Your First Customer: Adding and Managing Contacts

Adding contacts is the foundation of using Piraja CRM. This guide will walk you through adding your first individual contact and organization, linking them together, and using advanced features like BRREG integration to import Norwegian companies. You'll learn best practices for organizing your contact data and building relationships.

Understanding Individuals vs Organizations

What's the Difference?

Individuals are people - your contacts, customers, leads, vendors, and employees. They represent the personal side of your business relationships.

Organizations are companies, businesses, and entities. They represent the corporate side of your relationships.

When to Use Each

Use Individuals for:

• Personal contacts
• People who work at companies
• Leads and prospects (as people)
• Vendors (as people)
• Employees

Use Organizations for:

• Companies you do business with
• Customer companies
• Vendor companies
• Partner organizations

The Relationship

The power comes from linking them:

• An Individual can work at an Organization
• An Organization can have multiple Individuals
• This creates a complete picture of your business relationships

Tip: Most businesses need both. Start with Organizations for companies, then add Individuals who work there.

Adding Your First Individual Contact

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Navigate to Individuals Module

• Click "Individuals" in the main navigation
• You'll see the individuals list (empty at first)

2. Click "Create Individual"

• Click the "Create Individual" or "+" button
• A form will open

3. Fill in Basic Information

• First Name (required)
• Last Name (required)
• Email (recommended)
• Phone (recommended)

4. Set Individual Type

• Customer: Someone who has purchased from you
• Contact: General business contact
• Lead: Potential customer
• Vendor: Supplier or service provider
• Employee: Team member

5. Add Additional Details

• Address information
• Job title
• Department
• Notes

6. Save

• Click "Save" or "Create"
• Your first contact is created!

Best Practices

Complete Information:

• Fill in both first and last name separately
• Add email and phone when available
• Include job title for context

Consistent Naming:

• Use full names (not nicknames)
• Be consistent with name format
• Avoid duplicates

Type Selection:

• Choose the most appropriate type
• You can change it later
• Use types consistently across your team

Adding Your First Organization

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Navigate to Organizations Module

• Click "Organizations" in the main navigation
• You'll see the organizations list

2. Click "Create Organization"

• Click the "Create Organization" or "+" button
• A form will open

3. Fill in Company Information

• Company Name (required)
• Industry
• Website
• Phone
• Email

4. Add Address

• Street address
• City
• Postal code
• Country

5. Add Additional Details

• Company description
• Number of employees
• Annual revenue (if known)
• Notes

6. Save

• Click "Save" or "Create"
• Your first organization is created!

Using BRREG Integration (Norway)

What is BRREG? BRREG is the Norwegian Business Registry. If you're working with Norwegian companies, you can import their data automatically.

How to Use:

1. Click "Import from BRREG" when creating an organization
2. Search for the company by name or organization number
3. Select the company from results
4. Company data is automatically filled in
5. Review and save

Benefits:

• Accurate company information
• Automatic data entry
• Official registry data
• Saves time

Note: BRREG integration requires the Organizations module and BRREG integration to be enabled.

Linking Individuals to Organizations

Why Link Them?

Linking individuals to organizations creates a complete picture:

• See all people who work at a company
• See which company a person works for
• Track relationships
• Better organization

How to Link

From Individual to Organization:

1. Open an Individual record
2. Find "Organizations" section or tab
3. Click "Link Organization"
4. Search for and select the organization
5. Set their role (e.g., "CEO", "Manager", "Contact Person")
6. Save

From Organization to Individual:

1. Open an Organization record
2. Find "Contacts" or "People" section
3. Click "Add Contact" or "Link Individual"
4. Search for and select the individual
5. Set their role
6. Save

Multiple Relationships

One Individual, Multiple Organizations:

• A person can work at multiple companies
• Set one as "Primary" for easier reference
• Each relationship has its own role

One Organization, Multiple Individuals:

• Companies have many employees
• Link all relevant contacts
• Track who does what

Example

John Smith works as Sales Manager at Acme Corp (primary) and is also a board member at Tech Startup Inc. You would:

1. Create John Smith (Individual)
2. Create Acme Corp (Organization)
3. Link John to Acme Corp as "Sales Manager" (Primary)
4. Create Tech Startup Inc (Organization)
5. Link John to Tech Startup Inc as "Board Member"

Contact Management Best Practices

Data Quality

Complete Information:

• Fill in all available fields
• Keep information up to date
• Remove outdated information

Consistent Formatting:

• Use consistent name formats
• Standardize phone number formats
• Use consistent address formats

Avoid Duplicates:

• Search before creating
• Merge duplicates if found
• Use unique identifiers (email, phone)

Organization Tips

Use Types Consistently:

• Agree on type definitions with your team
• Use types for filtering and reporting
• Review types periodically

Add Notes:

• Document important information
• Record meeting notes
• Track preferences

Use Custom Fields:

• Add fields specific to your business
• Capture industry-specific data
• Make data more useful

Relationship Management

Keep Relationships Updated:

• Update when people change jobs
• Update when roles change
• Remove outdated relationships

Track Multiple Relationships:

• People can have multiple roles
• Companies can have multiple contacts
• Keep all relationships current

Searching and Finding Contacts

Basic Search

Quick Search:

• Use the search bar at the top
• Type name, email, or company
• Results appear instantly

Advanced Search:

• Use filters
• Search by type
• Search by organization
• Search by custom fields

Filtering

Filter by Type:

• Show only Customers
• Show only Leads
• Show only Vendors

Filter by Organization:

• Show contacts at a specific company
• Show contacts without organizations

Filter by Custom Fields:

• Use any custom field
• Combine multiple filters
• Save filter combinations

Tips for Finding Contacts

Use Email:

• Email addresses are unique
• Fast search by email
• Avoid duplicates

Use Phone:

• Search by phone number
• Find contacts quickly
• Verify information

Use Organization:

• Find all people at a company
• See company structure
• Track relationships

Next Steps

What to Do Next

After adding your first contacts:

1. Add More Contacts

   • Import existing contacts
   • Add contacts as you meet them
   • Keep data current

2. Link Relationships

   • Link individuals to organizations
   • Set roles and titles
   • Build your network

3. Explore Related Features

   • Create opportunities for leads
   • Create tickets for customers
   • Add tasks and notes

4. Learn More

   • Read the Individuals Module Guide
   • Read the Organizations Module Guide
   • Explore other modules

Related Articles

• Managing Your Sales Pipeline
• Handling Support Tickets
• Understanding the Module System