Create and Manage Contacts

Different groups at your company will have business relationships with various companies. For example, a salesperson might regularly meet prospective customers and at the end of the week record the results of these visits.

All of the external entities that you have business relationships with (for example, customers, prospective customers, vendors, lawyers, and consultants) should be recorded as contacts. Having this data recorded in one central location ensures every group in your company can view and use the information efficiently. Communication with your contacts will be more successful if all details are readily available. For example, a marketing person might like to know what other products a specific customer has purchased before attempting to interest them in a new product.

You can record information based on a company or a person at that company. You can also create an independent contact person for people who do not work for a particular company, but who work independently or freelance.

The following table describes a sequence of tasks, with links to the topics that describe them. These tasks are listed in the order in which they are generally performed.

To	See
Create a contact card for each new company that you interact with, such as a customer or vendor.	Create Contact Companies
Create a contact card for each contact person who works for the companies that you interact with.	Create Contact Persons
Set up different questionnaires and use ratings to prioritize prospects.	Create Contact Profile and Classification
Search and manipulate information about contacts.	Manage Contacts
Use an EU web service to verify that VAT registration numbers that you enter on customer, vendor, or contact cards are valid.	How to: Verify VAT Registration Numbers