Phone only contacts overview

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Phone-only contacts overview

In ActiveCampaign, the feature of phone-only contacts allows businesses to create and manage contacts using a phone number as the primary unique identifier. This approach to contact management provides flexibility, enabling the creation of contacts with just a phone number, only an email address, or both. Utilizing phone-only contacts can significantly enhance customer engagement, especially through SMS and other mobile communication channels.

Why Use Phone-only Contacts?

The phone-only contacts feature is designed for businesses focusing on increasing customer engagement via mobile messaging. The advantages of using this feature include:

• Reach More Customers: Businesses can connect more efficiently with those who prefer mobile communication, thereby enhancing engagement through means such as texts and WhatsApp.
• Easy Sign-Up: Enabling contacts to join without the requirement of an email address simplifies the sign-up process, making it more accessible.

How to Access This Feature

To access the phone-only contacts feature, it's essential to be an Admin of the ActiveCampaign account. Depending on your account configuration, you may need to enable this feature manually if it hasn't been set as default.

Step-by-Step Instructions

To enable phone-only contacts, follow these detailed steps:

1. Confirm you are logged in as an Admin in your ActiveCampaign account. 2. Go to the Settings menu located on the left navigation bar. 3. Click on Advanced within the settings options. 4. Locate the section labeled Phone only contacts. 5. Toggle the option labeled Create contacts with a phone number to the "on" position.

It is important to note that enabling the phone-only contacts feature is a permanent action and cannot be reversed.

Configuration Options and Settings

When managing phone-only contacts, it is crucial to understand how they operate and the associated settings:

• **Active Contacts**: An active contact is defined as someone who is subscribed to either an email or SMS list, has not opted out or bounced, and is capable of receiving marketing messages.
• **Duplications**: While using phone-only forms, you might encounter duplicate contacts, particularly if the same phone number is inputted in varying formats. Consistent phone number formatting is recommended to mitigate this; only exact matches will be recognized as the same contact.
• **Phone Number Formatting**: To ensure data integrity, it is advised to use the E.164 format for phone numbers (for example, +1234567890). ActiveCampaign provides a country code dropdown in the forms to help ensure correct formatting during the creation of new contacts and importing processes.

Best Practices and Tips

To maximize the effectiveness of using phone-only contacts, consider the following best practices:

• Utilize the E.164 formatting for all phone numbers to maintain consistency and avoid duplication.
• Encourage customers to provide their phone numbers in the required format to streamline contact creation.
• Be wary of duplicate contacts by merging records when necessary to maintain a clean database. This can support your marketing efforts by ensuring all contacts are correctly identified.

Common Use Cases with Examples

Phone-only contacts are particularly beneficial for:

• **SMS Campaigns**: Engaging customers with personalized SMS communication, which can lead to higher open and response rates compared to emails.
• **Mobile Services**: Businesses offering services exclusively via mobile can onboard customers without the need for an email address, expediting the sign-up process.
• **Event Registrations**: Simplifying event sign-ups using phone numbers can capture attention from users who may hesitate to provide email addresses.

Troubleshooting Section

While using phone-only contacts, you may face some challenges, including:

• **Duplicate Contacts**: If you find multiple entries for the same number, check the formatting and merge duplicates when necessary.
• **Integration Limitations**: Be aware that phone-only contacts do not support integrations with platforms such as Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and Zapier.

FAQ Section

• What are phone-only contacts in ActiveCampaign?

 Phone-only contacts are records that can be created using only a phone number as the unique identifier, allowing for flexible contact management.

• How do I enable phone-only contacts?

 To enable, go to Settings, select Advanced, and toggle the option to create contacts with a phone number.

• Is enabling phone-only contacts reversible?

 No, once enabled, the setting cannot be reversed.

• What is the E.164 formatting?

 E.164 is a standardized format for international phone numbers, beginning with a plus sign (+) followed by the country code and the national number.

• Can I still use email addresses with phone-only contacts?

 Yes, you can create records using either a phone number, an email address, or both.

• What should I do if I have duplicate phone-only contacts?

 You can merge duplicate contacts to consolidate information and maintain a clean database.

• Do phone-only contacts work with integrations?

 Phone-only contacts are not supported in integrations with Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Zapier, and existing CX Apps.

For more detailed information on contact management, you can visit the respective sections in the Contacts and Overview categories. ```