***

title: Managing Contacts
description: Learn how to create and manage contact lists for your outbound campaigns.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# 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:**

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

<Callout type="info">
  Phone numbers should include the country code (e.g., +1 for US). Gail will attempt to normalize numbers without country codes.
</Callout>

### 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](/developers/integrations/overview) for setup instructions.

## Contact Fields

### Standard Fields

| Field      | Description            | Required |
| ---------- | ---------------------- | -------- |
| First Name | Contact's first name   | No       |
| Last Name  | Contact's last name    | No       |
| Phone      | Primary phone number   | Yes      |
| Phone 2    | Secondary phone number | No       |
| Email      | Email address          | No       |
| Company    | Organization name      | No       |
| Tags       | Labels for filtering   | No       |

### 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:

| Setting                   | Description                                                    |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Auto-add new contacts** | Automatically include new contacts in active campaigns         |
| **Remove completed**      | Remove contacts from list after campaign completion            |
| **Sync frequency**        | How often to check for new contacts (real-time, hourly, daily) |

## Managing Contact Status

Each contact has a status within a campaign:

| Status          | Description                             |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **Pending**     | Waiting to be called                    |
| **In Progress** | Currently in a sequence                 |
| **Completed**   | Successfully reached desired outcome    |
| **Failed**      | Could not be reached after all attempts |
| **Opted Out**   | Requested 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

<Callout type="warning">
  Always honor DNC requests. Calling contacts who have opted out may violate regulations and damage your reputation.
</Callout>

## 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

* [Creating Campaigns](/platform/communications/outbound/creating-campaigns) - Set up campaigns for your contact lists
* [Sequences](/platform/communications/outbound/sequences) - Define outreach flows