> ## 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.

# Groups

> Segment contacts into named collections to target the right audience with every campaign.

A **Group** is a named collection of contacts. Unlike status (one per contact) or source (one per contact), a contact can belong to **unlimited groups** at the same time. Groups are how you pick the audience when you send a campaign.

## What groups are for

* **Campaign targeting** — "Send this offer only to my VIP customers."
* **Bot flow audiences** — "Run this chatbot only for contacts in the Support group."
* **Team organisation** — "Agent Maria handles contacts in the Spanish group."
* **Reporting** — split engagement numbers by group.

## Group record

Each group has:

* **Name** — the label shown in dropdowns and filters.
* **Tenant** — groups are scoped to your workspace.

That's it. There is no colour or description on the group record itself.

Group membership is stored on each contact as a JSON array of group IDs. A contact's groups can be changed at any time by editing the contact.

## Common ways people use groups

| Group example            | Who's in it                              |
| ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------- |
| `VIP Customers`          | Top 10% of customers by spend            |
| `Newsletter Subscribers` | Everyone who opted in to updates         |
| `Event Invitees — April` | People you're inviting to an April event |
| `Trial Users`            | Signed up but haven't upgraded yet       |
| `Spanish Speakers`       | Contacts who prefer Spanish replies      |

<Tip>
  Use clear, specific names. "New" is vague. "New signups — Jan 2026" tells everyone on your team exactly who's inside.
</Tip>

## Create a group

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Groups screen">
    In the sidebar, go to **Contacts → Groups**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Add Group'">
    The button opens a small form.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name your group">
    Enter a clear, specific name.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    The group is created and immediately available on the contact form.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Add contacts to a group

There are two main ways to get contacts into a group:

### 1. When creating or editing a contact

On the add-contact or edit-contact form, tick one or more groups in the **Groups** multi-select. A contact can belong to any number of groups. See [Add a Contact](/contacts/add-contact).

### 2. During CSV import

Include a `group_id` column in your CSV. See [Import from CSV](/contacts/import-csv).

## Edit or delete a group

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Groups screen">
    **Contacts → Groups**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Edit or Delete">
    Click **Edit** to rename the group. Click **Delete** to remove it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Deleting a group does **not** delete the contacts inside it — the contacts stay, they just lose the group. Any campaign, template bot, or bot flow targeting the deleted group will have no audience. Update those before deleting.
</Warning>

## Use groups in campaigns

Groups are the primary way to pick an audience.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create or edit a campaign">
    Go to **Campaigns → Create Campaign**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick group(s) as the audience">
    Campaigns can target all contacts, a CSV upload, or one or more groups.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select one or more groups">
    If you pick multiple, the campaign goes to the **union** — every contact in at least one of the groups — with duplicates removed.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Use groups in automations

* **Template Bots** — schedule a template to send to everyone in a group.
* **Bot Flows** — branch a flow based on whether a contact is in a specific group.

See [Automations Overview](/automations/overview).

## Best practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Name groups by intent, not by feeling">
    "Hot customers" is subjective. "Bought in last 30 days" is measurable and consistent.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use small, overlapping groups">
    Several targeted groups are easier to combine in campaigns than one mega-group you have to filter inside later.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Review groups periodically">
    Event- or campaign-specific groups go stale. Delete groups that are no longer relevant.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Don't use groups for data">
    If the value will have many variations (like "City"), use a [custom field](/contacts/custom-fields). Groups are for marketing segments, not data storage.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Statuses" icon="circle-dot" href="/contacts/statuses">
    One label per contact — a snapshot of their lifecycle stage.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sources" icon="tag" href="/contacts/sources">
    Track where each contact came from.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Custom fields" icon="file-pen" href="/contacts/custom-fields">
    Store any extra data you need about a contact.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create a campaign" icon="bullhorn" href="/campaigns/create-campaign">
    Put your groups to work.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>