Introduction

The Contacts Directory (/contacts) is the central database of all customers and leads who interact with your WhatsApp business channels.

Contact Overview & Fields

Every contact in WhatsBox contains the following core data attributes:

• Phone Number: The primary unique identifier, stored in international E.164 format (e.g. +16317471111 or 16317471111).
• First Name & Last Name: The recipient's name for personalization.
• Assigned Lists: Contact lists or audience tags associated with the contact.
• Opt-In / Opt-Out Status: Tracks whether the contact is subscribed to promotional messaging.

Adding & Editing Contacts Manually

To add a new contact:

1. Navigate to Contacts (/contacts).
2. Click Add Contact (/contacts/add).
3. Enter their phone number (including country dialing code) and name.
4. Select one or more Contact Lists to immediately categorize them.
5. Fill in any relevant Custom Attributes.
6. Click Save.

To edit an existing contact, click on their row in the contacts table or open their profile in the inbox drawer (/contacts/[id]/edit).

Defining Custom Attributes

Standard CRM fields (name and phone) are rarely enough for tailored communication. WhatsBox allows you to create unlimited Custom Attributes (/settings/custom-attributes):

How to Create Custom Attributes

1. Click your avatar and go to Settings > Custom Attributes (/settings/custom-attributes).
2. Click Create Custom Attribute.
3. Enter the attribute identifier (spaces are automatically converted to uppercase underscores, e.g. LOYALTY_TIER).
4. Click Create.

Once defined, these custom attributes immediately become available:

• In the Contact Details screen when editing contacts.
• In the CSV/Excel Import column mapper.
• In the Broadcast Campaign variable mapper to inject dynamic values into WhatsApp templates.