Managing contacts

Contacts are the foundation of your WhatsApp messaging campaigns. They represent the people you want to communicate with and can be easily converted into recipients for your flows.

What are contacts?

Contacts are individual records that store information about people you want to message. Each contact contains:

• Phone number: The person's WhatsApp-enabled phone number
• Name: Their full name or display name
• Short name: A nickname or shorter version of their name
• Custom fields: Additional information like company, role, or notes
• Source: How the contact was added (manual, WhatsApp import, etc.)

Key benefits:

• Centralized management: Keep all your contacts in one place
• Easy organization: Search, filter, and categorize your contacts
• Reusable data: Use the same contacts across multiple flows
• Import capabilities: Automatically import from your WhatsApp contacts

Creating contacts manually

Step-by-step process

1. Access contacts page

   • Go to your Wasapia dashboard
   • Click on "Contacts" in the main navigation

2. Add new contact

   • Click the "Add Contact" button
   • Fill in the contact information:
     • Phone number (required): Include country code (e.g., +1234567890)
     • Name (optional): Full name of the person
     • Short name (optional): Nickname or preferred name

3. Save the contact

   • Click "Add Contact" to save
   • The contact will appear in your contacts list

Best practices for manual entry

• Use international format: Always include the country code (+1, +44, etc.)
• Be consistent: Use the same naming conventions for all contacts
• Add context: Use the name field to help identify the person later
• Verify numbers: Double-check phone numbers before saving

Importing contacts from WhatsApp

One of the most powerful features is importing contacts directly from your WhatsApp account.

Prerequisites

Before importing contacts:

• You must have at least one connected WhatsApp phone number
• The WhatsApp connection must be active and working
• Your subscription plan must have available contact slots

Import process

1. Start the import

   • Go to the Contacts page
   • Click "Import from WhatsApp"
   • Select which WhatsApp number to import from

2. Choose your WhatsApp session

   • Select the connected phone number you want to import from
   • Click "Import Contacts"

3. Review the results

   • The system will show how many contacts were imported
   • View the summary of created vs. existing contacts
   • Check for any errors or duplicates

What gets imported

When importing from WhatsApp, the system automatically captures:

Data Type	Description
Phone number	The contact's WhatsApp number
Name	Display name from WhatsApp (if available)
Profile info	Any available profile information
Contact status	Whether they're a WhatsApp user
Import source	Marked as "whatsapp_import" for easy filtering

Managing imported contacts

After importing, you can:

• Search and filter: Find specific imported contacts
• Edit information: Add names or custom fields
• Clean up: Remove unwanted WhatsApp contacts
• Organize: Group contacts by source or other criteria

Using contacts as recipients

Contacts can be easily converted to recipients for your messaging flows.

Adding contacts to flows

1. Open your flow

   • Go to your flow's recipients page
   • Click "Add from Contacts"

2. Select contacts

   • Browse your contacts list
   • Use search to find specific contacts
   • Select the contacts you want to add
   • Click "Add Selected"

3. Configure variables

   • Contact information automatically becomes variables
   • Name becomes {{name}}
   • Custom fields become {{field_name}}
   • You can add additional variables if needed

Automatic variable mapping

When adding contacts as recipients, the system automatically creates variables:

Contact Field	Variable Name	Example Value
Name	{{name}}	"John Smith"
Short Name	{{short_name}}	"John"
Custom Field	{{field_name}}	"ABC Corp"

Benefits of using contacts as recipients

• Consistent data: Same contact information across all flows
• Easy updates: Change contact info once, updates everywhere
• Bulk operations: Add multiple contacts to flows quickly
• Variable automation: Contact fields automatically become variables

Contact organization features

Search and filtering

Search capabilities:

• Search by name, phone number, or short name
• Real-time search as you type
• Case-insensitive matching

Filter options:

• By source: Manual, WhatsApp import, API, etc.
• By status: Active, inactive, blocked
• By date: Recently added, older contacts

Bulk operations

Available bulk actions:

• Delete multiple contacts
• Export contact lists
• Clean up WhatsApp imports
• Bulk edit operations

Contact statistics

Monitor your contact management with built-in statistics:

Statistic	Description
Total contacts	Overall count of all contacts
With phone numbers	Contacts that have valid phone numbers
WhatsApp contacts	Imported from WhatsApp
Source breakdown	Contacts by import source
Subscription usage	How many contacts you're using vs. your plan limit

Advanced features

Custom fields

Add custom information to contacts:

Field Type	Purpose
Company	Where they work
Position	Their job title
Industry	Business sector
Notes	Additional context
Tags	Categorization labels

Contact deduplication

The system automatically handles duplicates:

• Smart merging: Combines duplicate contacts
• Information preservation: Keeps the most complete information
• Conflict resolution: Prioritizes manually entered data

API integration

For advanced users, contacts can be managed via API:

• Create contacts programmatically
• Import from external systems
• Sync with CRM platforms
• Automate contact updates

Subscription limits

Different plans have different contact limits:

When you reach limits:

• You'll receive a notification
• New contacts cannot be added
• Consider upgrading your plan
• Clean up unused contacts

Troubleshooting

Common import issues

WhatsApp connection problems

• Verify your phone number is connected
• Check if WhatsApp Web is active
• Reconnect your phone number if needed

Import failures

• Ensure you have available contact slots
• Check internet connection
• Try importing smaller batches

Missing contacts

• Some WhatsApp contacts may not have phone numbers
• Private or restricted contacts won't import
• Business accounts may have different access levels

Contact quality issues

Duplicate contacts

• Use the built-in deduplication features
• Clean up manually if needed
• Set up better import processes

Missing information

• Edit contacts to add missing details
• Use custom fields for additional context
• Import from multiple sources to fill gaps

Invalid phone numbers

• Verify numbers include country codes
• Check for typos or formatting issues
• Test with a small message first

Best practices

Contact hygiene

1. Regular cleanup

   • Remove outdated contacts monthly
   • Update changed phone numbers
   • Remove duplicates

2. Quality control

   • Verify phone numbers before importing
   • Add meaningful names and context
   • Use consistent formatting

3. Organization

   • Use custom fields strategically
   • Tag contacts by category
   • Keep source information updated

Import strategy

1. Start small

   • Import a small batch first
   • Verify the quality of imported data
   • Scale up once the process is working

2. Plan for limits

   • Check your subscription limits
   • Clean up before large imports
   • Consider upgrading if needed

3. Backup important data

   • Export contact lists regularly
   • Keep source files for re-importing
   • Document your import process

Getting started

Ready to manage your contacts effectively? Follow these steps:

1. Start with manual entry

   • Add 5-10 contacts manually to understand the system
   • Practice creating and editing contacts
   • Learn the interface and features

2. Test WhatsApp import

   • Import a small batch from WhatsApp
   • Review the imported data quality
   • Clean up any issues

3. Organize your contacts

   • Add custom fields as needed
   • Set up your filtering and search preferences
   • Create a contact management routine

4. Use in flows

   • Add contacts as recipients to a test flow
   • See how contact data becomes variables
   • Send test messages to verify everything works

Pro tip: Start with a small, high-quality contact list rather than importing everything at once. Quality contacts lead to better message delivery and engagement rates.

Related documentation

• Recipient Variables - Learn how contact data becomes message variables
• Creating Flows - Set up automated message flows using your contacts