THE ESSENTIALS

A contact is a person or company who is either a customer or a potential customer of a Business. Contacts can be grouped into communities - like families, friends, or employees of a business.

Contacts are typically created through self-registration using CRM.COM apps (or using Self-Service APIs), or via system integrations using Back Office APIs. When a contact registers themselves, they're assigned an identity, in other words, unique credentials to sign in to the front-end.

During self-registration, a contact selects a country of agreement based on the list of countries where the business operates. This selection defines the currency used for their account and wallet, as well as the pricing terms applicable to their purchases of goods and services.

CRM.COM supports data privacy regulations like GDPR, offering tools for consent management, anonymisation, and contact deletion.

CRM.COM maintains a rich demographic model for contacts, with details such as names, surnames, addresses, Company information and more.

Now let’s get familiar with some Contact-related key terms and features.

Contact Code

A unique code assigned to each Contact. It can be set manually or auto-generated, but cannot be changed.

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Types

A Contact can be either a Person (an individual), or a Company (a business). The Contact type is set upon creation and can't be changed.

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Person type contact

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Company type contact

Birthday

The contact’s birthday, typically used for personalised messages or a birthday offer. It can be set by the Contact or by a back-end user.

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Contact's birthday

Name Day

A name day is a celebration linked to one's birth name. It can be set by the Contact or by a back-end user and can be used in a Reward Offer to award contacts on their special day.

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Contact's name day

Language

Contacts can choose their preferred language, which determines the language the business will use to send notifications and the language used for the front end.

CRM.COM supports multiple languages, with English as the default, but more languages can be enabled via the Platform Settings. 

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Contact language

Country of Agreement

Contacts select their country of residence (from a list of countries the business operates in) during registration. The Country of agreement is utilised when applying region-specific prices and taxes.

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Contact's country of agreement

Sales Model

Contacts can be assigned a Sales Model that differentiates their pricing. Two default Sales Models are supported, and additional ones can be created:

• Retail - Default for Person Contacts.

• Wholesale - Default for Company Contacts.

Loyalty Identifiers

This is mostly a legacy and migration setting. It's used to link a Contact with an external loyalty system, from which contacts were migrated into CRM.COM.

Interaction State

This state reflects the Contact's financial engagement (involving an invoice, payment, refund, payout, credit note, top-up, or transfer) with the business.

• Never Engaged - No financial transactions have ever been performed.

• Engaged - A transaction occurred within the last 60 days.

• Dormant - Last transaction occurred between 61-120 days ago.

• Resting - The last transaction was over 120 days ago.

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Interaction State

Contact Identity

The Contact Identity (such as email or phone) uniquely identifies and authenticates a contact when registering with a business or signing in via the front-end (e.g. contact app). Contact Authentication and Identities are configured in Contact Settings.

Identity Verification

The Identity Verification indicates whether the Contact's identity has been verified. Verification is performed via an activation link or an OTP sent to the Contact during registration.

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Identity Verification states

For unverified Contacts, back-end users can still perform all actions without limitations. However, access through front-end systems may be restricted until verification is complete. Refer to the Contact Authentication & Identities settings for further details.

Referral Code

A unique 6-character code for each Contact, used when a Contact refers a friend to the business, and may result in an award, subject to the Reward Offers configured.  

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Contact’s referral code

Addresses

A contact can add multiple addresses, which can be used for delivering orders, subscription billing, and identifying the location on a Service Request.

To get the precise location of an address (especially for delivery orders), Google Places Lookup should be used. To enable this feature, Google Places integration must be configured in CRM.COM. Refer to the Integration manual to find out more.

Marketing Settings

Contacts can opt in/out of receiving marketing-related material during their registration and these preferences can be changed via the front-end. Contacts also have the option to unsubscribe using unsubscribe links included in communications sent by the business.

Business users can override the contact's preferences for system-critical messages when configuring a Communication Plan.

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CIMs

A Contact Identification Medium (CIM) uniquely identifies a Contact on an external system (such as a POS) when submitting a purchase event using the CRM.COM API.

Tags

Tags allow a business to label Contacts with one or more custom terms for segmentation and filtering purposes. Refer to the Generic Settings manual to find out how to configure and manage tags.

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Contact tags

Communities

A contact (Community owner) can create their own Community by inviting other (Community members) to join and enjoy select benefits and features:

• Sharing their CRM.COM Wallet funds with members of their community.

• Allowing members to consume usage, with the owner being invoiced.

• Giving community members access to act on behalf of the owner using front-end apps.

Anonymise Contact vs Delete Contact

In compliance with GDPR, anonymising a Contact removes all identifying details of a Contact without actually removing the Contact and its related transactions. Refer to Anonymise Contact for further information. 

On the other hand, deleting a Contact permanently deletes a Contact and all their related transactions. Refer to Delete Contact for the specific validation checks performed prior to deletion.

Contact Registry

Contact Registry is a repository of Contacts with detailed information and identities (full name, email, phone, CIMs), owned and maintained by a Service Owner. A Business has the option to opt-in to the Service Owner’s registry and use this shared information. However, only the Service Owner can create new or update shared contact information, whereas the business can still add extra details like addresses.

Refer to the Business Network manual for further details about enabling the Contact registry. 

Managing Contacts

There are several ways to create Contacts in CRM.COM:

• Contacts self-register through a CRM.COM App (front-end).

• Using CRM.COM's user interface (back-end).

• Through the Import Data Utility where contacts can be imported from an external system (via Platform> Import Data).

• Using CRM.COM’s Web APIs; BackOffice APIs for migration purposes or server-to-server integrations, or Self-Service APIs when implementing a custom front-end.

Navigate to CRM > My Contacts to view the summary screen of existing Contacts.

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Contacts summary screen

Users can search for Contacts by entering core information (such as code, name, address) in the search bar or use Filters for a more advanced search.

From the summary screen, select a Contact to access their information, such as personal, financial, rewards, and subscription details.

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Available options from the Contact screen

Contact Actions

Manage the Contact's details and perform various actions through the options button on the top right.

Anonymise Contact

To anonymise a contact and remove all identifying details, first verify that:

• All the contact’s accounts are terminated. Consequently, pending Orders and Service Requests must be closed and Subscriptions should be cancelled prior to anonymisation.

• Optionally, transfer any funds from the Business Pocket to another contact.

Delete Contact

Deleting a contact will permanently remove all associated data and cannot be undone.

Keep in mind that:

• Contacts created by Businesses using the Service Owner’s registry can only be deleted at the Business level, not at the registry level.

• No financial checks (e.g. unpaid invoices) are performed before deletion.

• Deleted contacts and their transactions will no longer appear in analytics.

• Account and Commerce Pocket balances are not transferred. However, Business Pocket balances can be transferred prior to deletion.

• All rented devices must be returned to the warehouse before deletion.

• Any active subscriptions must be cancelled before deletion.

• Demo contacts used for App/Play store approval cannot be deleted. To proceed, assign another contact as the demo (Settings > Contacts & CRM > Contact Authentication & Identities).

• B2B contacts cannot be deleted.

Add Service

Select to add a new Subscription Service for the Contact. Contacts typically order their services in front-end systems, but this action may be useful in B2B sales models.

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Add Service to Contact

CRM Actions

Create Activity

Create and schedule an Activity to be carried out for the Contact. Refer to the Activities manual for further information on configuring and managing Activities.

Create Service Request

Create a Service Request for the Contact. Service requests are simply tickets for a request for service or assistance.

Place Order

Place an order for the Contact from here instead of navigating to Commerce > Orders.

Financial Actions

Multiple financial-related actions can be performed against the Contact's Account and the CRM.COM Wallet, such as charging or recording a payment. For information on financial actions, refer to the Financials manual.

Reward Actions

Create Purchase

Create a Purchase Event on behalf of the Contact. Eligible awards will be granted, but no actual spending will occur.

Custom Form Actions

Perform customised actions using a configured Custom Form. This option is only available if Custom Forms have been created via Settings > Platform > Custom Forms.

Attachments

Upload and manage multiple attachments and links related to the Contact for internal use.

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Custom Preferences

In addition to the standard contact information, custom fields can be created to store additional details for each contact that useful to the business.

Custom Fields can be edited via the options button and are visible in the Custom Preferences card.

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Payment Methods

A contact's payment method is their preferred way to pay for Orders or Subscriptions. A payment method can fund the CRM.COM Wallet, which is considered the Contact’s primary payment method. Contacts typically manage their payment methods through the front-end. Only the Account Debit method (mainly for B2B) can be set up from the back-end.

Refer to the Payment Methods manual for further information.

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Devices

Contacts may own or rent a number of devices which are used for either communication purposes (to send in-app notifications) or for accessing services to which they subscribed to. Select the Devices option button to view all Contact’s devices or register new ones. Refer to the Subscriptions manual for further details on devices.

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Communities

Contacts can create communities to fund their members or delegate specific actions to them. A community can be created by Contacts themselves through the front-end or, in the case of B2B flows, by a user in the back-end.

Adding Contacts to a Community

Navigate to the Contact screen and scroll down to the Community section.

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‘Community’ on the Contact screen

Click on the options button and select Add Person.

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Use the Add Person option to invite a Contact to join the community. Only Person-type contacts can be added.

Contacts already registered to the business can be invited to join a Community, but unregistered contacts can also be invited. Select between Existing Contact and New Contact accordingly. An invitation will be sent in both cases.

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Adding an existing contact to the community

• Relation

  • Choose the Contact's relationship with the community owner. Relationships can be configured via Community Relations in Contact Settings.

• Group (optional)

  • Assign the Contact to a group. To create a new group, just type its name and select Create… when prompted.

Select Save to add the Contact to the community.

Viewing Community Members

Navigate to the contact screen to view the Contact’s community members.

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Click on the options button to edit a member’s settings.

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Wallet Sharing

Community owners can share their CRM.COM Wallet with their members to pay for purchases, making transactions seamless within the community. To set it up, enable the Wallet Sharing option, and optionally select a Commerce Pool to apply restrictions based on time, location, or product. Additionally, set a maximum amount that can be shared per calendar month.

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Usage Allowance Sharing

If a community owner has subscribed to a service that allows them to consume usage, they can share this usage allowance with their community members. Members can consume usage, with the community owner responsible for covering the service's recurring and usage charges.

Enable the Manage Allowance toggle. If the member’s allowance is the same as the community owner’s, enable the respective toggle, otherwise, set a custom allowance - either cash or usage amount-based allowance. Note that the allowance per member must be lower than what the owner can consume. Use the Advanced Search button to search for, locate and apply product-targeted allowances.

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Use the View Allowance and View Remaining Allowance buttons on the Community screen to see the member’s allowance/remaining allowance at a glance.

Access Level

Define what a member can do on behalf of their community via a front-end app using the Switch Role option. Each member can either have full access (i.e. they act as Admin members of the community) or have restricted access to the community’s information. In the latter case the owner specifies the member’s permissions.

• Full access - No restrictions apply.

• Restricted access - Limited to specific allowed permissions, select from:

  • Contact management - Edit community contacts.

  • Service Request management - Create and view Service Requests on behalf of the community owner.

  • Order management - Place orders on behalf of the community owner.

Viewing Joined Communities

A contact may be a member of multiple communities.

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Leaving a Community

A member can leave or be removed from a community at any point in time by selecting Delete or Leave Community.

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Financials

The Financials section within the Contact screen provides details on the contact's Account(s) and the CRM.COM Wallet. For guidance on managing these and executing financial tasks on behalf of the contact, please consult the Financials and Wallet manuals.

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Financial information and options

Subscriptions

The Subscriptions tab displays the Subscription services the Contact has subscribed to and their pricing and billing terms. For further information on managing contact subscriptions, refer to the Subscriptions manual.

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Activity Feed

The Activity Feed tab displays a chronological record of all business events conducted for the Contact, including communications, CRM-related, commerce and financial activities. Use the filter option to narrow down activities by type or click a link to access the detailed information.

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Rewards

The Rewards card, shows key information like the Contact’s current reward tier and any Reward Schemes they’ve joined.

Refer to the Rewards manuals for information on setting up Reward Schemes, Reward Offers and reward tiering.

Reward Tier

Reward tiering groups Contacts based on their purchase activity. The more they buy, the more awards they earn. As they reach a set number of units within a specific timeframe, they move up to a higher tier with more benefits.

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If reward tiering is set up, the Contact’s current reward tier is shown by colour, along with a progress bar showing how close they are to the next tier.

Each Contact's tiering information includes:

• Period Value Units - Units earned during the current interval.

• Lifetime Value Units - Total value units earned since registering with the Business.

Managing Rewards

Click on the options button (…) and select Edit to view/manage the Contact's reward scheme details.

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Options include:

Block contact from spending

If this toggle is enabled, the Contact cannot spend their Wallet commerce balance (i.e. any awarded amounts) when purchasing/ordering.

Loyalty Identifiers

Create one or more unique loyalty identifiers to identify a Contact via an external system. Loyalty identifiers can also act as CIMs in the software.

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Managing a Contact's identifiers

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Loyalty identifier on the Contact screen

Signed-up Reward Schemes

Any reward schemes the Contact has signed up for will appear here, along with the option to sign up for other available reward schemes.

Contact Settings

All Contact Settings (subject to user permissions) can be configured by navigating to Settings > Contacts & CRM.

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Contacts settings

There are six configurable system settings related to Contacts in the Contacts section:

Name Display

Select how Contact names should be displayed throughout the system. Select from a combination of first name, middle name and last name.

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Name Day Rules

Define name days manually (if applicable), or import a pre-defined list. Name days can help boost sales by creating Reward Offers, sending greetings, and offering discounts to Contacts celebrating their name day.

Based on Apps configuration, a Contact can optionally set their name day via the front-end.

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Categories

Create Contact categories to allow the grouping of contacts based on shared characteristics. These categories can be used across the platform to differentiate how the organisation interacts with different groups of contacts.

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For example, categories can be used to group contacts for Segmentation. These groups can be used to set product prices or to target specific Contacts in Reward Offers.

Contact categories are assigned to Contacts by back-end users.

Customer Identification Medium (CIM)

Define how Contacts will be uniquely identified when integrating with third-party systems that submit purchase event transactions to CRM.COM. Choose one or more of the following:

• Card (one or more bank cards in hashed format)

• Phone (a mobile phone number)

• Email

• Gift Pass (one or more gift passes redeemed by the Contact)

• Loyalty Identifier (one or more contact loyalty codes)

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Contact Identification Mediums

Contact Authentication & Identities

Choose how Contacts will register through the front-end, and how their registration will be verified. For example, Phone/OTP means they register with their phone number and confirm it using a one-time code sent to their phone.

The chosen method will uniquely identify each Contact when registering and signing in via the front-end. Verification depends on the communication Integrations that are set up.

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When enabling one of these options, other settings become available:

• Email & Password

  • Require / Does not require email verification - Depending on this option Contacts must / do not have to verify their email address (using a link included in their email communication). In the first case, failure to verify email will deny access to the front-end, whereas in the second case, once the registration flow has been completed, they are granted access.

• Email & OTP

  • Support Demo Contact - This option appears only when Email/OTP is enabled. Its purpose is to set a demo contact to be used when submitting the app to the Stores for approval prior to publication. These details need to be included when submitting a contact app to the Stores.

    • Contact - Select from one of the existing contacts in the system.

    • OTP - Specify an OTP to be used.

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• Facebook

  • Manage Facebook App - Set the App ID and App Secret provided by Facebook.

• Google

  • Manage Google App - Set the App ID and App Secret provided by Google.

• OpenID Connect

  • Manage OpenID Connect - This option uses an OIDC provider to authenticate a contact’s identity. At the end of this process, the contact is created and signed-in.

    • Application ID - Get this from the chosen provider.

    • Configuration Document URL - Get this from the chosen provider (ends in ‘well-known/openid-configuration’).

    • Client Secret - Get this from the chosen provider.

    • Backchannel Logout URL - The endpoint to which logout notifications are sent from the OpenID provider to logout a contact’s session.

• Applicable for all or selected Apps - The selected identification and verification method applies to all or selected Apps. In the latter case, choose the Apps (if multiple are configured) that will use this method.

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Guest Contact

If a Business offers apps to its customers, it can turn on the Support Guest Contact option and set up a dummy contact as the guest. This lets unregistered users explore the app with limited access. They can view the Home screen, Reward Offers and Promotions, and the Product Catalogue.

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Country Calling Codes

Limit registration to Contacts with phone numbers of specific country codes, and set one of these as a default code.

Country calling codes are applicable even if the Phone/OTP option is not selected, as they can be used to identify existing Contacts and also used for linking a Contact’s CRM.COM Wallet. If no country calling codes are configured, all codes will be available by default.

Community Relations

Configure relationships that can be assigned to contacts when being invited to a community.

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Industries & Sub-industries

Set up Industries and Sub-industries to assign to Company Contacts and other organisations like Merchants/Service Providers. This helps front-end users filter locations based on the industry they belong to.

This setting is not located under the Contacts system settings but can be found under Settings > Platform > Generic > Industries & Sub-industries

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Reference Material

Refer to the following manuals for further reading in relation to Contacts.

Generic Settings

Generic Settings

Import Data

Import Contacts to CRM.COM

Bulk Data Operations

Finance

Finance

Rewards

Reward Offers

Subscriptions

Subscriptions

Billing

Billing

Leads

Leads

Service Requests

Service Requests

Activities

Activities

Orders

Orders

Custom Extensibility

Create custom fields and custom forms for Contacts

Custom Extensibility

Integrations

Integrations

Applications

CRM.COM Apps

Automations

Automations

Customer Events

Customer Events

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