Contact Management Guide | User Documentation | Striven

Customers

Contact Management

Support Guide

Table of Contents
Contact Management References Recap FAQs

  • Overview

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    Customer/Vendor Management in Striven allows companies to track information for each Customer/Vendor. Contacts can be managed within the CRM of Striven as well. You can manage information including, but not limited to, Contact information, Portal Roles, and much more. This guide will explore how you can best manage individual Contacts and report on the Contact data within Striven.

    Read this guide if you are trying to:
    ✔ Create or associate Contacts in Striven.
    ✔ Manage Contact information and assign permissions in the Customer/Vendor Portal.
    ✔ Communicate to Contacts and manage references in Striven.

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  • Contact Management

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    There are two ways to view Contacts in Striven. These include the Contacts List and viewing Contacts under a specific Customer/Vendor. Both of these views offer valuable methods of managing Contact information, and this guide will help demonstrate how these two views can help you manage Contacts more easily. First, we will discuss managing Contacts through the Contacts List and then explore managing Contacts through the Customer/Vendor.

  • Contacts List

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    The Contacts List under the Customer tab allows you to view all the Contacts in your Striven system. There are also buttons to allow you to Add and Import Contacts (which will be discussed further in the following sections). Once a Contact is created from this screen, you can associate the Contact with an existing Customer. There are also icons per Contact to enable you to View, Edit, and Deactivate the Contact easily. Below is a screenshot illustrating how the Contacts List page appears and a description of what can be accomplished there.

    Customers → Contacts

    1. Search Filters: Enables you to narrow down search results to find the Contact you’re looking for.
    2. Add Contact: The Add button will allow you to create new Contacts in Striven.
    3. Import: Populates a drop-down displaying two options including:
      • Customers/Vendors: Enables you to import Customers and/or Vendors en masse.
      • Contacts: Enables you to import Contacts into Striven in bulk. A sample file is provided on the import page for convenience.
    4. Contact Information: Displays the Contact’s basic information including their name, primary email, primary phone, along with the Customer(s)/Vendor(s) they are associated with. Clicking on the Contact’s name redirects you to a Contact Basic Info page where you can edit the Contact’s name, birthday, phone number(s), email address, or address as needed.
    5. Contact Options: The @ icon and the Phone icon trigger a popup that allows you to view the Contact’s basic information, email book, phone book, or you can Deactivate the Contact by clicking the Trashcan icon. Deactivated Contacts can be searched by selecting Inactive under the Status drop-down and clicking Search.
    Contact List with search filters, add button, import button, and contact info

    Example of Contacts List Page

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  • Customer/Vendor Related Contact Info

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    By clicking on a Contact name from the Contact List you will be brought to a detailed version of the Contact information. It is important to note that when viewing a Contact Info screen from within the Customer’s information, additional features and settings are available through the correlating tabs. Below is a screenshot of a Contact’s info and a description of what can be accomplished there.

    Contact Info Page with Full name, birthday, profile image, contact info and save button

    Example of Contact Info Page

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    1. Upload Image: Provides ability to upload a Profile Image of the Contact.
      • Allowed File Extensions: .jpeg, .jpg, .gif, .bmp, .png, .ico.
      • Max File Size: 10 MB
    2. Basic Info: Documents the Contact’s full name and birthday.
    3. Phone: Allows you to add or view phone numbers for the Contact. If more than one number needs to be added, you can type the number in the Add field and click the Add button. If numbers need to be differentiated from each other, you can click the Phone icon and designate what type of number it is. Options include: Home, Mobile, Work, and Fax.
    4. Email: Allows you to add or view an email address for the Contact. If more than one email needs to be added, you can type the email address in the Add field and click the Add button.
    5. Address: Displays the Contact’s address. This address can be updated as described below:
      • Edit this Address: Allows you to make manual changes to the address saved in the system.
        • Note: This applies only to Address Line 1, 2, and 3. The other address fields cannot be manually changed. This option would be used for changes such as adding or removing suite, floor, or apartment numbers.
      • Replace with New: Allows you to search Google for matching results to populate the address. Addresses added this way will be geocoded to allow you to find directions easily. You may also choose to enter the address manually in order to include information that may not be part of the geocoded address, such as a suite, floor, or apartment number.
    Contact Associations

    This tab will display all the Customers/Vendors the Contact has been Associated with. Here the Customers/Vendors will be displayed along with basic information about the Contact’s role related to the entity. There are tools to manage and view the Contact in their associated Customer/Vendors as well. Below is a screenshot, demonstrating how the Contact Associations page appears and a description of what can be accomplished there.

    1. Search Filters: Provides the ability to search for Associations related to the Contact.
    2. Associate: Allows you to associate the Contact with a Customer/Vendor by choosing the account name from the drop-down list.
    3. Customer/Vendor Info: The name of the Customer/Vendor that the Contact has been associated with. Below the Customer/Vendor name, the Contact’s Title is listed as well to let you know the Contact’s role within the Customer’s organization.
    4. Customer Status: Indicates whether the Associated Customer’s status is Prospect, Active, Deleted, or Lost.
    5. Go To: By clicking the Go To icon you will be brought to the Dashboard for the Customer/Vendor associated with the Contact.
    6. Deactivate: The Deactivate icon will deactivate the Contact. Deactivated Contacts can be searched by selecting Inactive under the drop-down search filter and clicking Search.
    Contact Associations Page with search, associate button, association link & deactivate button

    Example of Contact Associations Page

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    Contact Assets

    Another section of the Contact information that you can manage is the Customer Assets related to the Contact. On this page, all the Assets to which the Contacts have been related will be listed. There are tools for you to view and manage all the Assets that are related to the Contact in a user-friendly way. To learn more about managing Customer Assets, review the Customer Asset Management Guide. Below is a screenshot displaying how the Contact Assets section appears and a description of what can be accomplished there.

    1. Status: Here you can choose to search for either Active or Inactive Assets.
    2. Asset Name: The Asset name for which the Contact has been associated with. Clicking the name of the Asset will populate the Customer Asset page to easily manage the Asset as needed.
    3. Go To: By clicking the Go To icon, you will be brought to the info page for that particular Asset.
    4. Deactivate: Sets the Contact Asset to an Inactive status. Deactivated Contact Assets can be searched by selecting Inactive under the Status drop-down and click Search.
    Contact Assets page showing active asset related to the contact

    Example of Contact Assets Section

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  • Customer/Vendor Contact Management

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    The Contacts section under a Customer/Vendor stores all the Contacts for the account and their information. You can locate a Customer/Vendor Contacts page by clicking on the Contacts option on a Customer/Vendor’s Navigation waffle menu.

    Customer/Vendor navigation waffle menu showing Contacts

    Example of the Contacts Option on a Customer/Vendor Navigation Waffle Menu

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    There you’ll find buttons to allow you to Add or Associate an existing Contact for the individual Customer. If a Contact has a green Primary label, this notes that it is the primary Contact for the Customer. There are also icons per Contact to enable you to Edit, Deactivate, and send a Discussion to Contacts easily.

    Below is a screenshot of a Customer/Vendor Contacts page and a description of what can be accomplished there.

    1. Customer/Vendor: The Customer/Vendor’s name along with the Customer/Vendor Navigation waffle menu.
    2. Search Filters: Enables you to narrow down search results to find the information for which you’re looking.
    3. Add Contact: Provides the ability to add new Contacts into Striven.
    4. Associate Contact: Allows you to associate an existing Contact with the selected Customer/Vendor. In Striven, Contacts can be associated with several accounts with the same Contact information such as email, phone number, etc.
    5. Primary Contact: Notes that the Contact is the assigned primary Contact for the Customer/Vendor.
    6. Options: Links to communication options for the Contact, as well as one for the Contact’s Hub and one for related Assets. The option to Deactivate the Contact is also located here.
    Customer/Vendor contacts page with search, add, associate, primary, and contact info

    Example of Customer/Vendor Contacts Page

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  • Customer/Vendor Contact Info

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    By clicking on a Contact name from the Customer/Vendor Contact List, you will be brought to a detailed version of the Contact information. When viewing a Contact Info screen from within the Customer/Vendor’s information, additional features and settings are available. Below is a screenshot, demonstrating how the Customer/Vendor Contact Info page appears and a description of what can be accomplished there.

    1. Customer/Vendor Navigation Waffle Menu: Provides links to navigate to areas of the Customer/Vendor account, such as Contacts, Locations, Tasks, Hub, etc.
    2. Customer/Vendor Contact Name: Displays the Customer/Vendor’s name aside the associated Contact’s name, identifying that you’re viewing that Contact’s information specifically related to that Customer/Vendor.
    3. Upload Image: Allows you to upload a Profile Image of the Contact.
      • Allowed File Extensions: .jpeg, .jpg, .gif, .bmp, .png, .ico
      • Max File Size: 10 MB
    4. Basic Info: Here you can add the Contact’s name, Title, Category, and birthday.
    5. Is Primary: Notes whether the Contact is the primary Contact for the Customer/Vendor. Primary Contacts are generally the Contacts who receive the most notifications and can be filtered in Workflows as well.
    6. Contact Info: Contains the following data:
      • Phone: Here you can add a phone number for the Contact. If more than one number needs to be added you can type the number in the Add field and click the Add button. If numbers need to be differentiated from each other, you can click the Phoneicon and choose what type of number it is. Options include: Home, Mobile, Work, and Fax.
      • Email: Here you can add an email address for the Contact. If more than one email needs to be added, you can type the email address in the Add field and click the Add button.
      • Address: Displays the Contact’s address. This address can be updated as described below:
        • Edit this Address: Allows you to make manual changes to the address saved in the system.
          • Note: This applies only to Address Line 1, 2, and 3. The other address fields cannot be manually changed. This option would be used for changes such as adding or removing suite, floor, or apartment numbers.
        • Replace with New: Allows you to search Google for matching results to populate the address. Addresses added this way will be geocoded to allow you to find directions easily. You may also choose to enter the address manually in order to include information that may not be part of the geocoded address, such as a suite, floor, or apartment number.
    7. Left-tab Menu Bar: Includes links to the Contact’s Hub, related Assets, references and any Integrated Links you may have set in your system.
    8. Portal Access: Provides the option to enable Customer/Vendor Portal access for the Contact. If this box is checked, you’ll then have the option of setting the Contact’s Portal Role.
    9. Exclude from Workflow emails: When toggled, this checkbox will exclude the Contact from receiving Workflow emails.
    10. Copy Subscription Settings to All Contacts: Copies these subscription settings to all Contacts for the associated Customer.
    11. Notes: Stores any notes you wish to save related to the Contact.
    Customer/Vendor Contact Info Page with waffle menu, customer name, contact name, contact info, portal access, email subscriptions, notes and side menu options

    Example of the Customer/Vendor Contact Info Page

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    Customer/Vendor Contact Hub

    When viewing the Contact Info options on the Left-tab Menu Bar, there are four (4) links available to view and manage information related to the Contact. One of these links is to the Contact Hub. Here you can upload documents, links, or posts that are related to the specific Contact being managed. You can also add content groups, sections, and folders to fit your needs. Below is a screenshot representing how the Contact Hub appears and a description of what can be accomplished there.

    1. Customer/Vendor Navigation Waffle Menu: Provides links to navigate to areas of the Customer/Vendor account, such as Contacts, Locations, Tasks, Hub, etc.
    2. Search Content: This field will allow you to search the Hub for documents or folders that match the entered criteria within the section currently being viewed.
    3. Left-tab Menu Bar: Provides links to subsections of information as it relates to that Customer/Vendor Contact.
    4. Section Group Actions: There are three buttons, which are described further below:
      • The Edit icon will allow you to edit the content group’s name
      • The Share icon will allow you to share the content group with other users.
      • The Expand icon will allow you to expand the content group.
    5. Add Buttons: There are two buttons, which are described further below:
      • The Folder button will allow you to add folders into the Contact’s Hub.
      • The Plus button will allow you to add documents, links, or posts into the Contact’s Hub. Folders and content can be restricted to certain users as well.
    6. Hub Contents: The following options are available to manage the Contact Hub:
      • Individual Folders: Store individual content and are added to content groups.
      • Individual Documents: Can consist of multiple different file extensions and can be stored in folders or in content groups.
      • Individual Links: Links to websites pertaining to the section category can be placed here so they are easy to access when needed.
    7. Add Content Group: Allows you to add a new content group to the Hub.
    8. Manage Content Groups: Allows you to manage content groups in Hub.
    Customer/Vendor Contact Hub with folders, documents, links, and posts

    Example of Customer/Vendor Contact’s Hub Page

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    Asset Associations

    This section displays any Customer Asset that the Contact is associated with. Contacts can be associated with a Customer Asset by selecting them from the individual Customer Asset’s Associated Contacts section. In this section, a Customer Contact can be associated with the Customer Asset to note who should be related to things like Tasks related to the Customer Asset. For instance, on a Task related to a Customer Asset, the associated Contact can be added in the Requested By field for the Task so that they can receive updates about the Customer Asset. To learn more about managing Customer Assets, please reference our Customer Asset Management Guide. Below is a screenshot featuring how the Contact Asset Associations section appears and a description of what can be accomplished there.

    1. Associated Asset Name: The name of the Customer/Vendor Asset associated with the Contact.
    2. Go To: Redirects your browser tab to the Asset’s info page.
    3. Deactivate: Removes the association of the Customer/Vendor Asset with the Contact. The Asset itself remains Active, but the association with the Contact is Deactivated.
    Customer/Vendor Contact Asset Associations page including asset name, go to option, and deactivate button

    Example of a Contact Asset Associations Page

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    Contact Reference

    Another Contact information Left-tab Menu Bar link is for the References settings. Here you can note whether the Contact would like to be a reference for your Company or not by utilizing the checkboxes provided. Below is a screenshot featuring how the References settings appear and a description of what can be accomplished there.

    Customer/Vendor Contact References settings with checkboxes to be a reference or not

    Example of Customer/Vendor Contact References Settings

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  • Contact Information Cards

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    For a quick overview of a Contact’s Information, a Contact Information card can be accessed from your Company’s Contacts List, or the Contacts List for a specific Customer/Vendor. The Contact Information card will display slightly different information when accessed from various locations within Striven.

    Accessing the Contact Information card from the Contacts List for your Company

    Clicking on the Email Book or Phone Book icons on Contact from the Contacts list will display the Contact Information card.

    Example of how to access the Contact Information card from the Contacts List

    Example of Accessing the Contact Information Card from the Contact List

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    When viewing the Contact Information card, the following options are available:

    1. Contact Name: Displays the Contact’s name. Clicking the Contact’s name will navigate to their Contact Information page. If a Contact has added a recording for pronunciation of their name, the Speaker icon will appear next to their name allowing you to click and listen to their recording.
    2. Contact Info: The Contact Info tab allows you to view the Contact’s primary location, primary email address, and primary phone number.
    3. Email Book: Lists all of the Contact’s email addresses. The primary email address will be identified by a “Primary” tag.
    4. Phone Book: Lists all of the Contact’s phone numbers. The primary phone number will be identified by a “Primary” tag.
    5. Contact Associations: This tab will list the Contact’s Customer/Vendor associations up to 10 results. A “View All” option will display if the Contact is associated with more than 10 Companies. Selecting “View All” will navigate you to the full Contact Associations list for the selected Contact. Clicking on an association will direct you to the Customer/Vendor’s Contact Information page for the selected Contact.
    Example of the Contact Info Card when accessed from your company's Contacts List

    Example of a Contact Information Card when Accessed from the Contacts List

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    Accessing the Contact Information card from the Contact List for a Customer/Vendor

    To view a Contact Information card from a Customer/Vendor Contacts List, click on the Contact’s Email Book icon or Phone Book icon to access the Information card for the selected Contact.

    Example of accessing the Contact Information card for a contact, from the Customer-Vendor contact list

    Example of Accessing a Contact Information Card from a Customer/Vendor Contact List

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    When viewing the Contact Information card from the Customer/Vendor Contact List, you can view the information listed below:

    1. Contact Name: Displays the Contact’s name. Clicking the Contact’s name will navigate to their Contact Information page. If a Contact has added a recording for pronunciation of their name, the Speaker icon will appear next to their name allowing you to click and listen to their recording.
    2. Contact Information: This tab allows you to view the Contact’s primary information, integrated links, and more.
    3. Email Book: Lists all of the Contact’s email addresses. The primary email address will be identified by a “Primary” tag.
    4. Phone Book: Lists all of the Contact’s phone numbers. The primary phone number will be identified by a “Primary” tag.
    5. Contact Associations: This tab will list the Contact’s Customer/Vendor associations up to 10 results. A “View All” option will display if the Contact is associated with more than 10 Companies. Selecting “View All” will navigate you to the full Contact Associations list for the selected Contact. Clicking on an association will direct you to the Customer/Vendor’s Contact Information page for the selected Contact.
    6. Company Information: The name of the Contact’s Customer/Vendor Association will be displayed just below the navigational tabs, clicking on the Customer/Vendor name will direct you to their Customer/Vendor Dashboard. If the Contact has a title at the associated Customer/Vendor, their title will be listed in plain text below the Customer/Vendor name.
    7. Contact Primary Information: Lists the Customer/Vendor location which the Contact is associated with, in addition to their primary email address and primary phone number.
    8. Integrated Links: These icons enable you to quickly access the Contact’s Facebook, Google, and Linked In links. These Integrated Links can be added and edited from the Customer/Vendor Contact Information page.
    9. Hub: The Hub icon will direct you to the Contact Hub for the Customer/Vendor Contact.
    10. Assets: The Asset icon will direct you to the Customer/Vendor’s Contact Asset List.
    Example of a Contact Information Card when viewed from the Customer-Vendor Contact List

    Example of a Contact Information Card when accessed from the Customer/Vendor Contacts List

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    Contact Information cards can also be viewed from Tasks and Opportunities by clicking the “View Requested By”, or “View Contact”, options which will appear when hovering over a Contact’s name in the Task Requested By field and the Opportunity Contact field.

    Example of Accessing a Contact Info Card from a Task

    Example of Accessing a Contact Information Card from a Task

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References

  • References List

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    The References List is an area of Striven in which all the Contacts who have been noted as references will be listed. Here each Contact will have information about them listed along with the Customer/Vendor they are associated with. You can use this list to send an email to one or multiple Contacts in order to list references for your Company. This can be achieved by selecting one or more Contacts using the checkbox and then clicking Send Email at the bottom of the list. Below is a screenshot demonstrating how the References List appears and a description of what can be accomplished there. To view the References List, use the following steps listed below:

    Customers → Sales → References

    1. Expand Search Filters: The blue arrow icon will expand search filters so that you can select criteria that you would like to search for.
    2. Select: Indicates that you would like to include the reference in the email being sent. Once the checkbox is toggled, the Contact will be highlighted in green indicating it has been selected.
    3. Contact Name: Displays the name of the Contact who has been designated as a reference for your Company. Each name is a helpful hyperlink, which when clicked will populate the Contact Info page.
    4. Number of Sends: The Envelope icon shows how many times the Contact has been included in previous reference emails that have been sent from Striven.
    5. Title: Displays the Title of each Contact within their organization.
    6. Customer/Vendor: Displays the Customer/Vendor that the Contact is a reference for. A Contact may appear multiple times if they are associated with multiple Customers/Vendors and is a reference for some or all of those entities.
    7. City: Displays the city in which the Customer/Vendor’s primary address is located.
    8. State: Displays the state in which the Customer/Vendor’s primary address is located.
    9. Phone: Lists the Contact’s primary phone number.
    10. Email: Lists the Contact’s primary email address.
    11. Days Last Sent: Lists the date in which the Contact was most recently included in a reference email.
    12. Send Email: This will send a reference email that will include all of the Contacts that have been selected from the list using the select checkbox (discussed above in point 2). Once this button is selected, a popup will appear which is discussed further in the References Email section of this guide below.
    references list

    Example of References List Page

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  • References Email

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    As stated in the above section, References List users can select Contacts they would like to send an email of references to. After clicking the Send Email button on the References List, a popup will appear displaying all of the references that the chosen Contact will receive. The email they receive will display each Contact’s name, Title, and Contact information. Below is a screenshot, which illustrates how the References Email appears and what can be accomplished there.

    1. Customer/Vendor: The Customer/Vendor you would like to market your Company’s reference list to.
    2. Contact to Send Reference: After choosing a Customer/Vendor, a Contact can be chosen from the Contact drop-down list. This is the Contact who will receive the list of references that you’ve selected to include on the References List.
    3. Subject: The subject line of the References Email which can be edited if desired.
    4. Listed Reference: This section lists all of the included references. Each reference will include information as long as it’s entered for each Contact or related Customer. The information listed for each Contact includes:
      • Name
      • Title
      • Customer/Vendor Name
      • City/State of Primary Company Location
      • Phone
      • Email Address
    5. Actions: There are two (2) actions here, which are described further in the points listed below:
      • Send & Close: Sends the reference email to the selected Contact and closes the popup to bring you back to the References List. After an email is sent, the numbers on each selected Contact will increase in value.
      • Close: Does not send the references and closes the reference email popup.
    references email with sample message

    Example of Send References Email

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  • Recap

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    With this Contact Management Guide, we’ve discovered how to create and manage Contact information ranging from basic information to noting whether or not they are a reference. We’ve also discussed ways to set a Contact’s Portal access and assign Portal Roles within Striven to ensure security is allocated to Contacts correctly. Lastly, we’ve discovered ways to send a list of references to prospective Customer/Vendor Contacts. All of this will help you manage Contacts better within your Striven system.

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FAQs

  • Can a Contact be related to a Customer and a Vendor?

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    Yes, any Contact in the system can be associated with either a Customer or Vendor account. They can even be associated to an account that is both a Customer and a Vendor at the same time.

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Heads up!

Striven uses relabeling. Based on industry, your system may use different terminology. Please see our Company Setup guide for more information or reach out to Striven support if you need help.