Effective contact management is a critical pillar for business success, serving as the foundation for personalized communication, targeted marketing, and exceptional customer service. Within the BusinessChat platform, your contact database is your most valuable asset. This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough of every feature related to handling customer contacts—from initial acquisition and organization to advanced management and reporting. By mastering these tools, you can build and leverage a powerful contact database to foster stronger customer relationships and drive sustainable growth.
1. The Anatomy of a BusinessChat Contact
1.1. Context-Setting Introduction
To effectively manage your customer relationships, it is essential to first understand what constitutes a "contact" within the BusinessChat ecosystem. A clear grasp of how contacts are created, where they come from, and what data is automatically captured is the foundational step toward building a robust database for targeted, meaningful communication.
1.2. Defining a Contact and Stored Information
In BusinessChat, a contact is automatically created the moment a customer initiates a conversation with your business on WhatsApp. This seamless process ensures that every inbound lead is captured without manual effort. The platform automatically stores the following key pieces of information for each new contact:
Name: The contact's name is captured directly from their registered WhatsApp user profile.
Phone Number: The customer's phone number is stored as soon as they send their first message to your business.
Language: The platform identifies and stores the customer's preferred language, which is crucial for personalized communication.
Join Date: This is the date the customer initiated their very first conversation with your business, marking the beginning of their journey with you.
1.3. Analyzing Contacts Sources
Contacts are added to your BusinessChat database from three primary sources. Understanding these origins is key to analyzing your customer acquisition channels and the effectiveness of your outreach strategies. The "Customers by Source Report" provides a clear breakdown of these channels.
Source | Description |
This category includes all customers who initiated their first contact with your business directly via WhatsApp using the BusinessChat widget. Note that you have to be using the Businesschat WhatsApp widget linked to the number connected to BusinessChat. If you’re using a different third-party WhatsApp widget, we won’t be able to capture those leads. | |
Created / Imported | This source covers contacts that were added manually to your BusinessChat account. This can be done by creating contacts individually or by uploading a customer list in bulk. |
Integration | This source comprises all contacts that were automatically synchronized and added to BusinessChat via an active integration with a connected e-commerce platform such as Salla, Zid, or Shopify. |
The methods used to add contacts, which we will cover next, directly determine how they are categorized under these sources in your reports.
With a clear understanding of what a contact is and where they originate, you are now equipped to start building your database. The next section will provide practical, step-by-step instructions for populating your contact list within the platform.
2. Populating Your Contact Database: Methods of Acquisition
2.1. Context-Setting Introduction
A key strategic advantage of BusinessChat is its flexibility in acquiring contacts. Whether you're adding a single hot lead from a networking event or importing an entire customer segment from your e-commerce store, the platform provides efficient methods to suit your needs. This section offers clear, step-by-step instructions for each acquisition method, empowering you to build and expand your contact list with ease.
2.2. Manual Contact Creation
For adding individual contacts quickly, BusinessChat offers straightforward methods on both its web and mobile platforms.
Navigate to the Contacts icon from the main menu on the left.
Click on the "Create or import contacts" button.
From the options, select "Add a contact".
In the pop-up window, input the customer's Name and Phone Number, ensuring you include the correct country code.
Click Save to add the contact to your database.
Adding Contacts via the Mobile App
You can also add new contacts on the go using the BusinessChat mobile application.
Tap the Search icon located at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the Add button.
Fill in the customer's information as prompted.
Tap "Add" to save the new contact.
Note: the mobile app might not function properly since all updates on it have been halted. It’s always better to use the platform from a web browser.
2.3. Bulk Importing Contacts via CSV File
For adding multiple contacts simultaneously, importing a Comma-Separated Values (CSV) file is the required method. This is ideal for migrating existing customer lists or uploading segmented audiences for marketing campaigns.
Navigate to the Contacts icon and click "Create or import contacts".
Select the "Upload a CSV file" option.
Choose the prepared CSV file from your device.
Map the column in your file containing phone numbers to the corresponding field in BusinessChat.
Assign the imported contacts to a group. You can create a new group by providing a name or add it to an existing group from the dropdown list.
Select the correct country code for the phone numbers in your list.
Click "Import File" to begin the upload process.
Handling Duplicates During Import: BusinessChat intelligently manages duplicate entries to keep your database clean. If a phone number in your CSV file already exists as a contact, the system will update that contact's data with any new information provided in the file. If the phone number does not exist, a new contact will be created. Overall, the duplicated contact will remain in the newly created group, but it will not be added to the general contacts database again.
This method is not only for initial setup but is the primary way to implement the advanced filtering best practice mentioned in Section 3.2.
Now that you have learned how to populate your database, the next logical step is to organize these contacts for efficient management and targeted communication. The following section covers the tools available for structuring and maintaining your contact list.
3. Effective Contact Organization and Management
Adding contacts is only the first step; a well-organized and actively managed database is essential for operational efficiency and effective marketing. A clean, segmented contact list allows for personalized communication at scale. This section details the critical tools within BusinessChat for searching, segmenting, and managing your contacts on a daily basis.
3.1. Searching and Filtering Your Contacts
The "Contacts" page includes a powerful search feature to help you quickly locate specific contacts. You can search for any contact using one of three criteria:
Phone Number
Order Number (if integrated with an e-commerce platform)
Name
Ensure you click the correct filter you want to use for the search, like phone number, past the phone number in the search bar, and click enter.
It is crucial to understand a key best practice regarding filtering. While the search function is excellent for finding individual contacts, BusinessChat does not support direct, advanced filtering of the contact database for segmentation (e.g., creating a list of all customers from a specific city). To target a specific customer segment for a marketing campaign, you must first filter your connected e-commerce platform (such as Salla or Zid), export that list, and then import it into BusinessChat as a new group.
3.2. Managing Contact Groups
Groups are the primary tool for organizing and segmenting your contacts within BusinessChat. They allow you to categorize customers for targeted campaigns. Here are the key principles of group management:
A single contact can belong to multiple groups simultaneously. This flexibility is crucial for sophisticated segmentation, allowing you to create overlapping audiences like a 'VIP Customers' group and a 'Recent Holiday Shoppers' group, with some contacts belonging to both.
Every contact is automatically included in the master "all contacts" group.
Adding a contact to a new group does not remove them from any other groups they already belong to.
Deleting a group does not delete the contacts within it. The contacts will remain safe in your "all contacts" list and any other groups they are a part of.
3.3. In-Conversation Contact Actions
Several important contact management actions can be performed directly from a customer's conversation window, allowing for quick and contextual updates.
Editing a Customer's Name
In the conversation view, locate the customer's name in the details panel.
Click the pencil icon next to their name.
Enter the new name and click the confirmation icon to save.
Managing Marketing Subscriptions
You can manage a customer's consent to receive marketing messages directly from their conversation details.
Opt-out (Unsubscribe): Clicking this will prevent the contact from receiving any future marketing campaign messages.
Opt-in (Re-subscribe): This will resume the contact's ability to receive marketing messages.
Crucially, an unsubscribed (Opt-out) contact can still receive essential, non-marketing template messages, such as order confirmations or shipping updates. This distinction is vital for maintaining compliance and customer trust; it ensures you can stop promotional messaging while still delivering critical transactional updates like shipping notifications.
Blocking and Unblocking Contacts
To stop receiving messages from a specific contact, you can block them from the conversation details panel. To unblock a contact, a user with Admin permissions must navigate to the main "Customers" page, select the "Blocked" group, and unblock the desired contact from there.
3.4. Exporting Contact Data
You can export your contact lists for external analysis, backup, or use in other systems. The platform allows you to export the entire "all contacts" list or a specific group.
Navigate to the Contacts page.
To export all contacts, click the "Export contacts" button. To export a specific group, first select that group and then click the export button.
The system will process the request, and you will receive an email with a link to download the exported file.
Note: This action is restricted to users with Owner or Admin roles.
The exported file will include all primary contact information (name, language, join date). Beyond those basic fields, the report will include any custom fields configured to capture additional data (these fields apply only to accounts with a custom chatbot).
By using these management tools, you can maintain a clean, organized, and effective contact database. The next section will explore how to translate this well-managed data into strategic insights by leveraging the platform's powerful reporting features.
4. Analyzing Contact Activity Through Reports
Reporting is the key to transforming raw contact data into actionable business intelligence. It allows you to move beyond simply collecting contacts to truly understanding them. The customer-centric reports in BusinessChat provide a clear lens for measuring engagement, tracking database growth, and gaining a deeper understanding of where your customers are coming from.
4.1. Core Customer Reports
BusinessChat offers three primary reports for analyzing your customer base. Each report provides a unique perspective on your contact data.
Active Customers Report: This report provides a high-level overview of customer engagement over a selected period.
An active customer is defined as any customer who has sent at least one message to your business during the specified timeframe you set up in your filter.
New Customers from WhatsApp Report: This report measures the growth of your contact list specifically from organic, inbound conversations.
It shows the total number of new contacts added to your database exclusively through the WhatsApp channel within the selected time period.
Customers by Source Report: This report provides a strategic breakdown of all customers by acquisition channel.
It categorizes your entire contact base by one of three origins: WhatsApp, Created/Imported, or Integration.
4.2. Extracting Contact Data from Other Reports
In addition to dedicated customer reports, you can extract valuable contact lists and insights from other reporting features within the platform.
Conversation Topics Report: This report can be a powerful tool for marketing segmentation. You can filter the report by a specific topic (e.g., "Returns," "Product Inquiry") and export the phone numbers of all customers who discussed that subject. This list can then be used for highly targeted follow-up or marketing campaigns.
Campaign Reports: Both automated and mass marketing campaign reports can be exported. These exports provide a detailed view of the targeted customers, allowing you to analyze their interactions and segment them for future campaigns based on their behavior.
These reports provide the quantitative data needed to understand your audience and measure performance. By regularly analyzing this information, you can refine your strategies, improve customer engagement, and make data-driven decisions that foster growth and loyalty.
5.0 Troubleshooting Common Data Issues
This section provides solutions for frequent technical errors encountered when importing or exporting contact data via CSV and Excel.
5.1. Issues When Importing Contact Lists
Problem: Excel "Breaks" Phone Numbers (Scientific Notation & Decimals)
Spreadsheet programs often treat phone numbers as math, converting 966500000000 into scientific notation (9.66E+11) or adding unnecessary decimals (.00). If uploaded in this state, the system will fail to recognize them.
Improved Solution: Force the column format to "Text" or "Number" before saving.
Highlight the column containing the phone numbers in your Excel file.
Right-click and select Format Cells.
Choose Text or Number.
If choosing Number: Ensure "Decimal places" is set to 0.
Save the file as CSV (Comma-delimited).
Note: To ensure your file format is correct without manual editing, use this tool: https://cloudconvert.com/xlsx-to-csv
Simply upload your Excel file, convert it to CSV, and download the result. Then, upload this new file directly to BusinessChat. Important: Do not open the downloaded CSV file on your computer before uploading it to the platform. Doing so may cause Excel to revert the formatting errors.
Problem: Duplicate Numbers
Scenario A: Duplicates inside the file: The system cannot process the same number twice in one upload.
Solution: In Excel, select your phone number column, go to the Data tab, and click Remove Duplicates before saving.
Scenario B: Number already exists in BusinessChat:
Behavior: This is not an error. The system will automatically merge the data. It will update the existing contact with the new details (e.g., new name or tag) rather than creating a second copy.
5.2. Issues When Exporting Contact Lists
Problem: Jumbled Text (Garbled Arabic/Special Characters) When opening an exported CSV directly by double-clicking, Excel often guesses the wrong encoding, turning Arabic names or special symbols into random characters (e.g., اØمد).
Improved Solution: Use the "Import Data" method instead of opening the file directly.
Open a blank Excel sheet.
Go to the Data tab on the top ribbon.
Click Get Data (or "From Text/CSV").
Select your exported BusinessChat file and click Import.
In the window that appears, change File Origin to 65001: Unicode (UTF-8).
Ensure Delimiter is set to Comma.
Click Load. The text will now appear correctly.
5.3. Issues with Variable Mapping (Marketing Campaigns)
Problem: Unclear Column Headers. If you are uploading a list for a campaign (e.g., "Hello {{1}}, your code is {{2}}"), the system needs to know which column matches which variable.
Improved Solution: Standardize your header row.
Ensure the first row of your CSV contains clear, descriptive titles (e.g., write First Name instead of Column A, and Coupon Code instead of Data).
When uploading the file in BusinessChat, the system will show these headers in a dropdown menu.
Simply match your header (First Name) to the template variable ({{1}}).