagsLabels for filteringNo

Custom Fields

Add custom fields to store campaign-specific data:

  1. Go to Contacts → Settings → Custom Fields
  2. Click Add Field
  3. Choose the field type:
    • Text
    • Number
    • Date
    • Dropdown
    • Checkbox

Custom fields can be referenced in your agent scripts to personalize conversations.

Contact List Sync

When you link a contact list to a campaign, new contacts automatically sync:

  • Real-time sync - Contacts added to the list are immediately queued for the campaign
  • Deduplication - Duplicate phone numbers are automatically detected
  • Status tracking - Each contact’s campaign status is tracked independently

Sync Settings

Configure how contacts sync with campaigns:

SettingDescription
Auto-add new contactsAutomatically include new contacts in active campaigns
Remove completedRemove contacts from list after campaign completion
Sync frequencyHow often to check for new contacts (real-time, hourly, daily)

Managing Contact Status

Each contact has a status within a campaign:

StatusDescription
PendingWaiting to be called
In ProgressCurrently in a sequence
CompletedSuccessfully reached desired outcome
FailedCould not be reached after all attempts
Opted OutRequested not to be contacted

Bulk Actions

Perform actions on multiple contacts:

  • Move to list - Transfer contacts between lists
  • Add tags - Apply tags for filtering
  • Remove from campaign - Stop outreach to selected contacts
  • Export - Download contact data as CSV

Do Not Call (DNC) Management

Maintain compliance with DNC regulations:

  1. Automatic tracking - When a contact opts out, they’re automatically added to your DNC list
  2. DNC import - Upload existing DNC lists to prevent calls
  3. Cross-campaign - DNC status applies across all campaigns

Always honor DNC requests. Calling contacts who have opted out may violate regulations and damage your reputation.

Best Practices

Keep Data Clean

  • Validate phone numbers before import
  • Remove duplicates regularly
  • Update contact information when it changes

Use Tags Effectively

Tags help you filter and segment contacts:

  • Campaign source (website, referral, event)
  • Customer status (active, churned, prospect)
  • Priority level (high, medium, low)

Respect Privacy

  • Only collect data you need
  • Store data securely
  • Honor deletion requests

Next Steps