Contact Lists Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about creating, managing, and organizing contact lists in Zipper. Find answers to questions about list creation, contact management, segmentation, bulk operations, and subscription management.

Product Capabilities and What It Can Do

Q: What can I do with contact lists?

A: Contact lists allow you to:

• Create separate lists for email and SMS marketing
• Organize contacts by purpose, campaign, or audience
• Import contacts in bulk from CSV or other sources
• Search and filter contacts within lists
• Manage subscription status (active, unsubscribed)
• Segment your audience for targeted campaigns
• Duplicate lists to create variations quickly

Q: Can I create separate lists for email and SMS?

A: Yes! You can create:

• Email Lists: For email marketing campaigns
• SMS Lists: For SMS marketing campaigns
• Separate Lists: Organize contacts by channel

This allows you to target the right channel for each audience segment.

Q: Can I import contacts in bulk?

A: Yes! You can:

• Import contacts from CSV files
• Add contacts individually
• Add contacts from your customer roster
• Bulk add or remove contacts

Bulk imports help you efficiently build large contact lists.

Q: Can I search and filter contacts within lists?

A: Yes! You can:

• Search contacts by name, email, phone, or other fields
• Filter by subscription status (active, unsubscribed)
• Filter by multiple criteria simultaneously
• Use advanced filtering options

Search and filtering help you find specific contacts or create precise segments.

Q: What happens when someone unsubscribes?

A: When someone unsubscribes:

• Their subscription status is updated
• They're filtered out of active subscriber lists
• They remain in the list but marked as unsubscribed
• You can see unsubscribe status in list views

This helps you maintain compliance and respect recipient preferences.

Q: Can I duplicate a list?

A: Yes! You can:

• Duplicate existing lists with all contacts
• Create variations of lists quickly
• Use duplicated lists for different campaigns
• Modify duplicated lists independently

Duplication helps you create list variations without manually adding contacts.

How to Use the Product

Getting Started

Q: What do I need before I can create a contact list?

A: Before creating a contact list, you should have:

• An active organization account at https://app.joinzipper.com
• Permission to manage contact lists
• Contacts to add (from roster, CSV, or manual entry)

You can start creating lists immediately once you have contacts to add.

Q: How do I get started creating my first contact list?

A: To create your first list:

1. Log in to https://app.joinzipper.com
2. Go to Contact Lists (or CRM → Contact Lists)
3. Click Create list button
4. Enter list details:
   • Name: List name
   • Type: Email or SMS
   • Description: Optional description
5. Add contacts (import, add individually, or add from roster)
6. Click Save

Your contact list will be created and ready to use.

Common Tasks

Q: How do I create a contact list?

A: To create a list:

1. Go to Contact Lists → Create list
2. Enter list details:
   • Name: Enter list name
   • Type: Choose Email or SMS
   • Description: Add optional description
3. Add contacts:
   • Import from CSV
   • Add individually
   • Add from roster
4. Save the list

The list will be available for use in email or SMS campaigns.

Q: How do I add contacts to a list?

A: To add contacts:

1. Go to Contact Lists → select list
2. Click Add contacts
3. Choose method:
   • Import CSV: Upload CSV file with contacts
   • Add individually: Enter contact information
   • Add from roster: Select customers from your roster
4. Save contacts

Contacts will be added to your list and available for campaigns.

Q: How do I import contacts from CSV?

A: To import from CSV:

1. Go to Contact Lists → select list
2. Click Import CSV (or Add contacts → Import CSV)
3. Download template (if needed) to see required format
4. Prepare your CSV file with contact data
5. Upload the CSV file
6. Review and map columns to contact fields
7. Validate the data
8. Click Import

The system will import contacts and show any errors.

Q: How do I remove contacts from a list?

A: To remove contacts:

1. Go to Contact Lists → select list
2. Find the contact(s) you want to remove
3. Select the contact(s)
4. Click Remove (or use bulk remove)
5. Confirm removal

Contacts will be removed from the list but remain in your system.

Q: How do I search for contacts in a list?

A: To search contacts:

1. Go to Contact Lists → select list
2. Use the Search field
3. Enter search term (name, email, phone, etc.)
4. View filtered results

Search helps you quickly find specific contacts.

Q: How do I filter contacts by subscription status?

A: To filter by status:

1. Go to Contact Lists → select list
2. Use the Filter dropdown
3. Select filter option:
   • All: Show all contacts
   • Active: Show only active subscribers
   • Unsubscribed: Show only unsubscribed contacts
4. View filtered results

Filtering helps you target the right audience for campaigns.

Configuration and Settings

Q: How do I rename a list?

A: To rename a list:

1. Go to Contact Lists → select list
2. Click Edit (or find rename option)
3. Change the list name
4. Save changes

Renaming helps keep lists organized and identifiable.

Q: How do I duplicate a list?

A: To duplicate a list:

1. Go to Contact Lists → select list
2. Click Duplicate (or find duplicate option)
3. Enter name for duplicated list
4. Confirm duplication

The duplicated list will include all contacts from the original list.

Q: How do I delete a list?

A: To delete a list:

1. Go to Contact Lists → select list
2. Click Delete (or find delete option)
3. Confirm deletion

Note: Deleting a list doesn't delete the contacts themselves, only removes them from the list.

Troubleshooting

Q: Why can't I create a contact list?

A: You might not be able to create lists if:

• You don't have permission to manage contact lists
• You're not logged into the correct organization

Solution: Check your permissions with your organization admin and verify you're in the correct organization.

Q: Why can't I import contacts from CSV?

A: Import might fail if:

• CSV format is incorrect
• Required fields are missing
• Email addresses or phone numbers are invalid
• Data doesn't match expected format

Solution:

1. Check the CSV template format
2. Verify all required columns are present
3. Validate email addresses and phone numbers
4. Check for data format errors
5. Review import error messages for specific issues

Q: Why don't I see contacts in my list?

A: Contacts might not appear if:

• No contacts have been added yet
• Contacts are filtered out
• Search filter is active
• List is empty

Solution: Add contacts to the list, check filter settings, clear search filters, and verify contacts exist.

Q: Why can't I remove contacts from a list?

A: You might not be able to remove if:

• You don't have permission to manage the list
• Contacts are required for the list type
• Bulk operation failed

Solution: Check your permissions, verify contacts can be removed, and try removing individually if bulk operation fails.

Edge Cases and Advanced Usage

Q: Can I have the same contact in multiple lists?

A: Yes! Contacts can be in multiple lists:

• Add contacts to multiple lists
• Manage contacts across lists independently
• Update contact information in one place
• See which lists a contact belongs to

This allows you to segment contacts into multiple audiences.

Q: What happens if I delete a list?

A: When you delete a list:

• The list is removed from your list library
• Contacts are removed from the list
• Contacts themselves are not deleted
• Contacts remain in your system

Important: Be careful when deleting lists, as contacts will be removed from the list.

Q: Can I export contacts from a list?

A: Yes! You can:

• Export contacts from lists
• Export in CSV format
• Export filtered or searched contacts
• Use exported data in other tools

Exports help you use contact data externally or create backups.

Q: How do I handle duplicate contacts?

A: Duplicate handling:

• System handles duplicates safely
• Duplicates are identified during import
• You can choose how to handle duplicates
• Duplicate detection prevents issues

Duplicate handling helps maintain clean lists.

Q: Can I segment contacts within a list?

A: You can segment by:

• Using filters to create segments
• Creating separate lists for segments
• Using search to find specific groups
• Combining filters for precise segments

Segmentation helps you target specific audience groups.

Q: How do I track list growth?

A: To track growth:

1. View list statistics
2. Monitor list size over time
3. Track subscription rates
4. View growth metrics

List growth tracking helps you understand audience expansion.

Q: Can I merge multiple lists?

A: You can merge lists by:

• Adding contacts from one list to another
• Importing contacts from multiple lists
• Combining lists manually

Merging helps you consolidate audiences.

Q: How do I maintain list hygiene?

A: To maintain hygiene:

• Remove invalid email addresses or phone numbers
• Honor unsubscribe requests
• Remove bounced contacts
• Regularly clean your lists
• Monitor subscription and bounce rates

Clean lists improve deliverability and campaign effectiveness.