Getting started with the Contact Boss CRM Database is easier than you might think. Contact Boss has powerful tools to help you keep in touch with the contacts you’ve worked so hard to get for your business or organization! In order to best leverage the Contact Boss CRM Database, consider every person you meet as a valuable contact and keep their information safe and secure. To get started, reference this easy starter package with tips and tricks to make the most of your subscription!
Create Contacts
Every time a person interacts with your organization, they can be entered into your contact database.
- Visitors at your reception desk
- Callers on the phone
- Online registrants
This means you’ll have ready access to all the people who are important to you:
- Business acquaintances
- Members
- Prospects
- Clients
- Volunteers
- Employees, etc.
To enter new contacts into your contact database, you can either use the quick create, or create function.
The Create function allows you to enter more detailed information about your contact, whereas Quick Create allows you to quickly enter basic information only. In either case, you have the ability to add more detail to your contacts at any time.
To Create a contact, select either the <create> on the left hand menu, or choose the <quick create> red button on the lower right corner of the page.
Contacts entered with the <quick create> option can always be edited later to include much more information.
Next, select the type of contact from the drop down menu of pre-existing contact types.
Enter your contact’s details. Include as much detail as possible to make future searching easy.
Click <save>
Search contacts
Searching your database for specific contacts is easy with Contact Boss. Our robust search tool allows you to search not only by first or last name, but also by keyword or comments.
You can also search by group to pull up an entire list of names within a group, or by contact type (such as your employees or members or clients).
Groups and contact types make it very easy to segment your contacts so you can communicate in specific ways to specific people.
The secret to the Contact Boss search tool is that it searches across multiple data layers, which means you can locate a contact by any details you enter. You can even search based on personal details you may input, such as who introduced you.
Import your existing database
Bulk / CSV import is only available on Pro, Premium or Enterprise editions of Contact Boss, so if you are in Boss Demo, you will need to upgrade in order to use this feature.
To import contacts into Contact Boss, select the import option from the left hand menu located under the Admin menu. Your existing database needs to be configured using one of the supplied templates, uploaded and mapped accordingly. Failing to do this initial setup can result in data mis-matches, so it’s important to do this step carefully.
Select <import> from the <admin> menu
Choose the appropriate template file and download it(you will need Excel, Google Sheets or other spreadsheet application to do this step)
Copy / paste the data into the appropriate column in the template file
Next, select your contact type. (this needs to match the template you downloaded)
Example: Employee database> download Employee template> select Employee as Contact Type
Select <next>
Read the warnings carefully and ensure that your data is in the correct format by selecting <view country/state code format>
Select <next>
Once your database template is filled with your data, save your file as a CSV.
Give your database a title, and use the file selector to upload your file.
Select <upload>
Next, map your columns: To do this, refer back to your csv to ensure that the fields in your csv file match the fields/labels given. Click <save>. Please note your confirmation message indicating that all imports are correct, and resolve any rejections or defects to prevent database errors.
Confirmations are shown with any rejections/defects in importing.
As a last step, be sure to check that your database imported correctly by checking your records.
Email your contacts
Sending email messages from Contact Boss is simple to do. You can choose a list by contact type, or search for specific names or even by job title, city or other keywords.
This makes it easy to segment your database by the type of communication you wish to send.
Contact Boss will generate a list of names for you. Click the checkbox beside the names of the contacts you wish to send a message to.
Scroll to the bottom and click the email connector. You can choose from your default email client, or use Gmail or Yahoo mail, instead
Contact Boss will automatically open the email in a pop-up window.
Track visits and phone calls
If your business regularly receives visitors or callers, you can capture contact information and send alerts to your internal staff. This is especially helpful for sales teams. This function allows you to tag the visit or call on an existing client contact record, or create a new one.
This makes life easy for front line staff.
To record a visit/call, select <visitor/caller> in the left hand menu. Begin to enter the contact name. If a record exists for that person, you can select it from the drop down menu, and note the existing file. If no record exists, you can create a new one by entering their name and contact info in the available fields.
Next, alert the person internally who is being requested by entering their name into the field <who to connect>
You can also select the purpose of the call, the location if applicable, and any additional comments.
If the visitor chooses to wait, or the caller is placed on hold, leave end visit/call selector unchecked to leave the record open.
Track outbound activity
Just as you can track and record visits and calls into your business, you can take detailed records of outbound activities. This can be very important to sales teams or volunteer organizations.
Noting a client contact helps to track outbound activities so success can be measured against these initiatives.
To do this, select <outbound contact capture> from the left-hand menu. Next, enter the contact information of the contact, and note whether you are calling or visiting. Additionally, you will need to select the person within the organization who is making the outbound contact, their location (if applicable) and the reason for connecting and click <submit>. You can keep handy comments within the record to track more details, as well.
Keep detailed notes
Contact Boss is a great tool for sales representatives, or for those who meet many people every day. By taking the time to record notes on your conversations, you can make real connections by remembering small details later on.
You can take notes on:
- Personal details or anecdotes
- Previous orders or product feedback
- Who the contact was referred by, or
- Who else the contact is connected to within your network
Before a call or outbound visit, take the time to reference your notes. Knowing what matters to them just might make a difference to the sale!
Build an event registration form for your website
Planning an event gets a lot easier when you know who is attending. Before you host your next business or organization event, create a form to capture who is planning to attend. You can host your next event capture page right on your website, there is no need to use a third party tool.
To do this, choose <build a form> from the <admin> menu. You will need to choose your form type.
There are two types of form:
A custom form type is used if you have a web development team. In this instance you are supplied with a short code which is then placed within the body of your site’s HTML. A custom form cannot be edited once saved.
A template form type is used if you wish to easily create an event page without the help of a web development team. When you select template, you are given many options, such as form colour, custom fields, location map, images and an option to add your own logo. The template version will use this to build a web page for you.
Regardless of which option you choose to create your form, the next step you will take will be to choose your form template, simply by clicking on it.
Next, you will enter in your form details:
- Title
- Email, phone
- Maximum number of guests
- Redirect URL (directs the user to a page once registration is complete)
- Location URL or Iframe Code (location on Google Maps)
- Logo, image and description
Finally, use the form builder to build out the form, collecting the information you need, and <save>.
If you are creating a template form, an html file will be downloaded for your use. You can implement this as a new page on your website that is linked from your home page.
If you are creating a custom form, you can simply give your source code to your web developer for implementation of a new page on your website.
To check on the status of your event’s registrations, log back into Contact Boss, and select <view event forms>, select the event you wish to view, and your RSVPs will be collected for you to see.
Track who attended your event by opening your event in <view event forms>, select the checkbox and click <status update> Your event registrations will be kept within your contact database for future use.
* Be sure to follow all regulations on data capture, collection and usage.
Build a contact enquiry form for your website
Your contact page on your website is an excellent tool for people to reach you. Once you have captured this contact information, you can use it to respond.
To get started, choose <build a form> from the <admin> menu, and choose your form type.
There are two types of form:
A custom form type is used if you have a web development team. In this instance you are supplied with a short code which is then placed within the body of your site’s HTML.
A template form type is used if you wish to easily create an event page without the help of a web development team. When you select template, you are given many options, such as form colour, custom fields, location map, images and an option to add your own logo. The template version will use this to build a web page for you.
Regardless of which option you choose to create your form, the next step you will take will be to choose your form template, simply by clicking on it.
Next, you will enter in your form details:
- Title
- Redirect URL (directs the user to a page once registration is complete)
- Location URL or Iframe Code (location on Google Maps)
- Logo, image and description
Finally, use the form builder to build out the form, collecting the information you need, and <save>.
If you are creating a template form, an html file will be downloaded for your use. You can implement this as a new page on your website that is linked from your home page.
If you are creating a custom form, you can simply give your source code to your web developer for implementation of a new page on your website.
* Be sure to follow all regulations on data capture, collection and usage.
Upgrade or change your plan
Whether you’ve signed up for a Contact Boss Demo or Pro plan, over time your needs may change. You can always upgrade your plan, so that it works for you.
The Contact Boss Plans
Boss Demo
Boss Demo is ideal if you’re just starting out and want to learn how to use Contact Boss. Boss Demo is a one-month trial. Some of the features are a little limited in the Boss Demo plan, such as restrictions on the number of event registrations or importing your existing database. Use Boss Demo to decide if Contact Boss is right for you.
Boss Pro
Boss Pro gives you access to input up to 15,000 contacts into your database. This is a great starter plan for your business and it gives you full features including the event manager and data import for a very affordable cost. Boss Pro is priced per user and ideal for small business or community organizations.
Boss Premium
Boss Premium gives you access to input up to 15,000 contacts and additional account users. Boss Premium is great for larger businesses looking to scale up and add more users, such as sales professionals.
Boss Enterprise
With Boss Enterprise, you’ll have all the features of Contact Boss up to 100,000 users. Contact us for Enterprise level perks.
It’s easy to upgrade your plan within the Contact Boss software for Boss Pro and Boss Premium. For Boss Enterprise, please visit our plans and pricing page.
To do this, select <admin>
then <subscription> and
<upgrade now>
Choose your plan,
And input your payment method.
