How do I use Contact Types to organize my contacts?

Contact Type gives each contact one main label that describes their relationship with your agency. For home care that might be Family Inquiry, Active Client Family, Referral Partner, Vendor or Job Applicant. Because each contact has only one type, it is perfect for the big picture, while tags handle the details.

Contact Type vs. tags

• Contact Type: one value per contact, such as Referral Partner.
• Tags: as many as you need, such as Hospital, Case Manager, Monthly Lunch Visit.

Use Contact Type for categories that do not overlap. Use tags for everything else, such as lead source or service interest.

Set up your Contact Type options

1. Go to Contacts and open Custom Fields. You can also use Settings, then Custom Fields.
2. Find Contact Type and click Edit.
3. Add, rename, reorder or remove values.
4. Save.

Keep the list short. Five or six clear options are easier for your team to use consistently than fifteen.

Assign a type to a contact

Open the contact, find Contact Type and pick a value from the dropdown. Choosing a new value replaces the old one.

Update the type automatically

For example, change a contact from Family Inquiry to Active Client Family when their care starts.

1. Open the workflow.
2. Add the Update Contact Field action and choose Update field data.
3. Select Contact Type and the new value.
4. Click Save Action and publish.

To start a workflow when the type changes, use the Contact Changed trigger.

Filter by type

1. Go to Contacts, then Smart Lists, and open the filters.
2. Under contact information, choose Type and select a value.
3. Apply, and save as a Smart List if you will use it again.

In filters, the field appears as Type rather than Contact Type.

Common questions

• Can a contact have two types? No. Use tags for extra labels.
• Can I set the type during an import? Yes. Map your column to Contact Type and make sure the values match your options exactly.

Have a question about your own account? Submit a ticket and our team will follow up.