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Contacts and the CRM
All email recipients are contacts stored in the CRM. Every contact has a single record regardless of how many lists or segments they belong to. There are no separate subscriber lists to manage — instead, you target contacts using dynamic filters at the time of sending. Navigate to Contacts to view, search, filter, and manage your full contact database.Smart lists
A smart list is a saved filtered view of your contacts that updates automatically as contact data changes. Smart lists are the primary tool for organizing your audience into addressable groups. Smart lists live in Contacts > Smart Lists.Creating a smart list
Apply filters
Choose one or more filters from the dropdown. Available filter types include:
- Tags (has tag, does not have tag)
- Email engagement (opened, clicked, bounced, unsubscribed)
- Contact fields (name, email, phone, city, custom fields)
- Source (where the contact came from)
- Date created
- Pipeline stage and opportunity status
- Do Not Disturb status
Combine filters with AND logic
Click + Add Filter to stack multiple conditions. All conditions must be met for a contact to appear in the list. For example: tagged “newsletter” AND city equals “Chicago”.
Campaign segments
Segments are dynamic contact groups built directly inside the campaign send workflow. Unlike smart lists (which live in Contacts), segments are campaign-specific and constructed during the “Send or Schedule” step. Key differences from smart lists:| Feature | Smart lists | Segments |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Contacts section | Campaign send screen |
| Purpose | Saved reusable views | One-time or reused campaign targeting |
| Combines AND/OR logic | AND only | AND and OR |
| Includes manual contacts | No | No |
| Real-time updates | Yes | Yes — generated at send time |
Building a segment
When scheduling a campaign, click Build Segments in the Recipient field and use the filter builder to define your audience. Add multiple filter groups using Add OR Filter to include contacts who meet any one of several criteria. Pre-built segments are also available for common scenarios such as:- Contacts engaged in the last 7 days
- Contacts who have not opened any email in 90 days
- Contacts tagged with a specific value
- Contacts in a specific pipeline stage
Tags
Tags are labels applied to contact records to mark behavior, status, interests, or membership. They are the most flexible tool for list segmentation. Common tagging strategies:- Source tags:
lead-website,lead-referral,lead-paid-ad - Interest tags:
interested-product-a,attended-webinar,downloaded-guide - Status tags:
customer,churned,vip - Engagement tags:
clicked-promo,opened-welcome-series
Importing contacts
To add contacts to your CRM in bulk:Prepare your CSV
Create a CSV file with column headers that match the contact fields in the platform (First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, etc.). Custom fields are supported.
Map fields
Match each CSV column to the corresponding contact field. Unmapped columns can be skipped or assigned to custom fields.
Only import contacts who have explicitly consented to receive email from you. Importing purchased or scraped lists will damage your sender reputation and may result in sending suspension.
Managing opt-in status and DND
Every contact has a Do Not Disturb (DND) setting that controls whether they can receive email. When a contact unsubscribes, the platform automatically sets email DND to on, preventing future campaigns from reaching them. To view or change a contact’s email DND status:- Open the contact record
- Go to the DND tab
- Toggle email DND on or off and document the reason for any manual change
Preference management
Preference Management allows contacts to opt out of specific communication categories rather than unsubscribing globally. You can create categories such as Newsletters, Promotions, and Event Updates — each treated as a separate subscription. How it works:- Create preference categories under Settings > Preferences
- Associate a category with each email campaign during the send step
- Contacts who opt out of a specific category are automatically excluded from campaigns in that category
- Contacts can still receive emails in other categories
Preference Management must be enabled from Agency Settings and is irreversible once activated. Review the feature requirements carefully before enabling it for your account.
List hygiene
Maintaining a clean, engaged list protects your sender reputation and improves deliverability. Recommended hygiene practices:Remove hard bounces
Remove hard bounces
Contacts that produce hard bounces have invalid email addresses. Create a smart list filtered by bounce status and review it after each campaign. Remove or suppress these contacts to keep your bounce rate below 2%.
Sunset unengaged contacts
Sunset unengaged contacts
Every 3–6 months, identify contacts who have not opened or clicked any email in that period. Send them a re-engagement campaign. If they remain inactive, remove them from your marketing list by applying a suppression tag or disabling email DND.
Validate new imports
Validate new imports
Before sending to a newly imported list, run email address validation to confirm addresses are active and formatted correctly. This prevents a spike in bounces from a single import.
Monitor unsubscribe rates
Monitor unsubscribe rates
An unsubscribe rate above 1% on a campaign suggests a mismatch between content and audience expectations. Review your targeting, content, and sending frequency.
Use double opt-in
Use double opt-in
Double opt-in requires subscribers to confirm their email address before being added to your list. This eliminates typos, bot signups, and contacts who did not intend to subscribe. Enable double opt-in in your form settings.
Bulk actions
From the Contacts view, you can select multiple contacts and take bulk actions:- Send email — send a one-time email to the selected group
- Add tag — apply a tag to all selected contacts
- Remove tag — strip a tag from selected contacts
- Add to workflow — enroll selected contacts in an automation
- Export — download the selected contacts as a CSV
- Delete — permanently remove contact records
Frequently asked questions
How do I send to multiple smart lists or tags at once?
How do I send to multiple smart lists or tags at once?
Can I exclude a segment from a campaign?
Can I exclude a segment from a campaign?
Yes. On the campaign send screen, use the Exclusion List option to specify contacts, tags, or smart lists that should be excluded from the send — even if they appear in the included list.
What happens if a contact is in multiple lists?
What happens if a contact is in multiple lists?
Contacts are deduplicated at send time. If a contact matches multiple included segments or tags, they receive only one copy of the email.
How do I see all contacts who have unsubscribed?
How do I see all contacts who have unsubscribed?
In the Contacts view, apply a filter for DND status = Email Enabled: Off, or filter by the Unsubscribed email activity. Save this as a smart list to monitor it over time.
Is there a contact or list size limit?
Is there a contact or list size limit?
There is no built-in cap on the number of contacts you can store. Sending limits depend on your email service provider and subscription plan. Use batch scheduling for large sends to manage delivery rate and inbox placement.