Contacts

Package: BASIC

1. General

2. List View

The list view in the Contacts module has the usual functionalities of a list view. For more detailed information, see the section Structure/Layout – List View.

2.1. Actions

In the list view, general actions are available depending on the module. An overview and description of all general actions can be found in the section Actions (List View).

The following module-specific actions are also available:

Action	Prerequisite	Functionality
Create Google Maps Route	–	Creates a Google Maps route based on the selected records – see Actions (List View) – Create Google Maps Route
Retrieve Geodata	–	Retrieves the geodata of the selected records based on the stored address – see Actions (List View) – Retrieve Geodata

3. Detail View

3.1. Fields

The following table describes required fields and fields with non-obvious functions. All other fields are self-explanatory.

Basic Data Block

Field	Description
Last Name *	Last name of the contact
Organization	Reference field to one or more organizations; a contact can be linked to multiple organizations – see Section 3.1.1
Email Opt Out	When activated, no automated system emails are sent to this contact
Newsletter Unsubscribed	When activated, the email address is ignored when adding to a newsletter recipient list (e.g., in the Email Marketing module)
Do Not Call	When activated, the phone number can no longer be clicked with a configured telephony integration (Softphone Connector)
Debtor Number	Debtor number from the DATEV number range

*Required field

3.1.1. Organization-Related Data

The Organization field in the Basic Data block is a special reference field: it allows linking to multiple organizations simultaneously, as a contact can work for several organizations (e.g., as a service provider or technical contact person).

Example: two referenced organizations, primary relationship "Brisworks Inc."

The following functions are available in the Organization field:

Function	Description
Make Primary Relationship (house icon)	Sets the selected organization as the primary relationship. The current primary relationship is recognizable by the highlighted house icon.
Open Organization (square with arrow icon)	Opens the linked organization in the detail view
Show Referenced Organizations (angle bracket icon)	Switches between the linked organizations; the organization-related fields update accordingly
Select Related Organization (plus icon)	Opens a popup to select an additional organization to link
Remove Related Organization (trash icon)	Removes the link to the organization; the organization record itself is not deleted

Customer Portal Block

The Customer Portal block has three fields:

• Active?
• Support Start Date
• Support End Date

3.2. Actions

The following actions are available in the detail view:

3.2.1. General Actions

• PDF Export
• Recommend
• Copy
• Delete
• Change Tracking

For detailed information on the actions, see the section Actions (Detail View).

3.2.2. Module-Specific Actions

Action	Prerequisite	Functionality
Create Invoice	–	Creates a new invoice and links it to the contact
Generate QR Code (vCard)	–	Generates a QR code with the contact data as a vCard
New Document	–	Creates a new document and links it to the contact
Export vCard	–	Exports the contact data as a vCard file
Show Org Chart	–	Shows the org chart of the linked organization with the contact. Note: The displayed hierarchy refers exclusively to the client of the current record. Records of other clients are not taken into account.
New Task	–	Creates a new task and links it to the contact
New Appointment	–	Creates a new appointment and links it to the contact
New Email	Configured email inbox	Opens the email editor with reference to the contact
Unsubscribe from Email Marketing	Configured Email Marketing module	Unsubscribes the contact from email marketing
Send SMS	Configured Connect integration	Sends an SMS to a phone number stored in the record

4. Practical Examples

1 – Creating and Managing a Contact Person for an Organization

A company gains a new customer. In the course of customer onboarding, the organization is first recorded in the Organizations module. The responsible contact person is then created in the Contacts module and linked to the organization via the Organization field. The organization-related fields – such as address, industry and phone – are automatically transferred from the organization and are directly viewable at the contact.

In the further course, deals, invoices and emails are directly linked to the contact. Via the Show Org Chart action, the structure of the linked organization with the contact can be displayed at any time. If the contact person leaves the company and moves to another customer, the existing organization link can be removed and a new one set – without having to create the contact record anew.

2 – Managing a Contact for Multiple Organizations

An external IT consultant is simultaneously working as a technical contact person for two customer companies. A single contact record is created and both organizations are linked via the Organization field as references.

One of the organizations is set as the primary relationship via the Make Primary Relationship icon – this organization determines the organization-related fields displayed by default. Via the Show Referenced Organizations icon, switching between the two organization contexts is possible, with the organization-related fields updating in each case. This way, the consultant is present with full context in both customer files without being recorded twice.

3 – Exporting and Sharing Contact Data

After a customer meeting, a field sales employee wants to transfer the contact person's data to their smartphone. In the detail view of the contact, a QR code with all relevant contact data is generated via the Generate QR Code (vCard) action, which can be scanned with the smartphone and saved directly as a contact.

Alternatively, a vCard file (.vcf) can be exported via the Export vCard action and forwarded by email or imported into an external address book. Both actions are available without further prerequisites in the detail view of the contact.

5. Frequently Asked Questions

Does a contact have to be linked to an organization?

No. A contact can also be recorded and used independently without a link to an organization – e.g., as a private individual or when the company affiliation is not yet known.

Can a contact be linked to multiple organizations?

Yes. The Organization field allows linking to multiple organizations simultaneously. One of them can be set as the primary relationship, which determines the organization-related fields displayed by default. Via the Show Referenced Organizations icon, switching between the linked organizations is possible.

What happens to organization data when two contact records are merged?

During the merge of duplicates, all organization references and organization-related field values of the primarily selected contact are always adopted. The organization-related fields of the second contact are not taken into account and are lost. It is therefore recommended to check which contact is selected as the primary record before merging.

What does the "Email Opt Out" toggle do?

When the Email Opt Out toggle is activated, no more automated emails are sent to this contact from the system – e.g., via automations. Manually sent emails are not affected.

What is the difference between "Email Opt Out" and "Newsletter Unsubscribed"?

Email Opt Out prevents automated email sending from brainX automations. Newsletter Unsubscribed causes the contact's email address to be ignored when adding to a recipient list in the Email Marketing module. Both toggles can be activated independently of each other.

How can I unsubscribe a contact from email marketing?

Via the module-specific action Unsubscribe from Email Marketing in the detail view of the contact, the contact is unsubscribed from email marketing. A configured Email Marketing module is required. Alternatively, the Newsletter Unsubscribed toggle can be activated manually.