Adding a Contact

Note Contacts can be added manually (as described below), imported from other programs, captured from your website, or synchronized from your mobile device.

To add a contact:

Click Add in the right column. A blank Contact Profile opens in the work area.
Note You cannot enter additional information until the Contact Profile tab information is entered and saved.
On the Contact Profile tab, enter the first or last name of the main contact, or the company name. You must enter at least one of these fields in order to create a contact record. This is how the contact is identified in all lists and reports.

Click Save. The contact is added to the Contacts list in the right column.

While you are only required to enter the first, last, or company name to save a contact record, you should capture as much information as possible in order to realize the full potential of IXACT Contact.

Some fields are required for other functions of the program to work (e.g. to create letters or send mass emails), while other fields help you to categorize your contacts (e.g. to search for all contacts in a particular group, or to create a report of all FSBO prospect types).

The fields are self-evident so they will not be described in detail here, but the following section identifies relationships between fields, or explains where a field is used in other areas of IXACT Contact, or offers suggestions for how you might later use the information.

What do I need to know about the other sections of the Contact Profile?

Many lists can be customized; see Modifying Lists.

Section	You Need to KNOW:
Personal Email/Letter SetUp	The Email/Letter Salutation fields are used in letters and email messages. It defaults to the main contact and spouse/partner first names, but you can change it, for example to a more formal salutation ([Dear] Ms Jordan). The Envelope Salutation is used as the first line anywhere the contact’s address is used (e.g. letters, labels). It defaults to the main contact and spouse/partner title, first name, and last name, but you can change it if necessary. If no first name is entered for the contact, the salutation fields default to the title (if entered) and last name. If the contact was created with a company name only, the salutation fields remain blank and you can complete them as you wish. If applicable, select the contact’s Preferred Method of Correspondence. If a contact does not wish to receive mass emails, set Accepts Mass Emails to “No”. By default, the contact cannot be selected to receive mass emails even if one or more email addresses are entered and Send Mass Email is checked. Note The salutation defaults only apply upon initial entry of the contact; later changes to the name are not automatically reflected in the salutations. However, if you change the name without changing the salutations, when you save the record you are asked if you want to also change the salutations.
Home Address	Move In Date is needed in order to activate the Move In Anniversary event for the contact (the year is not necessary).
Work Details	The information entered in this section is copied to the Business Directory tab. (The contact appears in the Business Directory only if the Include in Business Directory check box is selected.) If you want this contact to be searchable by Business Type in the Business Directory, select the appropriate Business Type. Remember that you can modify the list if necessary.
Phone/Fax/Email	Use the drop-down list to identify each phone number type. If you enter multiple email addresses, select the one(s) that you want to send mass email messages to.
Contact Status	The contact status and prospect type are used for categorizing; they are available in advanced searches and allow you to target reports and direct marketing more efficiently. Note If the contact is a prospective buyer for the purposes of Active Business, that is identified separately on the Properties tab. Note The default status for a new manually-entered contact is Unassigned.
Contact Groups	Contact Groups (e.g. Friend, Baseball Team, and Children’s School) further categorize your contacts for searches and reports. A contact can be assigned to multiple contact groups. Tip You can use List View to easily assign multiple contacts to one or more contact groups.
Original Source of Contact	If the Original Source is Referral, the Referral Contact field will appear to the right. If the person who referred this new contact is in your contact list, click the Select Contact link to select the contact. This referral will be included in the Referral History of the referring contact’s profile. If the Original Source is Referral but the contact is not in your contact list, you can enter the name and further details in the Notes field.
Team Member Visibility	Team Leaders and administrators can control the contact’s visibility to each team member. Select Public Contact to make the contact visible to all team members.
Personal Details	Birth Date (main contact and/or spouse/partner) is needed in order to activate the Birthday event (the year is not necessary). The other fields can help you personalize communications with your contacts. For example, use the Religion field to send greetings for a special holiday (or to exclude contacts for whom such a greeting might not be appropriate).

What next?

To complete your contact info, you might want to:

Record any properties the contact currently owns in the Properties tab.
Set up any contact-specific events, or assign the contact to Global Keep In Touch events you have created such as your Monthly e-Newsletter, in the Keep In Touch tab.
If the contact is to be included in your Business Directory, complete the information in the Business Directory tab.