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

# Contacts

> Your customer records: details, addresses, card on file, segmentation, and bulk actions.

A contact is a customer. Everything else in ShineCRM (estimates, jobs, invoices, conversations) hangs off a contact. Contacts are managed by **owners and admins**.

## The contacts list

Open **Contacts** in the sidebar. You get a searchable table (by name, phone, or email) with a pipeline-stage filter, recent or alphabetical sort, and summary cards across the top: total contacts, new leads, in flight, and completed.

Select one or more rows to reveal a bulk action bar. From there you can set the **pipeline stage**, set the **customer type**, set the **lead source**, **export to CSV**, or **delete**.

<Warning>
  Bulk delete is owner/admin only and is permanent. It cascades: deleting a contact also deletes their jobs, estimates, and invoices. ShineCRM refuses to bulk-delete any contact that has a paid invoice, to protect your financial records.
</Warning>

## Add a contact

Click **New contact**. Enter the name, phone, email, company, and notes. You can add a primary service address with Google address autocomplete, and set the **pipeline stage** (defaults to Lead), **customer type**, and **lead source**. There's also an **SMS opted out** toggle for customers who shouldn't receive texts.

## The contact page

A contact's page **saves as you edit** (no Save button). The header has a **New** menu to start an estimate, job, or invoice already linked to this customer, a call button when in-app calling is available, and an **AI summary** that reads the full history and tells you where things stand.

The cards below cover:

* **Contact info** with field history you can restore (handy when a number changes)
* **Addresses** (a contact can have several)
* **Recurring services** for this customer
* **AI activity** with suggestions from Suds AI
* **Notes** for your team (internal, never shown to the customer)
* **Pipeline stage**
* **Card on file** (see below)
* **Segmentation**: customer type and lead source
* **Messaging**: the SMS opt-out, plus **mute automated messages**
* **Reviews left** on Google, Facebook, and Yelp
* **Related records**: every estimate, job, and invoice

### Card on file

Request a card from the customer with a secure link sent by text or email. Once saved, you can charge their invoices without sending a payment link each time. Cards are stored by Stripe, not by ShineCRM; deleting a card here removes it from Stripe too.

### Mute automated messages

Turning this on stops job reminders, review requests, and auto-replies for this contact on every channel. Manual messages you send yourself still go through. Use it for a customer who has asked you to stop the automated nudges without opting out of texts entirely.

## Frequently asked

**Where do addresses live?**
On the contact, under Addresses. A contact can have multiple service addresses, and the first one is the primary.

**Can a technician see contacts?**
No. Contacts are owner/admin only.

**What happens to a contact's jobs and invoices if I delete it?**
They're deleted too. That's why ShineCRM blocks deleting any contact tied to a paid invoice.