How to Add a Contact Manually

Why This Matters

Adding contacts one at a time gives you complete control over each person's information and lets you set them up exactly right from the start. Whether you're entering a new lead after a networking event, adding a client from a phone call, or building your database contact by contact, knowing how to manually add contacts efficiently is essential.

This guide walks you through every field on the Add Contact form and shares tips to save time and keep your data organized.

Before You Begin

Have the contact's basic information ready (name, email, phone number, address).

Know which Category, Source, and Tags you want to use to organize this contact.

If you need to add many contacts at once instead of one by one, use the Import feature. See Setup: Import Your Contacts for bulk importing.

Watch & Learn

🎥 Video: Add a Contact

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open the Add Contact Form

You can access the Add Contact button from several places in the system:

Hover over Contacts in the main menu and click Add Contact. You can also find the button on the Dashboard in the Action Center, from the Contact List screen, while viewing any existing contact, or from the Rolodex view under any letter.

Choose whichever method is most convenient for where you are in the system.

Time: 30 seconds

2. Enter Name and Basic Information

Fill in the First Name and Last Name fields. These are required. If you don't have a name yet, use any character like a period (.) as a placeholder.

For the Birthday field, enter the month and day. The year is optional—you can leave it blank if you don't know it or don't need it.

If you're adding a married couple or family members who share the same last name, you can save time by leaving the second person's last name blank. The system will automatically assume the same last name. If they have different last names, enter each person's full name separately.

Proper name entry makes contacts easier to find and ensures mail merges and communications display correctly.

Time: 1 minute

3. Add Email and Phone Numbers

Enter the contact's Email Address. You can add multiple email addresses if needed by clicking Add Another Email.

For Phone Numbers, enter each number in its own field. Use the dropdown arrow next to each phone number to add a label like Home, Work, or Cell. If you may be sending text messages to a particular phone number in the future, check the SMS box next to that number.

Marking phone numbers as SMS-enabled ensures they're available for text message campaigns later.

Time: 1-2 minutes

4. Enter the Physical Address

Most of the time, physical mail goes to the home address. Enter the street address, city, state, and ZIP code in the appropriate fields.

If you'll be sending mail to a business address instead, enter the Company Name and check the box that indicates this is a business address. The system stores one address per contact, so it will be either home or business.

Accurate address information is essential for direct mail campaigns and mapping features.

Time: 1-2 minutes

5. Add a Brief Note

Use the Brief Note field to record general information about the contact—things like "Enjoys golf" or "Prefers phone calls over email." This note displays prominently on the Contact Card.

Brief Notes are different from the Notes tab you'll use for ongoing interactions. Think of the Brief Note as a quick-reference summary that appears whenever you view this contact.

Time: 30 seconds

6. Assign Source, Category, and Tags

The Source field helps you remember where this contact originally came from—like Website, Referral, Networking Event, or Facebook Ad.

Use Category to classify the contact's relationship to you—like Client, Prospect, Vendor, or Partner. You can also assign a Category 2 if you use a secondary classification system.

Tags are flexible labels you can use to segment your database. Add tags like VIP, Newsletter Subscriber, Hot Lead, or any custom label that helps you organize contacts by interest or status.

Sources, Categories, and Tags make filtering and segmenting your database much easier when you're ready to send emails or run reports.

Time: 1-2 minutes

7. Add Custom Fields (If Applicable)

If you've set up Custom Fields in your account, they'll appear on the Add Contact form. Fill in any custom fields that apply to this contact.

Custom fields let you track industry-specific information like policy numbers, project types, or membership levels.

Time: 1 minute (if applicable)

8. Mark as Inactive (If Needed)

At the bottom of the form, you'll see an Inactive checkbox. If you check this box, the contact will never be included when you perform actions on groups of contacts—like sending email campaigns or applying tags in bulk.

Use the Inactive status for contacts you want to keep in the database for record-keeping but don't want to communicate with. Examples include former clients, competitors, or old leads.

Marking inactive contacts prevents them from accidentally receiving communications.

Time: 10 seconds

9. Save the Contact

Once you've filled in all available information, click Save at the bottom of the form. The contact is now in your database and ready to use.

Don't worry if you can't fill in every field right now—you can always go back and edit or add information later by opening the contact record and clicking Edit Contact.

Time: 10 seconds

Questions and Answers

Q: What if I don't have all the information when I'm adding a contact?

A: That's perfectly fine. Enter what you have now and save the contact. You can easily go back later to edit and add more information. The only required fields are First Name and Last Name.

Q: Can I add more than one person with the same last name at the same time?

A: If you're adding family members or a married couple who share the same last name, you can leave the second person's last name blank and the system will assume the same last name. However, if you want to add multiple people at once who have different last names, you'll need to add each contact separately or use the Import feature.

Q: What's the difference between a Brief Note and the Notes tab?

A: The Brief Note is a short, general summary that displays prominently on the Contact Card—think of it as a quick-reference field. The Notes tab is where you'll record ongoing interactions, phone call summaries, meeting notes, and other time-stamped updates.

Q: How do I know which phone number to mark for SMS?

A: Only mark mobile phone numbers as SMS-enabled. Landlines and most business phone numbers cannot receive text messages. If you're unsure, you can mark it now and test it later, or leave it unmarked until you confirm it's a mobile number.

Q: What happens if I accidentally mark a contact as Inactive?

A: You can easily reverse this by opening the contact record, clicking Edit Contact, unchecking the Inactive box, and saving. The contact will immediately become active again and will be included in group actions and campaigns.

Q: Where do I set up my Sources, Categories, Tags, and Custom Fields?

A: All of these are managed in Settings. Navigate to the Settings area and look for options like Tag Management, Category Setup, Source Setup, and Custom Fields. You'll need to set these up before they appear on the Add Contact form.

Q: Can I add contacts without email addresses?

A: Yes. You can add contacts with just names and phone numbers. However, contacts without email addresses won't be eligible for email campaigns until you add one later.

Q: What if I need to add a lot of contacts at once?

A: Use the Import feature instead. Manual entry works best for adding contacts one at a time. If you have a spreadsheet with dozens or hundreds of contacts, importing them will be much faster and more efficient. See Setup: Import Your Contacts for instructions.

Guide Type: How-To Guide

Estimated Time: 5 minutes