Managing Your Contacts — StudioM Platform Guide¶

Who this guide is for: Anyone managing their customer and lead database on the StudioM platform. Time to read: Approximately 12 minutes

What Is the Contacts CRM?¶

Your contacts list is the central place to find everyone who has ever connected with your business — customers, leads, and inquiries all in one place. Every person has their own contact record showing their full history with you: messages, appointments, payments, notes, and more.

Think of it as your business's relationship memory. Anything that happens between your business and a person is recorded here automatically.

How to Get There¶

Navigate to: Contacts (left sidebar)

Viewing Your Contacts¶

Three Default Views¶

When you open Contacts, you'll see three built-in views in the left panel:

All Contacts — every contact in your account
My Contacts — only contacts assigned to you
Recent — contacts that were recently created or updated

List View vs. Card View¶

Toggle between two display styles using the icons in the top right corner of the contact list: - List View — a table format with sortable columns, best for scanning large lists - Card View — a visual card layout showing key details at a glance

Creating a Custom Saved View¶

If you regularly filter contacts the same way (for example, all leads tagged "Hot Lead"), you can save that filter as a named view for quick access.

Click the Filter icon at the top of the contacts list
Apply your filters (tags, assigned user, date added, source, etc.)
Click Save as View and give it a name
The view will appear in the left sidebar for one-click access

The Contact Record — What Each Tab Shows¶

Click on any contact to open their full record. The record is organized into tabs:

Tab	What You'll Find
Overview	Name, email, phone, address, tags, assigned team member, source, contact score, last activity
Activity	A full timeline of every interaction — messages, calls, notes, appointments, payments, form submissions, workflow activity
Notes	Internal notes you've added about the contact. Supports rich text formatting.
Tasks	All to-dos associated with this contact
Appointments	All scheduled appointments for this contact
Opportunities	Deals linked to this contact (with pipeline stage and value)
Payments	Invoices sent, payment history, and subscription status
Files	Documents, contracts, and uploaded files related to this contact

Searching and Filtering Contacts¶

Quick Search¶

Use the search bar at the top of the contacts list to find someone by name, email, or phone number.

Advanced Filters¶

For more precise searching, use the filter options:

Filter	What It Does
Tags	Find contacts with (or without) specific tags
Source	Filter by where the contact came from (e.g., Facebook Ad, website form)
Assigned User	Show contacts assigned to a specific team member
Date Added	Filter by when the contact was created
Last Activity	Filter by most recent interaction date
Custom Fields	Filter by any custom data field you've set up
Has Opportunity	Find contacts with (or without) an open deal

Importing Contacts¶

You can import a list of contacts from a spreadsheet (CSV file).

Go to Contacts → click Import (look for the import icon or three-dot menu)
Download the CSV template to see the correct format
Fill in your contact data and save the file
Upload the CSV
Map your spreadsheet columns to the correct contact fields
Choose how to handle duplicates:
Skip duplicates — don't create a new record if a match exists
Update existing — overwrite existing contact data with the imported data
Allow duplicates — create a new record regardless
Review the import summary and confirm

What you need at minimum: At least one of — first name, email address, or phone number.

Before you import, check that: - Phone numbers are in consistent format (e.g., +14155551234) - Email addresses are valid - You've removed any obviously bad or test data

Need StudioM Support for This? For large bulk imports (thousands of contacts) or complex data migrations, contact StudioM Support and we'll assist with the process.

Exporting Contacts¶

To download your contact list as a spreadsheet:

Filter your contacts to the group you want to export (or select all)
Select contacts using the checkboxes
Click Actions → Export
A CSV file will download containing all standard and custom field data

Finding and Merging Duplicate Contacts¶

Duplicate contacts can happen when the same person fills in a form twice, contacts you from different channels, or gets added manually more than once. The platform has a built-in tool to find and merge them.

How to Find Duplicates¶

Go to Contacts
Click the three-dot menu (⋮) at the top right
Select Manage Duplicates
Choose whether to scan by Email, Phone, or Name
Click Find Duplicates — the system scans your database and groups matches

How to Merge Duplicates¶

Expand a duplicate group by clicking the arrow beside it
Click Review to see the side-by-side comparison of conflicting fields
For each conflicting field (phone, email, tags, custom fields), choose which value to keep
Click Merge Contacts to proceed

What gets preserved when you merge: - All notes, tasks, appointments, and opportunities move to the merged record - Tags are combined from all records - The "master" record keeps the key contact details you selected

Rejecting False Duplicates¶

If two contacts look similar but are actually different people, click Reject to prevent them from appearing as duplicates in future scans. Note: this action cannot be reversed.

Important Limitations¶

You can merge up to 10 contacts at a time (run multiple rounds for more)
Duplicate detection uses primary email and primary phone only
Merges cannot be undone — always review carefully before confirming

Need StudioM Support for This? Only account admins can merge contacts. If you don't see the Manage Duplicates option, your team role may not have access. Contact StudioM Support to adjust your permissions.

Bulk Actions¶

To take action on multiple contacts at once:

Check the boxes next to the contacts you want to act on (or use "Select All")
Click Actions to see available options:
Add or remove tags
Assign to a team member
Add to a workflow or campaign
Send a bulk SMS or email
Export to CSV
Delete contacts

Contact Scoring¶

Your contacts automatically receive a score based on how engaged they are — things like opening your emails, submitting forms, booking appointments, and replying to messages. Higher scores indicate more engaged contacts.

You'll see a contact's score on their Overview tab. This is useful for spotting your most engaged leads at a glance.

Need StudioM Support for This? Contact scoring rules are configured in the platform settings. If you'd like to customise what actions increase or decrease a contact's score, contact StudioM Support.

Contacts and Your Sales Pipeline¶

Every deal (opportunity) in your sales pipeline is linked to a contact. From a contact record, you can:

See all deals associated with that person in the Opportunities tab
Add a new deal directly from the contact record
See the total value of all won deals (shown as lifetime value)

→ See the Opportunities and Pipeline guide for more on managing deals.

Team Access — Who Can See What¶

Your team members' access to contacts depends on their role:

Role	What They Can See
Admin	All contacts in the account
Manager	All contacts (or assigned only — configurable)
User	Only contacts assigned to them (default)

Need StudioM Support for This? User roles and contact permissions are managed in account settings. Contact StudioM Support to change a team member's access level.

Common Questions¶

Q: A contact filled in my form twice and now I have two records. What do I do? Use the Manage Duplicates tool (described above) to find and merge them. All their history will be combined into one record.

Q: I imported contacts but some didn't come through. What happened? The most common reason is a missing required field (email, phone, or name). Check the import error report for details, correct the file, and re-import the affected rows.

Q: Can I see who on my team is handling which contacts? Yes — use the "Assigned User" filter on the contacts list, or look at the Assigned User field on individual contact records.

Q: How do I add a note to a contact? Open the contact record, click the Notes tab, and click Add Note. Notes are visible to all users on your account.

Q: Can I delete a contact? Yes — open the contact record and look for the delete option in the contact actions menu, or use bulk delete from the contacts list. Note that deleted contacts and their history cannot be recovered.

Need Help?¶

Contact StudioM Support any time.

Email: support@makoa.us (update with your actual support email)
Live Chat: Available inside the platform

Related guides: Smart Lists · Custom Fields · Tasks · Opportunities and Pipeline