The Contact Book in the CRM module is used to manage all people and companies your business interacts with, including potential customers, existing customers, suppliers, partners, and their respective contacts.
The Contact Book is divided into four main types of records:
Leads
Accounts
Contacts
Groups (for contacts)
Each type serves a different purpose in managing business relationships and sales activities.
Contact Book Structure
The relationship between these records is structured as follows:
Lead (Potential Customer)↓Convert Account (Company / Organization)↓Contacts (Person-in-Charge / PIC)↓Groups (Optional segments for contacts)
Types of Contact Book Records
1. Leads
Leads represent potential customers or prospects who have shown interest in your company’s products or services.
Leads are typically created when:
Someone submits an enquiry
A potential customer is identified during marketing activities
A salesperson finds a new prospect
Leads allow your team to track potential sales opportunities before they become actual customers.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Manage potential customers |
| Financial Transactions | ❌ Not allowed |
| Typical Usage | Sales prospecting, lead tracking |
Leads can store detailed information such as:
Contact details
Lead source
Lead status
Lead type
Once a lead becomes a confirmed customer, it can be converted into an Account.
2. Accounts
Accounts represent companies or organizations that your business interacts with.
These may include:
Customers
Suppliers
Partners
Distributors
Competitors
Accounts are the main entities used for financial transactions in the system.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Manage companies, organizations or customers |
| Financial Transactions | ✅ Allowed |
| Typical Usage | Quotations, order acceptances, delivery orders, invoices and receipts |
3. Contacts
Contacts represent individual persons associated with an Account.
These are typically Persons-in-Charge (PIC) such as:
Managers
Purchasing officers
Finance officers
Sales representatives
Each Account can have multiple Contacts.
Example:
| Account | Contact |
|---|---|
| ABC Sdn Bhd | John Tan – Purchasing Manager |
| ABC Sdn Bhd | Sarah Lim – Finance Manager |
| ABC Sdn Bhd | Alex Wong – Operations Manager |
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Store individual contact persons |
| Financial Transactions | ❌ Not directly |
| Relationship | Linked to an Account |
Contacts help ensure your team communicates with the correct person within a company.
4. Groups (Optional for Contacts)
Groups are used to organize contacts within an account based on business needs.
Instead of managing each contact individually, you can group contacts for easier segmentation and communication.
Examples of how businesses can use groups:
By position: Managers, Finance Officers, Purchasing Officers
By location: HQ, Branch A, Branch B
By target audience: VIP Customers, Prospective Buyers, Newsletter Subscribers
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Organize contacts into meaningful segments |
| Financial Transactions | ❌ No (used for management only) |
| Typical Usage | Sending targeted communications, managing campaigns, segmenting contacts |
Tip: Groups can be used for filtering, reporting, or sending bulk emails to specific segments of contacts.
Leads vs Accounts vs Contacts vs Groups
| Type | Used For | Financial Transactions | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leads | Potential customers | ❌ No | Independent |
| Accounts | Companies or organizations | ✅ Yes | Parent record |
| Contacts | Individual persons (PIC) | ❌ No | Under an Account |
| Groups | Segments of contacts | ❌ No | Linked to contacts |