Published at: 2026-09-17
Contact management overview
Overview
A Contact represents a person who communicates or participates in business activities for an Account. Contact data connects the Account with the people involved in a deal. It also supports the Account Org Structure, Contact Influence Map, and Opportunity Decision Chain.
Core concepts
Relationship between Contacts and Accounts
- For a business Account, Contacts can represent procurement, business, technical, finance, or management stakeholders.
- For an individual Account, Contacts can record other people involved in communication.
- You can create or associate Contacts from Accounts, Opportunities, Visits, and other business records.
- One Account can have multiple Contacts with different responsibilities and relationships.
The Contact object stores personal information. Opportunity Contact records how a Contact participates in a specific Opportunity. The Contact Influence Map and Opportunity Decision Chain show relationships and influence among stakeholders.
Main purposes
| Purpose | Description |
|---|---|
| Maintain a unified Contact record | Store the Contact’s name, job title, phone number, email address, and associated Account |
| Preserve communication context | Review Sales Records and email history from Contact details |
| Support Opportunity progress | Associate Contacts with Opportunities and identify participants and key decision makers |
| Understand Account relationships | Use the Org Structure and Influence Map to understand hierarchy and influence |
Common workflow
- Create or confirm the Account record.
- Create a Contact and associate it with the Account.
- Maintain the Contact’s job title, Contact Information, and Communication Record.
- Associate the Contact with an Opportunity and add the Contact to the Decision Chain when needed.
- Update the organizational structure and Influence Map when stakeholder relationships change.
Your ability to view, edit, or associate Contacts depends on object permissions, data permissions, Contact status, and organization settings.