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Overview

The Contacts section is your comprehensive customer database, storing information about everyone who has interacted with your dealership through the chat widget or been manually added by your team.

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Understanding Contact Types

Vaile categorizes contacts to help you manage relationships effectively:

Prospect

Potential customers who haven’t made a purchase yet

Customer

Individuals who have purchased a vehicle from you

Service Customer

Customers who use your service department

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Navigating the Contacts Page

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Contact List View

The main contacts page displays:
  • Name: Full name with avatar/initial
  • Contact Details: Email and phone
  • Type: Prospect, Customer, or Service
  • Source: How they first contacted you
  • Last Activity: Most recent interaction
  • Lead Count: Associated opportunities
Hover over any contact to access:
  • View full profile
  • Send email
  • Call (click-to-dial)
  • Add note
  • Create lead
  • Edit information
Select multiple contacts to:
  • Export to CSV
  • Add tags
  • Change type
  • Assign to team member
  • Send bulk email

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Search and Filters

Find contacts quickly with powerful search:
  • Search Options
  • Filter Options
  • Saved Filters
Search by:
  • Name
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Vehicle interest
  • Notes content
Use quotation marks for exact matches: “John Smith”

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Contact Profile Management

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Viewing Contact Details

Click any contact to view their complete profile:
1

Contact Information

  • Personal details
  • Communication preferences
  • Best time to contact
  • Social media profiles
2

Interaction History

  • All chat conversations
  • Email communications
  • Phone call logs
  • Notes from team
3

Vehicle Information

  • Current vehicle
  • Vehicle interests
  • Trade-in details
  • Service history
4

Lead Activity

  • Active opportunities
  • Closed/won deals
  • Lost opportunities
  • Pipeline position

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Editing Contact Information

Only users with appropriate permissions can edit contact information
To edit a contact:
  1. Click the Edit button on their profile
  2. Update relevant fields
  3. Add notes about changes
  4. Click Save Changes
Editable fields include:
  • Name and contact details
  • Type classification
  • Tags and labels
  • Custom fields
  • Communication preferences

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Adding New Contacts

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Manual Entry

Add contacts manually when needed:
1

Click 'Add Contact'

Located in the top-right corner
2

Enter Basic Information

  • First and Last Name (required)
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Contact type
3

Add Additional Details

  • Vehicle interest
  • Source (walk-in, phone, referral)
  • Notes
  • Tags
4

Save Contact

Click ‘Create Contact’ to add to database

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Bulk Import

Import multiple contacts via CSV:
Download our CSV template for proper formatting
  1. Prepare your CSV file with columns:
    • First Name
    • Last Name
    • Email
    • Phone
    • Type
    • Notes
  2. Click Import Contacts
  3. Upload your CSV file
  4. Map columns to Vaile fields
  5. Review and confirm import

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Contact Communication

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Integrated Communication

Communicate directly from contact profiles:

Email

  • Send individual emails
  • Use email templates
  • Track open rates
  • Schedule follow-ups

Phone

  • Click-to-dial integration
  • Log call outcomes
  • Schedule callbacks
  • Add call notes

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Communication History

All interactions are automatically logged: 
Timeline Example:
- Mar 15, 2:30 PM: Chat conversation started
- Mar 15, 2:45 PM: Contact info captured
- Mar 16, 10:00 AM: Follow-up email sent
- Mar 16, 2:00 PM: Phone call - Scheduled test drive
- Mar 18, 3:00 PM: Test drive completed

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Tags and Segmentation

Organize contacts with custom tags:

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Creating Tags

1

Access Tag Manager

Settings → Contact Tags
2

Create New Tag

Click “Add Tag” and specify:
  • Tag name
  • Color
  • Description
3

Apply to Contacts

Add tags individually or in bulk

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Suggested Tags

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Duplicate Management

Vaile helps prevent and manage duplicate contacts:

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Automatic Detection

The system checks for duplicates based on:
  • Email address (primary)
  • Phone number
  • Name similarity
When duplicates are detected, you’ll see a warning before creating

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Merging Duplicates

To merge duplicate contacts:
  1. Select the contacts to merge
  2. Click Merge Contacts
  3. Choose the primary record
  4. Review merged information
  5. Confirm merge

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Privacy and Compliance

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Data Protection

Vaile helps you maintain compliance: Track and respect customer preferences:
  • Communication Consent: Email, SMS, phone
  • Data Usage: Marketing, analytics
  • Retention Period: Automatic cleanup options

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Reporting and Analytics

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Contact Reports

Generate insights from your contact database:

Growth Metrics

  • New contacts by period
  • Source effectiveness
  • Type distribution
  • Engagement rates

Activity Reports

  • Communication frequency
  • Response rates
  • Conversion metrics
  • Team performance

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Exporting Data

Export contact data for analysis:
  1. Apply desired filters
  2. Click Export
  3. Choose format (CSV, Excel)
  4. Select fields to include
  5. Download file

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Best Practices

  • Regularly check for duplicates
  • Update contact information after each interaction
  • Remove inactive contacts per your policy
  • Standardize data entry formats
  • Use consistent tagging conventions
  • Create segments for marketing campaigns
  • Track engagement by segment
  • Refine segments based on results
  • Assign contacts to appropriate team members
  • Add detailed notes for context
  • Use @mentions in notes
  • Set follow-up reminders

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Integration with Leads

Contacts and leads work together:
  • One Contact, Multiple Leads: Track multiple opportunities
  • Lead History: See all past and current leads
  • Lifecycle Tracking: Prospect → Customer journey
  • Unified Timeline: All activities in one place

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Next Steps

Managing Leads

Learn to track sales opportunities

Chat Settings

Configure AI assistant behavior