What are contact types?
Every contact in the CRM can be assigned a type. Common default types include:| Type | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Lead | A prospect who has expressed interest but has not purchased |
| Customer | A contact who has completed a purchase or signed a contract |
| Subscriber | A contact who has opted in to receive communications |
| Other | A general-purpose type for contacts that do not fit the above |
Assigning a contact type
You can also assign contact types:
- During import — map a CSV column to the Contact Type field
- Via workflows — use the Update Contact Field action to set the type automatically when a trigger fires (e.g., change type from Lead to Customer when a payment is received)
- Via forms — use a hidden field or conditional logic to assign a type based on the form submitted
Filtering by contact type
Use the Contact Type filter in Smart Lists to view only contacts of a specific type:- Open Contacts > Smart Lists
- Click Filters and select Contact Type
- Choose the type(s) to display
- Apply the filter
Using contact types in workflows
Contact types are available as both trigger conditions and workflow actions:- Trigger filter — run a workflow only for contacts of a specific type (e.g., send a re-engagement email only to leads)
- IF/ELSE condition — branch a workflow based on the contact’s type
- Update action — automatically change the type when a contact completes a milestone (purchase, booking, form submission)
Custom contact types
If the default types do not fit your business, create custom types:- Go to Settings > Custom Fields (or the Contact Type configuration area)
- Add new type values such as “Partner,” “Vendor,” “VIP,” or “Inactive”
- Save — the new types are immediately available in the Contact Type dropdown
Default type assignment
Configure which type is assigned to new contacts by default:- Contacts created via forms can inherit the type based on the form’s settings
- Contacts created manually default to the type specified in your account settings
- Contacts created via API or Zapier use the type specified in the payload, or default to Lead if none is provided