Introduction to Contact Lists

Contact Lists in SurveyAnalytica help you organize and manage your audience segments for surveys, campaigns, and communications. Each contact list contains contact records with customizable fields, delivery analytics, and can be used across multiple campaigns.

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Accessing Contact Lists

1. From Dashboard: Click “Contact Lists” tab in the navigation
2. From Campaigns: Access while creating or editing a campaign
3. Direct URL: /contactLists

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Creating a Contact List

Method 1: From Dashboard

1. Navigate to Contact Lists in the dashboard
2. Click “+ Create Contact List” button
3. Enter a name for your list
4. Configure fields (optional)
5. Save the contact list

Method 2: Quick Create

1. From the dashboard toolbar, click “+ Create Contact List”
2. A popup appears to configure the new list
3. Name your list and set initial properties
4. Save and start adding contacts

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Contact List Structure

Default Fields

Every contact list includes these standard fields:

Field	Description
id	Unique identifier (auto-generated)
name	Contact’s full name
email	Email address
phone	Phone number
status	Contact status
country	Country
state	State/Province
city	City
address	Street address
role	Job role/title
company	Organization name
zipCode	Postal/ZIP code

Custom Fields

Add custom fields to capture additional data:

1. Click “Manage Fields” or the fields icon
2. Click “+ Add Field”
3. Enter field name
4. Save changes

Note: Default fields (id, name, email, etc.) cannot be deleted but custom fields can be removed.

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Managing Contacts

Viewing Contacts

The contact list view displays:

• All contacts in a data table
• Sortable columns
• Search and filter capabilities
• Pagination for large lists

Adding Contacts

Single Contact:

1. Open a contact list
2. Click “+ Add Contact”
3. Fill in contact details
4. Save

Bulk Import:

1. Click the Import button
2. Upload CSV or Excel file
3. Map columns to fields
4. Review and import

Editing Contacts

1. Find the contact in the table
2. Click directly on cells to edit (inline editing)
3. Or click the edit action for full editor
4. Changes save automatically

Deleting Contacts

Single Contact:

• Click the delete (trash) icon on the contact row
• Confirm deletion

Bulk Delete:

1. Select multiple contacts using checkboxes
2. Click bulk delete action
3. Confirm deletion

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Contact List Types

Static Lists

Standard contact lists where you manually manage contacts:

• Add/remove contacts manually
• Import from files
• Full control over membership

Dynamic Lists

Automatically populated based on filter criteria:

• Contacts matching rules are automatically included
• List updates as contact data changes
• Configure filter conditions

Creating a Dynamic List:

1. When creating a list, select “Dynamic” type
2. Define filter conditions
3. Contacts matching conditions auto-populate

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Field Schema Manager

Customize how fields behave in your contact list:

1. Access Field Schema Manager from list settings
2. For each field, configure:
   • Label: Display name
   • Type: text, email, phone, number, date, dropdown, etc.
   • Required: Whether field is mandatory
   • Validation: Rules for data entry

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Delivery Analytics

Track email delivery performance for contacts in your list:

Metrics Available

Metric	Description
Sends	Total emails sent
Deliveries	Successfully delivered
Opens	Emails opened
Clicks	Links clicked
Bounces	Failed deliveries
Complaints	Spam reports

Viewing Analytics

1. Open a contact list
2. Scroll to Delivery Analytics section
3. View metrics and rates:
   • Delivery Rate: Deliveries / Sends
   • Open Rate: Opens / Deliveries
   • Click Rate: Clicks / Opens
   • Bounce Rate: Bounces / Sends

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Import & Export

Importing Contacts

Supported Formats:

• CSV (Comma-Separated Values)
• Excel (.xlsx, .xls)

Import Steps:

1. Click Import in the contact list
2. Select or drag your file
3. Map file columns to contact fields
4. Preview the import
5. Confirm to import

Import Options:

• Update existing contacts (match by email)
• Skip duplicates
• Add tags to imported contacts

Exporting Contacts

1. Open the contact list
2. Click Export button
3. Select format (CSV/Excel)
4. Choose fields to include
5. Download file

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Advanced Filtering

Filter Builder

Create complex filters to segment your contacts:

1. Click Filter icon
2. Add filter conditions:
   • Select field
   • Choose operator (equals, contains, etc.)
   • Set value
3. Combine with AND/OR logic
4. Apply filter

Filter Operators

Operator	Works With
Equals	All types
Not Equals	All types
Contains	Text
Starts With	Text
Ends With	Text
Greater Than	Numbers, Dates
Less Than	Numbers, Dates
Is Empty	All types
Is Not Empty	All types

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Bulk Operations

Bulk Edit

Update multiple contacts at once:

1. Select contacts using checkboxes
2. Click Bulk Edit
3. Choose field to update
4. Enter new value
5. Apply to selected contacts

Bulk Actions Available

• Delete: Remove selected contacts
• Export: Download selected contacts
• Add Tags: Apply tags to selection
• Update Field: Change a field value

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Using Contact Lists

In Surveys

1. Create a survey
2. In distribution settings, select contact list
3. Survey invitations sent to list members

In Campaigns

1. Create a campaign
2. Select target contact list
3. Campaign messages sent to list

In Workflows

Use contact lists in automation:

• Trigger workflows when contacts are added
• Update contact fields via workflow actions
• Add/remove contacts from lists

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Contact List Settings

General Settings

• Name: List display name
• Description: Notes about the list
• Type: Static or Dynamic

Access Settings

• Visibility: Who can view the list
• Edit Access: Who can modify contacts
• Team Assignment: Assign to workspace/team

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Best Practices

Data Quality

1. Validate Emails: Use email validation on import
2. Remove Duplicates: Regularly check for duplicates
3. Clean Bounces: Remove hard bounced emails
4. Update Regularly: Keep contact info current

Organization

1. Naming Convention: Use clear, descriptive names
2. Segment Wisely: Create lists for specific purposes
3. Document Purpose: Add descriptions to lists
4. Archive Old Lists: Remove unused lists

Compliance

1. Track Consent: Record when contacts opted in
2. Honor Unsubscribes: Remove opted-out contacts
3. Data Minimization: Only collect needed fields
4. Secure Access: Limit who can export data

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Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue	Solution
Import failing	Check file format, encoding (use UTF-8)
Duplicates appearing	Enable duplicate detection on import
Fields not showing	Check field visibility settings
Bulk edit not working	Ensure you have edit permissions

Getting Help

• Documentation: Help center articles
• Support: support@surveyanalytica.com

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FAQs

Q: How many contacts can I have in a list? A: Limits vary by plan. Check your plan details for specific limits.

Q: Can a contact be in multiple lists? A: Yes, contacts can belong to multiple lists simultaneously.

Q: How do I handle unsubscribes? A: Update contact status field or use the built-in subscription management.

Q: Can I merge duplicate contacts? A: Yes, use the duplicate detection feature to find and merge duplicates.

Q: How do I segment my contacts? A: Use filters to view segments, or create separate lists for each segment.

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Related Resources

• Import Template Download
• API Documentation: Contacts
• Video: Managing Contact Lists
• Bring Your Own Panel — host your participant portal on your own domain