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Learn to work with Contact information |
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Overview
Contact information is stores the personal preferences and details or corporate information of a person or company respectively. Contact information of customers or potential customersof physical persons or companies, including customers, leads, users and partners is captured through this module. , with which a business interacts. The information is used for identifying contacts and communicating with them.
Module features
- Contacts can be defined as physical person or companies keeping only required information for each
- Users, customers, potential customers and partners details are registered in the system at contact information
- A contact information are considered to be customers when their contact information is associated with an accounts receivable is considered a customer which is denoted by life cycle state which is set to 'financial'
- Automatic assignment of contact name day, so you never miss a chance to wish your customers or even reward them on their name day
- Contact's preferred language for communication is kept so that all outbound communications are made in this language
- Keep information on whether customers would like to be part of direct and affiliate marketing campaigns to confirm with DPA
- Provide customers with the option to opt-in and opt-out of mailing lists through their emails
- Keep multiple emails addresses and phones for each contact and used by other modules to define billing or delivery addresses, contact and business phones etc. . This is reflected by a contact information in a 'Financial' life cycle state.
- Several addresses and phone numbers can be registered for each contact and used by processes in other modules. For example, it is possible to assign an address for billing and another for deliveries.
- Contact information registers preferences regarding participation in direct and affiliate marketing campaigns, conforming with the Data Protection Act, and enables customers to opt in and out of mailing lists from their email.
- Contact information enables the automatic assignment of contact name day, which can be used for marketing and rewards purposes.
- It is also used to assign the preferred language for outbound communications.
- Request and receive customer consent for saving and processing personal information in compliance to GDPR
- Anonymize contact and associated information either after request or due to contact's inactivity
Setting Up Contact Information
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| Configuration > Crm > CRM Application > Contact Information |
Categories
Categories are can be used to provide a business classification to the contact which can be used based on business requirements. For example categories can be used to classify contacts into users customers and partners.
Industries and Industry sectors
Industry sectors are used to define a number of large segments of the economy that share a similar business type and industries group segments of the economy according to business activity. Once configured classify contacts according to their business role (e.g., customers or partners).
Industries and Industry Sectors
Any economy is made up of sectors which can be broken down into industries.
An industry consists of a specific group of companies with common business activity (for example, energy, law, marketing, telecommunications). A sector is made up of several industries and refers to a large segment of the economy (for example, industrial, service, financial).
Once industries and industry sectors are configured in the system, they can be added to a contact information . For example, for contact information used to save partner information, the industry and industry sector will be useful in categorising your partners based on the industry or industry sector they focus at.and used for grouping and reference.
Business definitions
Contact information definitions are business rules which are used to control the behaviour of Contact the behavior of contact information throughout their its life cycle. There can only be one active definition at a time.
Definition fields
The table describes the sections of the Contact Information Definition Data Entry page and explains how the fields in the page are used.
Mandatory Configurable
Take into consideration customer's preference
In order for the customer preference to be taken into consideration when executing Notification Runs then the 'Apply Contact Information Data Protection for Direct/Affiliate Marketing' setting in Notification Type should be selected.
Ignore customer's preference
If the setting in the Notification Type is not selected, then the system will create the notification and communication for the customer, no matter what the preferred selection is in the Contact Information.
Opting in and out mailing lists
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Automatic assignment of contact name day ensures that you never miss a chance to wish your customers or even reward them on their name day. Use Name Day Application Run Definitions along with Name Day rules set at the contact information definition to assign a name day to contacts. Once configured, as in all definitions, the definition must be submitted so that a run is executed. When the run is executed it will find all the contacts that meet one of the 'name day rules' configured in the contact information definition and which comply with the 'Name Day Application settings' provided in the 'Name Day Rule' definition and for each one of those set a name day in the contact information respective field.
| Name Day Application Settings | Determines on which Contacts the Name Day Rules will be applied on. Two options are available:
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- Navigate to Crm > Contact Information > Perform Name Day Automation Runs
- Create a new definition and select whether all contacts should be included in the run (if you would also like to make updates to existing) or just the ones without a name day
- Provide scheduling settings and SAVE the definition.
- Click on Actions > Submit from the Actions menu and either execute or schedule the definition to make the assignments
Classifying contacts as financial or marketing
A customer in CRM.COM is not an entity, but is represented by a contact that owns an accounts receivable and is indicated by the contact life cycle state set to 'Financial'. Contacts who are not customers have a life cycle state set to 'Marketing'.
Segmenting contact information
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Contact information Business Examples
Company uniqueness rule
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| title | Setting up Contact Information Uniqueness Rules - Contact Company |
Scenario 1
Company ZX would like to ensure that no two companies share the same VAT Registration Number in their contact information
Solution
Configuration
The Uniqueness Rule in the Contact Information Definition should be set with a check on VAT Registration Number under the Companies Uniqueness Rules.
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Person uniqueness rule
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| title | Setting up Contact Information Uniqueness Rules - Contact Person |
Scenario 1
Company ZX would like to ensure that the ID Number in contact information is unique for all contacts
Solution
Configuration
The Uniqueness Rule in the Contact Information Definition should be set with a check on ID Number under the 'Persons Uniqueness Rules.'
Scenario 2
Company ZX would like to ensure that the ID Number and Social Security Number (SSN) combination in contact information is unique for all contacts
Solution
Configuration
The Uniqueness Rule in the Contact Information Definition should be set with a check on both ID Number and Social Security Number under the 'Persons Uniqueness Rules'.
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Financial and marketing life cycle state
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| title | Financial & Marketing LCS |
Scenario 1
Company ZX registers 2 contacts in the system, one as a new subscriber and another one as a potential lead. See below how their Life Cycle State is set by the system:
Solution
User Process
Financial
A new contact is registered in the system as a new subscriber. A subscription and financial account (accounts receivable) is created for billing purposes and to track the contact's financial history. The Life Cycle State of the contact information record is (then) automatically updated to Financial.
Marketing
A new contact is registered in the system as a lead. The contact does not require a financial account (accounts receivable) and their state remains as Marketing. When this contact becomes a subscriber and requires a financial account (accounts receivable), their Life Cycle State will automatically be updated from Marketing to Financial.
Exclude customers from partner marketing campaigns
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| title | Authorisation Settings |
Scenario 1
Company ZX contacts its customers on a monthly basis to let them know about new offers and to notify them about new available channels. In addition to internal organisation (Direct) marketing campaigns, Company ZX also engages in (Affiliate) marketing campaigns for partners. Some of ZX's customers would like to be removed from the Affiliate Marketing campaigns Mailing list, but would like to remain in the Direct marketing campaigns mailing lists .
Solution
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Notification Type: The Notification Type used for the monthly Affiliate Marketing campaign should have the Authorisation Settings set as follows (in order to take into consideration the Affiliate Marketing Contact Information settings):
- Apply Contact Information Data Protection for Direct Marketing: YES
- Apply Contact Information Data Protection for Affiliate Marketing: YES
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System Process
When the system executes the Notification Run with the specific Notification Type (configured as described above), contacts that meet the criteria will be validated against the Authorisation settings and notifications/communications and those that have the flag for Direct Marketing set to YES will be contacted.
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- Send me Direct Marketing material: YES
- Send me Direct Affiliate material: NO
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- Apply Contact Information Data Protection for Direct Marketing: YES
- Apply Contact Information Data Protection for Affiliate Marketing: YES
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Glossary
| CRM.COM Term | Definition |
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| Accounts Receivable | A ledger of the financial transactions carried out between a company and its customers, such as invoices and payments. |
| Subscription | A collection of customer services billed on a recurring, usage or one-time basis. |
| Opt-in | Contacts can opt-in, in order to receive marketing emails, either from your company or from affiliate companies |
| Opt-out | Contacts can opt-out, so that they will never be sent marketing emails, either from your company or from affiliate companies. |
| Notification | Auto-generated text, used to communicate financial or customer care information to existing or prospective customers. Notifications are sent through CRM.COM by email or SMS or by using a third party external system, such as a mobile app or portal. |
| Notification run | Run used to generate notifications and communication which are sent to customers. |
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Name Rule | Defines how the contact information name Rules | Define the order in which the first, last, and middle name of the contact should be displayed or entered in the Summary , and Data Entry and Search pagespage, as well as Reports and Dashbaords. The supported options are the following:
| Persons Uniqueness Rules | The in searches, reports and dashboards. |
Persons Uniqueness Rules | Define the field or combination of fields which will be used to determine guarantee the uniqueness of contact information that represent persons. If more than one fields are selected then the combination of the fields should be unique and not each one of the selected fields. The supported uniqueness fields are the following:
Fields included in the uniqueness rule must be provided when creating or editing a contact informationa person's contact information. Uniqueness is validated when creating or updating contact information. E.g., (Last name and ID number) OR Social Security Number. | |||
Companies Uniqueness Rules | The Define the field or combination of fields which will be used to determine guarantee the uniqueness of contact information that represent companies. If more than one fields are selected then the combination of the fields should be unique and not each one of the selected fields
Fields included in the uniqueness rule must be provided when creating or editing a contact information. | Name Day Rules | Ensure that you won't miss a customer's name day by using name day rules.. E.g., (Name and VAT number) OR VAT Number only. | |
| Name Day Rules | Rules are used to assign a name day to contact information. Provide the date of the name day along withand all thenames celebratingwhich celebrate on that day and any, including name variations, separated by a comma ','. Once the rules are in place execute the Name Day Application Process to ensure that the correct name day is saved in each contact information record, if one exists. | |||
Authorisation Settings | ||||
Defines a default setting for all new contact information, with regards to their inclusion to mailing lists. The default options can be changed at the contact information. Send direct marketing material: Defines whether contacts will receive communications for in-house marketing campaigns. (i.e. Customer Care Notifications) Send affiliate marketing material: Defines whether contacts will receive communications for partner marketing campaigns. (i.e. Customer Care Notifications) Refer to Contacting customers for a complete description of the required setup and usage of authorisation settings | ||||
| Supported Preferences | ||||
Addresses , Emails, Phones, Relations | A list of address, email and phone types as well as relations which are supported by the system. | |||
Related configuration areas
The following modules are related to Contact information and may be configured for the Contact information module to operate at its full capacity.
Module Link | Area | Description |
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Privacy Level Assignment Rules | Provides automation on setting the privacy level of contact | |
| Platform | Formatting Settings | Provide formatting settings with relation to contact information fields |
| Communications | Communication definitions Communication templates | Create communication templates including dynamic links that will allow customers to opt in and out of mailing lists. |
Using Contact Information
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Crm > Contact Information > Manage Contact Information |
Contact Information is used to keep all the contact details for customers, users or partners. Contact information can be one of 2 types. Either a physical person or a company, and according to the type different information is kept.
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Contact information fields
The table describes the sections of the Contact Information Data Entry page and explains how the fields in the page are used.
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Type: The contact information type is defined on selecting to create a new contact by clicking on New
Preferred Language: The contact's preferred language that will be used when communications are sent to the contact. If none is specified, then the system will use its default language. Photo: Add a photo which can be used by third party system such as a mobile app or portal as a profile photo. | |||||
| Addresses | |||||
The addresses of the contact. Multiple addresses can be defined and used or updated by other CRM.COM modules as billing or delivery addresses. contact information addresses may also be handled through other modules, for example if a new address is defined at the subscription as a billing address, then the address will be added to the list of the contact's information addresses, The type of addresses that can be provided are only the ones set as supported at the contact information definition. For each type you can only have one address defined. If however you would like to define a different address for a type that already exists then you have the option to Deactivate the existing one and define a new address. | |||||
| Phones | |||||
The phones of the contact. Multiple phones can be defined and used or updated by other CRM.COM modules. The type of phones that can be provided are only the ones set as supported at the contact information definition. The area code is automatically set based on the selected country as defined in the Countries module available under Platform | |||||
| Emails | |||||
The emails of the contact. The type of emails that can be provided are only the ones set as supported at the contact information definition. The email address provided must include the character @ and a dot at a position after the @. | |||||
| Demographics | |||||
Section is available for contact persons and it includes demographic information listed below Date of Birth Name Day: Name Day can be automatically applied on contact persons through the 'Name Day Application Definition' and based on the 'Name Day Rules' configured in Contact Information Definition. Country of residence ID number Registration Country Passport Number Social Security Number Industry Industry Sector | |||||
| Company Profile | |||||
Section is available for companies and it includes company profile information listed below Industry Industry Sector Profile Year Annual Turnover Established on Number of Employess Tax Reference Number Registration Details:
VAT Registration:
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| Relations | |||||
Includes other contact information that are related to the specific contact. Outward Relations: the contacts that the specific contact information is related to along with the type of relationship. The available relations are filtered based on the business & personal relations specified on the active contact information definition. You can add multiple related contacts. Inward Relations: Inward relations are the contacts for which the specific contact was defined in their outward relations and it can only be modified, through the other contact's data entry page. | |||||
| Authorisation Settings | |||||
Authorisation settings provide information whether the contact would like to be contacted for direct and affiliate marketing material. By default the settings is set as defined in the contact information definition. Send me Direct Marketing material: Defines whether the contact will receive communications for in-house marketing campaigns. (i.e. Customer Care Notifications) Send me Affiliate Marketing material: Defines whether contacts will receive communications for partner marketing campaigns. (i.e. Customer Care Notifications) Customers can opt in and out of mailing lists (direct/affiliate) via email. i.e. the authorisation settings can be updated directly by the customers. Refer to Contacting customers for a complete description of the required setup and usage of authorisation settings. | |||||
Creating and processing contact information
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Actions are subject to validations which take place before an action is initiated (prerequisite) or after it is submitted (postcondition). |
Selecting and creating a contact information
Navigate to Contact information and specify the criteria that match the contact information you are interested in, or click on NEW > Person or NEW > Company from the Actions Menu to register detail of a new contact. Proceed by providing the mandatory information as defined in the attributes table above before you SAVE the contact. If the contact is also associated to an accounts receivable then the life cycle state is set to 'Financial' to distinguish the contact as a customer, while if not the life cycle state is set to 'Marketing'.
Working with contact information addresses
Accessing historic address data may be required at times, such as a customer moving back to a previous place he used to live. All addresses registered for a contact can be kept in the system and the ones that are no longer valid can be inactivated, with the option to re-activate at any point required. You can only have one active address per type registered for a contact, so as long as you inactivate one you can replace with a new of the same time. For example if you have one delivery address and one billing address and the customer would like to change his billing address with a new one, then the existing must be set to inactive and a new billing address can be registered.
Deactivate addresses
- Go to Addresses tab where all your active addresses are shown and you can switch between them by selecting the respective radio button
- Click on DEACTIVATE to deactivate the address you are currently viewing
Activate or remove inactive addresses
- Go to Addresses Tab and click on VIEW INACTIVE for a list of inactive registered addresses
Click on ACTIVATE to reactivate an address
OrClick on REMOVE to complete delete an address
Click on VIEW ACTIVE to go back and view active addresses
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Communicating contact information
Contact information details are used when communicating with customers for every other module in the system. Contact information related communication tags (text that is automatically replaced by values specific to selected records) are available to every communication created. Tags are available for selection by typing '#'.
Refer to Communications manual for a complete list of Contact information tags.
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, execute the name day application process to assign the name day to the contact information of contacts that have a name day. | |
Consent Settings Settings associated to requesting consent from customer to use and process their personal data, required to comply with GDPR. For more information on GDPR processes refer to Complying with GDPR | |
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| Enable Contact Consent | Define whether the Contact Consent functionality should be enabled. If the functionality is enabled then you can control the actions allowed on a contact depending on the state of the consent which can be one of the following
The allowed actions which can be chosen depending on the state of the consent are the following:
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| Import Consent Form Automatically | Available only if Enable Contact Consent is selected Enable option to automatically attach the consent form to all contacts once they are created. If enabled select the form at Consent Form Attachment which should be already available in the Attachments Library |
| Require re-consent (Action on View Mode) | Action available only if 'Import Consent Form Automatically' is enabled. Use this action in cases where the consent form has been updated and contacts that already accepted the previous consent form, will have to re-consent. |
Anonymization Settings Settings associated to anonymizing data to comply with GDPR. For more information on GDPR processes refer to Complying with GDPR | |
| Enable Contact Anonymization | Define whether the Contact Anonymization functionality should be enabled. Contact Anonymization process If the functionality is enabled then the following settings provide extra checks before the anonymization takes place to safeguard against erroneous deletion/anonymization
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| Scheduling Settings | Enable the scheduling settings if you would like the anonymization process to also be executed in batch. (i.e. on top of the anonymization due to Consent Rejection or Withdrawal and anonymization action through Contact information page) The Logs of the executed runs will be displayed through the Batch Processes Admin Board |
Authorisation Settings | |
Define a default setting regarding whether direct or affiliate marketing material should be sent to new contacts. The default can be changed from the contact information Data Entry page. For a description on setting up and using authorization settings, refer to Contact notification preferences. | |
| Supported Preferences | |
Addresses - Emails - Phones - Relations | Define the types which are supported by the system. |
Related configuration areas
The following modules are related to contact information and may be configured for the contact information module to operate at its full capacity.
Manual Link | Area | Description |
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Privacy level assignment rules | Provide automation on setting the privacy level for the contact. | |
| Platform | Formatting settings | Provide formatting settings regarding contact information fields. |
| Communications | Communication templates | Create communication templates, including dynamic links that enable customers to opt in and out of mailing lists. |
Using Contact Information
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CRM > Contact Information > Manage Contact Information |
Contact information is used to organize the details of customers, prospect customers, users and partners. A separate set of information is kept depending on whether the contact is a physical person or company.
Contact information fields
The table describes the sections of the Contact Information Data Entry page and explains how the fields in the page are used.
Mandatory Configurable
| Main Information | |
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Type: 'Person' or 'Company', selected from the Top menu when creating a new contact by clicking NEW. For persons: First Name Last Name Gender and Title are optional. For companies: Company Name
Photo: Supply an image file for use as a profile photo by third-party systems, such as a mobile apps or portals. | |
| Phones | A contact can have several phone numbers. One phone of each type can be active at a time. Supported types are created in the contact information definition. The area code is set automatically based on the selection in the countries module, available under Platform. |
| Emails | A contact can have several email addresses. Supported types are created in the contact information definition. The email address must include an '@' character and a '.' at a position following '@' to be valid. |
| Addresses | A contact can have several postal addresses. One address of each type can be active at a time. Supported types are defined in the contact information definition. In order to define a new address for an existing type, the current address must be deactivated. Addresses can be supplied and edited from modules other than contact information. For example, an address can be entered from the subscriptions module, as an installation address, and one can be entered from the accounts receivable module, as a billing address. Both are added to the contact information addresses. It is possible to view and reactivate inactive addresses by using the View Inactive link. |
| Demographics (for 'Person' contacts only) | Personal information associated to the contact including ID Number, Registration Country, Passport Number,Passport Registration Country, Social Security Number, Country of Residence, Industry, Industry Sector andDate of Birth. Name Day: Can be automatically applied through the name day application definition, based on the name day rules configured in the contact information definition. Depending on the fields defined in the uniqueness rule of the contact information definition, some of the fields in this section may be mandatory. For example, if Social Security Number is included in the uniqueness rule, then it is mandatory to provide the number for each contact. |
Company Profile (for 'Company' contacts only) | Company information associated to the contact including Industry, Industry Sector, Profile Year, Annual Turnover, Established on, Number of Employees, Tax Reference Number, Registration Details and VAT Registration. Depending on the fields defined in the uniqueness rule of the contact information definition, some of the fields in this section may be mandatory. For example, if the VAT Registration Number is included in the uniqueness rule, then it is mandatory to provide the number for each company contact. |
| Authorisation Settings | Determine whether the contact should be sent direct and affiliate marketing material. The settings default to those in the contact information definition. Send Direct / Affiliate Marketing Material: Enable if the contact should be a recipient (of in-house or partner marketing campaigns, respectively, and of customer care notifications). Customers can opt in and out of mailing lists (i.e., update their authorisation settings) directly from their email. For a description on setting up and using authorisation settings, refer to Contact notification preferences . Preferred Language: Used for communication purposes. If none is specified, the system will use the default language. |
| Consent Information | The consent information of the contact information which includes the following:
For more information on consent information refer to Complying to GDPR |
Relations (Contacts associated with the one currently selected) | |
Outward Relations: A number of contacts with which the currently selected contact is associated. Type: A label describing therelation with the related contact, e.g., 'Friend', 'Client', 'Family Member'. The supported relation types are defined in the active contact information definition. Inward Relations: The contacts who have the currently selected contact as an outward relation. Inwards relations cannot be edited. They can change if an outward relation modifies their relationship entry from the Data Entry page. | |
Creating and processing contact information
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Validations take place before an action is initiated (prerequisite) or after it is submitted (postcondition). |
Selecting and creating contact information
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Specify the criteria that match the contact information you are interested in or use NEW > Person or Company from the Actions menu to register the detail of a new contact. Provide the information defined as mandatory in the contact information fields table and SAVE the contact.
Contacts associated with an accounts receivable are already customers and have a 'Financial' life cycle state. Contacts without an accounts receivable are not customers yet and have a 'Marketing' life cycle state.
Working with contact information addresses
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One active address of each type (Business, Home, PO Box, Billing or any other configured type) can be registered for a contact at a time.
Previous address data can be inactivated and kept in the system, for future access and reactivation (in case the contact returns to a former address).
Deactivating addresses
- In Edit mode, select the Addresses tab where 'active' addresses of each type are displayed, and choose the address to deactivate by using the respective radio button.
Click DEACTIVATE.
Addresses used by other entities (e.g., accounts receivables or subscriptions) cannot be deactivated.
Activating or removing inactive addresses
- Select the Addresses Tab and click on VIEW INACTIVE for a list of inactive addresses registered in the system.
Click on ACTIVATE to reactivate an address or REMOVE to delete an address.
Click on VIEW ACTIVE to return to active addresses.
Applying business flows on contact information
Communicating contact information
Contact information details are used when communicating with customers from every module in the system. You can use tags (text that is automatically replaced by values specific to selected records) for all communications. Tags are available for selection by typing '#'.
Refer to the Communications manual for a complete list of contact information tags.
Anchor GDPR GDPR
Complying with GDPR
| GDPR | |
| GDPR |
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In order to comply to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as of May 2018 certain measures must be taken by organizations to protect every individual's rights to control how their personal information is collected and processed. The following tools are available in CRM.COM to ensure that the collection of personal data of your customers is done in a way that is accepted by GDPR.
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Contact Consent State
Each contact information has a state/status associated to their consent which is one of the following:
- Pending: Contact has not yet provided their consent
- Accepted: Contact has provided their consent
- Rejected: Contact has rejected the consent
- Withdrawn: A contact who previously provided their consent, withdraws it
Through the Consent Settings available in the Contact Information Definition, you can set up how data of contacts can be manipulated according to the state the consent is at, except the case where the contact has provided their consent (Accepted) in which case there are no restrictions or options to restrict it. In any other case the following options are available:
- Complete functionality: Indicates that the contacts and the actions applicable on them are fully functional.
- No functionality allowed: Indicates that no further actions can be applied on these contacts but they will exist as contacts in the system. (Only available for 'Rejected' and 'Withdrawn' states)
- Anonymize Contact: Indicates that contacts will be fully anonymized and no longer functional in any way (Only available for 'Rejected' and 'Withdrawn' states)
A contact's consent state (apart from Pending' which is the default state) can be captured in the system in 3 ways
- By using the dedicated action in the Contact information page Actions > Add Consent Form in which case the consent state can be selected and the consent form can also be uploaded
- By using links available in emails or SMS sent to the contacts through which the contact can either accept or reject the consent. For more information on using the Links refer to Communications
- Through a third part system such as a portal or mobile app which can make use of the associated WEB APIs
Contact Consent Form
A contact consent form can be attached on every contact through which their consent can be verified. The consent form can be individualized, for example, a scanned copy of a signed accepted consent form or a global consent form which is the same for all contacts and can be selected through the attachments library.
If the form is individualized then it can be added by using the dedicated action in the Contact information page Actions > Add Consent Form in which case a consent form can be uploaded or selected through the attachment's library (global). If however the consent form does not need to be individualized, then set the consent form in the Contact information Definition Consent Settings and the selected form will be automatically attached to all contacts
Requiring re-consent
Consent forms may be updated through the time thus it may be mandatory to require re-consent from the contacts. This is possible by using the action available in the Contact Information Definitions data entry page 'Require Re-Consent'. This is applicable only for contacts that have either accepted, rejected or pending consent state. Once the action is selected then the following information are updated
- Consent State: Pending
- Consent Updated Date: empty
- Consent Form: update it with the new attachment
The affected Contacts are then considered as "Pending Consent" and the respective functionality applied on the Contact Information Definitions is applied.
Anonymizing Data
Anonymization process is vital to GDPR compliance. Once a contact is anonymized then any CRM.COM functionality is not possible. In greater detail the following actions are no longer functional
- Updating or executing any action on the Contact Information
- Creating, updating or executing any action on the Contact's related Accounts
- Creating, updating or executing any action the entities (Service Requests, Activities, Jobs etc.) which are related either to the Contact Information or the related Accounts
- Executing any processes which are related either to the Contact Information or the related Accounts such as Provisioning Runs, Payment Gateway Runs etc.
- If any financial transaction is imported to the system and is related to an anonymized accounts receivable then it should be posted on the System's Suspense Account instead (available through Accounts Receivable Definitions)
A contact information can be anonymized in the following three ways:
- Through the dedicated action in the Contact Information data entry page (if the anonymization process is enabled in the Contact Information definition)
- Through the batch process that can be executed through the Contact Information Definitions
- Once the Contact rejects or withdraws consent and the Consent Settings of the Contact Information definition were configured so as to anonymize the contact
In order for the contact information to be anonymized a set of conditions must be met:
- The contact must not be a User, related to a group (internal or partner) or related to a unit (internal or partner)
- The contact does not own a non terminated subscription, relates to a pending job, activity, service request or lead
- The contact does not relate to a pending un-processed RBIs, or an un-posted Financial Transaction
- The conditions set in the Contact Information Definition Anonymization settings
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Check Appendix A for a full list of the data in CRM.COM that is anonymized once the process takes place. |
Exporting customer data
Information associated to each and every contact can be made available to them through a printout which optionally it can be sent to them through an email.
Communicating contact information
Communications can be created and sent to the contact information either manually or triggered by an event taking place in the system, such as the creation or the update of the contact information. You can use tags related to contact information (text that is automatically replaced by values specific to selected records) when creating communications. Tags are available for selection by typing '#'. Additionally dynamic links can be added to these communications (dynamic link communication tags) which enable the customer to either accept or deny consent to the usage of their personal data.
Refer to the Communications manual for a full description of how to use communications, a complete list of contact information communication tags as well as specific information on how to use dynamic links.
Keeping an Audit Trail
Audit trail of any action associated to the accessing of any record is now kept in the system along with the option to view a complete list of the audit log. Additionally reports are now available which display a list of the audit trail logs of a specific Contact Information and its related Entities (Accounts Receivable and Rewards Participant and another one to display the changes performed on a contact information by a specific user.
For more information on Audit Trail refer to Security Management
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Contacts can opt-in and out of communications regarding direct (in-house) and affiliate (partner) marketing campaigns. Contacts do not have the option to opt out of communications regarding financial matters, such as bills.
It is possible to override contact preferences, when it is imperative to communicate important information.
Applying or ignoring contact notification preferences
Notification runs apply contact communication preferences when the 'Apply Contact Information Data Protection for Direct / Affiliate Marketing' setting is selected, in the notification type. If it is not selected, the system will communicate with the customer regardless of the contact information preference.
Opting-in and out of mailing lists
Customers can opt-in and out of direct and affiliate mailing lists directly from their email by using dynamic links.
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Assigning a name day to contacts
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Contact information enables the automatic assignment of a contact name day, so that customers can be contacted with wishes and rewards on their name day.
Configure name day rules in the Contact Information Definition to assign a name day to contacts as well as how often you would like to run the rules or alternatively set up and execute instantly.
The run will identify the contacts that satisfy (at least one of) the 'name day rules' configured in the definition. The name day of each contact that qualifies will be set in the respective contact information field.
Through the name day rules you can also determine whether the rules will be applied to All (person) contacts (regardless of whether a different name day is already specified) or only to those Without Name Day already specified.
Classifying contacts
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A customer in CRM.COM is defined as a contact with an accounts receivable in a 'Financial' life cycle state. Customers are not represented by any other entity within the system. Contacts who are not customers have a 'Marketing' life cycle state.
Segmenting contact information
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Contact information with common business characteristics can be grouped together. The resulting lists can be used in system processes to identify customers or for simple statistical calculations.
For more information on segmentation and how you can create contact information lists refer to Segmentation.
Contact Information Analytics
Printouts
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Printouts are available through the Data Entry page in the following formats: HTML, XLS, CSV, RTF or PDF. Refer to Printouts for information on how they can be created, printed and sent.
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Contact Information Printout
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A printout that displays all the information of a Contact Information and its related Accounts Receivable. The printout is available through the Contact Information data entry page and can also be sent by email.
Contact Information Business Examples
Company uniqueness rule
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Scenario 1 Company ZX would like to ensure that there are no companies in its contact information that share the same VAT Registration Number. Solution Configuration
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Person uniqueness rule
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Scenario 1 Company ZX would like to ensure that the information on ID Number is unique for all contacts. Solution Configuration Scenario 2 Company ZX would like to ensure that the information on ID AND Social Security Number is unique for all contacts. Solution Configuration
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Financial and marketing life cycle state
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Scenario 1 Company ZX registers two new contacts in the system, one as a new subscriber and the other as a lead. Solution User Process Financial The new contact is registered in the system as a subscriber. A subscription and an accounts receivable are created, for billing purposes and to track the financial progress of the customer. The life cycle state of the contact is automatically updated to 'Financial'. Marketing A new contact is registered in the system as a lead. An accounts receivable is not necessary and the life cycle state of the contact remains as 'Marketing'. If the lead is converted (becomes a subscriber) and an accounts receivable is created, the life cycle state of the contact will automatically be updated to 'Financial'. |
Exclude customers from partner marketing campaigns
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Scenario 1 Company ZX contacts its customers on a monthly basis to inform them regarding offers and new channels. Other than its own marketing campaigns, Company ZX also engages in affiliate marketing for partners. Some customers want to be removed from the affiliate marketing mailing list, but remain on the direct marketing mailing lists. Solution Contact Information Opt-out of Affiliate Marketing Campaigns & Opti-in Direct Marketing Campaigns. Authorisation settings related to affiliate marketing should be set as follows: Send Direct Marketing material: YES Send Direct Affiliate material: NO Notification Type Affiliate marketing campaign For the system to take into consideration the affiliate marketing contact information authorisation settings, the notification type used for the monthly affiliate marketing campaign should be as follows: Apply Contact Information Data Protection for Affiliate Marketing: YES Direct marketing campaign For the system to take into consideration the direct marketing contact information authorisation settings, the notification type used for the monthly direct marketing campaign should be as follows: Apply Contact Information Data Protection for Direct Marketing: YES System Process Notifications created using the 'affiliate marketing' notification type are not sent to customers. Notifications created using the 'direct marketing' notification type are sent to customers. |
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If you are using a previous release, view CRM.COM Release Changes. Use the contact information WEB API to create and manage contact information from an external system, such as a customer portal. View the Contact information WEB API for a complete list of actions available through the WEB API. |
Glossary
| CRM.COM Term | Definition |
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| Accounts Receivable | A ledger of the financial transactions carried out between a company and its customers, such as invoices and payments. |
| Subscription | A collection of customer services billed on a recurring, usage or one-time basis. |
| Opt-in / Opt-out | To choose to be involved (opt-in) or not to participate (opt-out) in something, for example, to receive direct or affiliate marketing emails. |
| Notification | Auto-generated text, used to communicate financial or customer care information to existing or prospective customers. Notifications are sent through CRM.COM by email or SMS or by using a third party external system, such as a mobile app or portal. |
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The following data will be set to 'Anonymized' once the anonymization process is executed as part of the GDPR compliance.
Entity | Field |
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| Contact Information | First Name and First Name UC |
| Contact Information | Middle Name and Middle Name UC |
| Contact Information | Last Name and Last Name UC |
| Contact Information | ID Number |
| Contact Information | ID Registration Country |
| Contact Information | Passport Number |
| Contact Information | Passport Registration Country |
| Contact Information | Social Security Number |
| Contact Information | Date of Birth - Day, Month, Year |
| Contact Information | Company Name and Company Name UC |
| Contact Information | Tax Reference Number |
| Contact Information | Registration Number |
| Contact Information | Registration Country |
| Contact Information | VAT Number |
| Contact Information | All Address Information
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| Contact Information | All Phones Information
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| Contact Information | All Emails Information
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| Contact Information | Attachments
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| Contact Information | All "From Values" and "To Values" from Contact's Audit Log |
| Accounts Receivable | Name and Name UC |
| Accounts Receivable | Number |
| Accounts Receivable Payment Preferences |
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| Payment Gateway Cards |
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| Accounts Receivable | All Presentment Preferences Information (method, value, is active) |
| Accounts Receivable | All "From Values" and "To Values" from Account's Audit Log |
| Communications | Subject |
| Communications | Description |
| Communications | Shared Notes |
| Communications | To Recipient |
| Communications | From Recipient |
| Communications | Content |
Financial Transactions
| Shared Notes |
| Subscriptions | Notes |
| Subscription Actions | Cancellation Notes |
| Activities | Description |
| Activities | Shared Notes |
| Activities | Contact Information email |
| Activities | Contact phone |
| Jobs | Description |
| Jobs | Shared Notes |
| Jobs | Contact Info Phone |
| Jobs | Contact Info Email |
Customer Events
| Description |
| Service Requests | Description |
| Service Requests | Shared Notes |
| Service Requests | Caller Email |
| Service Requests | Caller Phone |
| Leads | Description |
| Leads | Shared Notes |
| Leads | Contact Info Phone |
| Leads | Contact Info Email |
Rated Billing Items
| Cancellation Notes |
| Access Tokens | Authentication code |
| Access Tokens | Identifier |
| Access Tokens | Pass code |
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Related Links
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