> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.arya.so/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Contacts

> Manage the people you work with, linked to companies and deals.

A **Contact** is an individual: typically an employee of a customer company, but can also be a freelancer, consultant, partner. Every contact is almost always linked to one or more **companies** and one or more **deals**.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/agevole/BUuJGD62nuns4mJL/images/crm/en/contact-detail.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=BUuJGD62nuns4mJL&q=85&s=026c2f82c06ea954faff5873378a49c5" alt="Contact detail page with avatar, personal data and activity" width="1200" height="720" data-path="images/crm/en/contact-detail.svg" />
</Frame>

## Create a contact

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Contacts">
    **CRM → Contacts** → **+ New contact**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Personal data">
    * **First name** (the only required field)
    * **Last name** (optional by default): it isn't always available — e.g. leads captured from a form or an import — so it isn't required. You decide: to make it required, turn on the **Required** toggle on the Last name attribute in **Settings → Objects → Attributes**
    * **Email**
    * **Phone** (mobile, direct, office)
    * **LinkedIn**
    * **Address** (personal)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Professional data">
    * **Company**: reference to an existing Company record or create one on the fly
    * **Role / title**: e.g. `CFO`, `Head of Procurement`
    * **Department**: e.g. `Finance`, `IT`, `Sales`
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    The contact appears in the list and on the linked company's page.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Enrichment

Like companies, contacts can be enriched with AI:

* **Email verifier**: checks if an email is still valid
* **Social enrichment**: finds the LinkedIn profile from name + company
* **Job change detection**: Arya notifies when a contact changes company

<Tip>
  The [Apollo](/en/integrations/apollo) and [HeyReach](/en/integrations/heyreach) integrations import contacts directly into Arya with enriched data.
</Tip>

## Role in deals

A contact can be linked to multiple deals with different roles:

| Role           | Meaning                                   |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| Decision maker | Final decision                            |
| Influencer     | Influences but doesn't decide             |
| Champion       | Actively supports your product internally |
| Blocker        | Resists closing                           |
| User           | End user of the product                   |
| Economic buyer | Signs for budget                          |

Roles are customisable and help quickly see a deal's stakeholder map.

## Email and communication

With [Gmail](/en/integrations/gmail) connected:

* All email exchanges with a contact appear in their timeline
* You can send email directly from Arya, tracked as activity
* Email bounces and replies are logged

## GDPR and privacy

<Note>
  Arya includes GDPR-friendly features:

  * **Data export**: from the contact, `⋯ → Export personal data` → ZIP with everything stored about them
  * **Right to be forgotten**: `⋯ → Delete with oblivion` → removes contact, emails, notes, keeping only anonymised references in historical objects
  * **Marketing consent**: flag tracking consent with date and source
</Note>

## Custom fields

Useful examples:

* `Source` (select: referral, event, cold outreach, inbound)
* `Last conversation` (date — updated by automation)
* `Temperature` (select: cold, warm, hot)
* `Marketing consent` (checkbox + date)

## Lists and segmentation

Dynamic list examples:

* `Decision makers at open enterprise deals`
* `Contacts without verified email`
* `Changed company in last 90 days`
* `Hot leads contacted but no meeting booked`

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can a contact be at multiple companies at once?">
    The contact has a primary company, but you can link them to more companies by adding them to those records. Example: a consultant working with three of your customers.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens when a contact changes jobs?">
    If enrichment is active, Arya notifies you. You can manually update the linked company or archive the contact and create a new one for the new role.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I handle inactive contacts?">
    Use the `Archived` status or a custom `Professional status` field. The contact isn't shown in current views but stays in history.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I link a contact to a custom object record?">
    Yes, if the custom object has a reference attribute to `Contact`.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I sort contacts by first or last name?">
    Yes. In the Contacts table click the **Name** column header: you'll find **First name A→Z / Z→A** and **Last name A→Z / Z→A** sort options. The same sorting is also available in saved lists on Contacts.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I import contacts from CSV/Excel?">
    Yes, via **⋯ → Import from CSV/Excel**. During mapping, match your columns to the standard contact fields (First name, Email, Phone, Job title…); only the **First name** is required, the **Last name** is optional. If your file has data that doesn't match a standard field — for example a **Tax code** — first create a custom attribute on the Contacts object and map that column to the attribute, so the value imports correctly.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>