Contacts are the people your business talks to on WhatsApp. ReploChat saves them automatically when they message you, fill in a form or come in from your store, and you can add, edit, label, segment and export them like a lightweight WhatsApp CRM. This guide covers the contact list, adding and editing contacts, labels, opt-out status, custom fields and export, with pointers to importing, merging duplicates and the sales pipeline.
Where contacts come from
- Incoming chats: anyone who messages your number becomes a contact, with the name from their WhatsApp profile.
- Forms: answers to WhatsApp Flows forms are attached to the contact.
- Your store: Shopify and WooCommerce orders create or update contacts (see store integrations).
- You: add them one by one, or import a CSV or Excel file.
Contacts belong to a WhatsApp number. If you have several numbers, pick one with the number buttons at the top of the page. Campaigns and follow-ups only reach contacts of the number they're sent from.
The contact list
Open Contacts in the sidebar. The tabs at the top lead to All, Import, Duplicates, Fields and Pipeline. On the All tab you'll see:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Name | Click it to open the contact's timeline |
| WhatsApp Number | With country code, for example +923001234567 |
| Status | Subscribed or Opted out. Click to change it. |
| Stage | Their pipeline stage, if any |
| Date | When the contact was added |
| Actions | Timeline, Edit, Delete |
Use Search name or number to find someone quickly.
Add a contact
- Press Add Contact.
- Enter the Name and WhatsApp number (with country code), for example
923001234567for Pakistan or971501234567for the UAE. Leave out the leading 0 and the + sign. - Optionally choose a Pipeline stage and a Deal value if they're a sales lead.
- Fill in any custom fields you've created, such as Birthday or City.
- Tick Opted out — skip this contact in every campaign if they've asked not to receive marketing.
- Press Add contact.
To change someone, press Edit on their row, update the fields and press Save changes. Delete removes the contact and their campaign delivery history.
Custom fields
Custom fields store extra details for each contact. Open the Fields tab, enter a Name (for example "Birthday"), a Key (used in imports and the app, and fixed once saved) and a Type: text, number or date. Press Add field. The field then appears on the add/edit form, in the contact's timeline and in the inbox's contact panel. A date field like Birthday or Renewal date can drive date reminders.
Labels and segments
Labels are coloured tags you create and apply in the WhatsApp Inbox, for example "Lead", "Paid", "Wholesale" or "Karachi". A contact's labels show on their timeline page and in the inbox contact panel. Labels are how you segment contacts in ReploChat:
- Campaigns: send to everyone with a label, using Or send to everyone labelled.
- Follow-ups: start a follow-up sequence when a label is added.
- Team access: limit a manager to chats with certain labels (see permissions).
- Chatbots: a chatbot can add a label based on the customer's answers.
Example segments for a clothing store: COD pending, Repeat customer, Lahore, Wholesale enquiry.
Opt-in and opt-out
The Status column shows whether a contact can receive campaigns:
- Subscribed: they can receive campaigns and automated messages.
- Opted out: they're skipped by every campaign, follow-up, date reminder and store automation. Hover to see when and how they opted out (for example, they typed STOP).
Customers opt out themselves by sending STOP and opt back in with START. You can also click the status to change it, for example after a customer asks by phone. Only mark people as subscribed if they really agreed to hear from you.
The contact timeline
Click a name, or Timeline, to see everything that happened with that contact, newest first: chats, campaigns received, form submissions, notes, follow-ups, labels added or removed, stage changes, opt-outs, merges and reminders. From there, press Open chat to jump to the conversation or change their pipeline stage.
Export contacts
Press Export CSV to download the contacts of the selected number. The file has the columns name, phone, subscribed (yes/no) and opted_out_at. It opens in Excel or Google Sheets, and it's a good backup before a big clean-up.
Import, duplicates and the pipeline
- Import: upload a CSV or Excel file, map its columns, and get a report of rows that couldn't be imported. See Import & merge contacts.
- Duplicates: find contacts saved twice (for example 0300… and 92300…) and merge them, keeping their history. Same guide.
- Pipeline: a Kanban board where you drag leads through stages. The defaults are New, Interested, Ordered, Delivered and Lost, and you can rename them. See Sales pipeline.
Frequently asked
Why don't I see a contact I know messaged us? Check that the right number is selected at the top. Contacts are listed per WhatsApp number.
Can I message a contact from here? Open their timeline and press Open chat, or start a chat with New chat in the inbox. The first message must be a template.
Can I sync contacts with another CRM? Not directly. Export to CSV and import it into your other tool.