> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documents.xobito.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add a Contact

> Create or edit a single contact with all of Xobito's built-in and custom fields.

This page walks through adding one contact at a time. For bulk uploads see [Import from CSV](/contacts/import-csv).

## When to add a contact manually

* You're testing a campaign or template and need a single recipient.
* A new lead reached you by phone or email and you want to reach them on WhatsApp.
* You're editing an existing contact to update details.

For more than a handful of records, use CSV import.

## Open the add-contact screen

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Contacts">
    In the sidebar, click **Contacts**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Add Contact'">
    The button sits at the top of the contact list.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Field reference

| Field          | Required | Type         | Notes                                                                               |
| -------------- | -------- | ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| First Name     | Required | Text         | Up to 191 characters. Merged into templates at send time.                           |
| Last Name      | Required | Text         | Up to 191 characters.                                                               |
| Company        | Optional | Text         | Up to 191 characters.                                                               |
| Type           | Required | Dropdown     | `lead` or `customer`.                                                               |
| Email          | Optional | Email        | Must be a valid email. Unique within your workspace if provided.                    |
| Phone          | Required | Text (E.164) | Must start with `+` and a country code. Unique within your workspace.               |
| Website        | Optional | URL          | Up to 100 characters.                                                               |
| Description    | Optional | Textarea     | Up to 65,535 characters.                                                            |
| Country        | Optional | Dropdown     | —                                                                                   |
| City           | Optional | Text         | Up to 100 characters.                                                               |
| State          | Optional | Text         | Up to 100 characters.                                                               |
| ZIP            | Optional | Text         | Up to 15 characters.                                                                |
| Address        | Optional | Textarea     | Up to 500 characters.                                                               |
| Status         | Required | Dropdown     | Must be an existing status. See [Statuses](/contacts/statuses).                     |
| Source         | Required | Dropdown     | Must be an existing source. See [Sources](/contacts/sources).                       |
| Assigned Agent | Optional | Dropdown     | A staff user in your workspace.                                                     |
| Groups         | Optional | Multi-select | Add the contact to any number of groups. See [Groups](/contacts/groups).            |
| Custom fields  | Varies   | Varies       | Depends on the fields you've defined. See [Custom Fields](/contacts/custom-fields). |

<Note>
  Status and Source are required for manual contact creation. If **WhatsApp Auto-Lead** is enabled in Settings, defaults from that page apply when contacts are auto-created from inbound messages.
</Note>

<Warning>
  The phone number must be in **E.164 format** with a leading `+` and country code, no spaces, no dashes.

  Good: `+14155551234`, `+447911123456`, `+919876543210`

  Bad: `415-555-1234`, `(0) 7911 123 456`, `9876543210`
</Warning>

## Step-by-step

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enter the name">
    First and last name are both required. Enter them the way you want them to appear in messages — `Alex` not `alex`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a type">
    Choose **Lead** or **Customer** from the dropdown.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the phone number">
    Type the full international number including `+` and country code. Double-check the country code — a wrong country code means the message never arrives.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the email (optional)">
    If you have it, add the email. Xobito does not send emails, but it's useful for cross-referencing with your other tools.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a status">
    Pick one status from the dropdown. If the list is empty, go to **Contacts → Status** first to create one.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a source">
    Pick where this contact came from. If the list is empty, go to **Contacts → Source** first to create one.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add to groups (optional)">
    Tick any groups the contact should belong to. You can change groups later at any time.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fill in address and company (optional)">
    Add city, country, and any other details you have.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fill in custom fields (if any)">
    If you've defined custom fields, they appear below the standard fields. Fill in the ones you have data for.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Save**. The contact is created and added to your list.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Check>
  Success — the new contact appears in your contact list and is ready to receive messages.
</Check>

## Notes

The contact form has a dedicated **Notes** section where you can record context that isn't covered by a standard field — call summaries, preferences, agreements, or internal reminders.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Notes section">
    Inside the Add/Edit Contact form, switch to the **Notes** tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Type your note">
    Enter plain text describing what you want to record.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Save the contact. The note is attached to the contact record and visible to your whole team.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Notes are **plain text** — no rich formatting, markdown, or attachments. For files, use your own document tool and paste a link into the note.
</Note>

<Warning>
  Notes are **visible to every team member** who can view this contact. There is no author-only or private flag — treat every note as shared with your workspace.
</Warning>

## Editing an existing contact

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the contact">
    In the contact list, use the search box to find by name, phone, or email.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the contact">
    Click the contact row to open its detail page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Edit'">
    Update any field. If you change the phone number, make sure the new number is not already used by another contact.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Changes take effect immediately across the platform.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Tips for clean data

<Tip>
  **Name casing** — enter names the way you want them to appear in WhatsApp messages. "alex" will arrive as "Hi alex," — store it as "Alex".
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Duplicates** — Xobito uses phone number as the unique key. Attempting to save a contact with a phone number that already exists will be rejected with a validation error.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Batch first** — if you're adding more than a handful of contacts, use [CSV import](/contacts/import-csv).
</Tip>

## Common errors and fixes

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="'Phone number format is invalid'">
    Check that you included the `+`, a valid country code, and no spaces, dashes, or parentheses. Remove any leading zeros after the country code (British mobile numbers drop the leading 0).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="'Phone number already exists'">
    A contact with this number is already in your list. Open the existing contact and edit it instead.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="'Email already exists'">
    If you provide an email, it must be unique within your workspace. Leave the email blank or use a different one.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Status or Source dropdown is empty">
    You haven't created any yet. Go to **Contacts → Status** and **Contacts → Source** to add the options you need, then return to the contact form.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Custom field shows a validation error">
    Each custom field has its own type and rules — see [Custom Fields](/contacts/custom-fields) for what each type accepts.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Import from CSV" icon="file-csv" href="/contacts/import-csv">
    Add many contacts at once from a spreadsheet.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create a group" icon="users" href="/contacts/groups">
    Collect contacts together for targeted campaigns.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create a template" icon="file-pen" href="/templates/create-template">
    Design the message you want to send these contacts.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Start a campaign" icon="bullhorn" href="/campaigns/create-campaign">
    Broadcast to your new contacts.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>