Introduction

In today's digital landscape, managing multiple communication channels efficiently is crucial for businesses aiming to deliver seamless customer experiences.

The Global Contacts add-on, a partner-only feature, emerges as a powerful tool designed to streamline contact management across various platforms within a workspace.

This summary explores the core functionalities, benefits, and operational details of the Global Contacts add-on, emphasizing how it enhances team collaboration, improves conversation visibility, and optimizes contact search and segmentation.

Overview of the Global Contacts Add-On

The Global Contacts add-on is an integrated solution that consolidates contacts from multiple communication channels—such as SMS boards, Facebook pages, and live chat boards—within a single workspace. Its primary purpose is to centralize access to all contacts, regardless of the originating board, thereby eliminating the need to switch between multiple interfaces.

Key Features:

• Unified Contact Management: Access all contacts from different boards in one place.

• Search and Filter Capabilities: Search contacts by name, phone, email, and filter by status or segment.

• Segment Creation: Save contact groups as public or private segments for quick retrieval.

• Conversation Visibility Settings: Manage who can view conversations, with settings controlled centrally.

• Direct Chat Access: Initiate conversations directly from the contact list.

How the Add-On Works

1. Accessing Global Contacts

Once the add-on is purchased, users can navigate to the Live Chat section, where a new option—Search B Users—becomes available. Clicking this opens the Global Contacts interface, which displays contacts across all boards within the workspace.

2. Filtering and Searching Contacts

The interface provides robust filtering options:

• Assignment Filters: Show contacts assigned to you, collaborators, or all.

• Status Filters: Filter by conversation status (e.g., open, closed).

• Search Fields: Search by name, phone number, or email across all boards.

3. Viewing and Initiating Conversations

Clicking on a contact opens the live chat window directly, allowing agents to immediately respond or continue the conversation without navigating away. This streamlines communication and reduces response times.

4. Creating and Managing Segments

Agents and admins can save contact groups as segments:

• Public Segments: Accessible to all live chat agents.

• Private Segments: Restricted to the creator (admin or workspace owner).

Note: Only admins or owners can create public or private segments; agents can only use existing segments.

5. Filtering Contacts by Custom Fields

The system allows customization of displayed fields:

• Enable or disable fields like first name, last name, date, etc.

• Adjust the order of fields via mouse hover for personalized views.

• Sort contacts by date (earliest to latest or vice versa).

Conversation Visibility and Settings

A critical aspect of the Global Contacts add-on is the centralized management of conversation visibility:

• Visibility Settings: Controlled via the Live Chat settings.

• When enabled, these settings apply globally across all boards, ensuring consistent access permissions.

• This setup simplifies privacy management and agent collaboration.

Benefits of Using Global Contacts

Practical Use Cases

• Multi-Channel Customer Support: Support teams managing SMS, Facebook, and live chat can view all contacts in one place.

• Sales Outreach: Sales agents can segment contacts based on behavior or demographics and target specific groups.

• Team Collaboration: Multiple agents can access shared segments, improving coordination.

• Data Management: Admins can maintain clean, organized contact lists with custom filters and sorting.

Step-by-Step Workflow

1. Purchase and Enable the Add-On

   • Access the Live Chat section.

   • Click on Search B Users to open the Global Contacts interface.

2. Search and Filter Contacts

   • Use filters for assignment, status, or custom fields.

   • Search by name, email, or phone.

3. Create Segments

   • Select contacts and save as public or private segments.

   • Manage segment permissions based on user roles.

4. Initiate Conversations

   • Click on a contact to open the chat window.

   • Respond or continue the conversation seamlessly.

5. Manage Settings

   • Adjust conversation visibility settings centrally.

   • Enable or disable contact fields and customize display order.

Administrative and User Roles

Note: Only admins or owners can create or modify segments and global settings, ensuring control over data privacy and access.

Visual Representation

Summary and Final Thoughts

The Global Contacts add-on significantly enhances the efficiency and organization of multi-channel communication within a workspace. By centralizing contact access, simplifying search and segmentation, and standardizing conversation visibility, it empowers support and sales teams to deliver faster, more coordinated responses. Its role-based permissions and customizable settings ensure security and flexibility, making it an indispensable tool for businesses managing multiple communication streams.

Closing Remarks

In an era where customer experience is paramount, tools like Global Contacts are vital for streamlining operations and boosting team productivity. By integrating all contacts into a single, manageable interface, organizations can reduce response times, improve data organization, and foster better collaboration among team members. As businesses continue to evolve digitally, adopting such advanced add-ons will be key to maintaining a competitive edge and delivering exceptional customer service.