Editing a contact

Once you have created a contact, you can add further details to the various areas of the contact data record. To do so, you can create your own view or use one of the templates that are available in your system by default.

Note also the group function that you can use to easily and quickly carry out different actions for multiple contacts at once.

Individually adjusting the width of the table columns

You can adjust the columns’ width in the overview according to your needs. When hovering over the respective table columns, blue lines appear which allow you to adjust the size as desired.

1. Creating a view

The user interface to edit a contact allows a high degree of flexibility for positioning content and data. This works by intuitively positioning areas for content and elements on the dashboard via drag-and-drop. Each area and each element can be further edited by clicking on Edit view () in the top right of the contact data record. Table 1 contains an overview on the functions available in the editing mode of the contact data record.

Table 1. Available functions when editing a contact

Element

Symbol

Explanation

Edit view

Opens the contact data record for editing.
Note: Note the templates that are already available in your system. Furthermore, you can move the components to a different place with drag-and-drop and adjust the size of the components.

Undo

undo

Undoes the last change, unless this change has already been saved.

Redo

redo

Restores the previously undone change.

Default view

This area displays the view that is currently opened. Click on arrow_drop_down to switch to another view or to create a new view.

Restoring the previously saved state

restore

Resets the contact data record to the state that was last saved.

Save

save

Saves the changes made to the contact data record. By doing so, you can save as many different views as you like.
When you want to edit a contact data record the next time, you can open your preferred view via the drop-down list in the top right and start creating a new contact. Also via this drop-down list, you can create a new preset by clicking on add Create new preset.

more_vert

Click on this symbol between the components to add or remove columns and lines or to reduce or enlarge the column sizes.

Edit

edit

When you edit the component, you can see in the Elements area on the right side which elements have not been used yet and are therefore still available. Elements that are already in use are disabled and cannot be used a second time.

Delete

delete

Deletes the component.

Close

close

Closes the editing mode. If you have not saved the changes yet, a security inquiry appears.

Available templates for editing a contact data record

If you do not want to create your own view to edit a contact data record, you can simply use one of the existing default templates in your system.

Select (arrow_drop_down) a template via the view on the top right within the contact data record. Three views are available in your system by default:

  • Standard - All

  • Standard - B2B

  • Standard - B2C

Of course, you can adjust these default views every time according to your needs and add or delete individual fields or create a new view.

Activating views for users

If a user without admin rights is not able to see the available templates in your system, you might have to activate the view in the Setup » Account management » Roles menu in the Role-defined views area. Note the explanations on the Carrying out the preparatory settings page.

Default view “Starter UI” in all new systems starting from December 2022

In all systems that are booked as of the middle of December 2022, the 3 above mentioned default views are no longer available. Only the default view Starter UI will be available. The starter UI contains the following areas and fields:

  • Contact details

    • The following fields are visible: Form of address, Title, First name, Last name, Type, Class, Client, Language.

  • Options

    • The field Email, private is visible.

  • Addresses (collapsed by default)

  • Orders (collapsed by default)

  • Messenger (collapsed by default)

Of course, you can adjust this default view any time according to your needs and add or delete individual fields or create a new view.

2. Functions in the toolbar

When you open a data record in the CRM » Contacts menu, different functions are available in the toolbar, depending on whether the data record is a contact or a guest order.

In general, you can recognise a guest order by the symbol done in the Guest column in the overview. If you open the data record of a guest order, you can see in the side navigation on the left in addition the symbol badge and in brackets behind the name the word Guest

Table 2 lists the available functions in the toolbar of a contact. Table 3 lists the available functions in the toolbar of a guest order.

2.1. Functions in the toolbar of contacts

Table 2. Contact data record: Available functions in the toolbar
Setting Element Explanation

Save

save

Saves the data record.

Reload

refresh

Reloads the data record.
For further information, refer to the Anonymising a data record chapter.

Download all data saved in this data record

download

Downloads all data that is saved for this data record.
Further information can be found in the chapter Downloading all data of a contact or a guest order.

Anonymising a data record

Anonymises the data record. Anonymising data is only possible when the data record is a "real" contact and not a guest order.
For further information, refer to the Anonymising a data record chapter.

Download contact as vCard

contact_mail

Downloads the data of the contact as electronic business card in VCF format.
For further information, refer to the Downloading the vCard chapter.

Send newsletter opt-in email

outgoing_mail

Sends the email for the newsletter opt-in respectively the confirmation for the newsletter opt-in to the customer.
For this you have to save a template in the Email accounts menu in the Automatic dispatch section.
Note: If the customer is not registered for the newsletter yet, they will receive the automatic email for newsletter opt-in. If the customer is already registered for the newsletter, but has not confirmed yet, they will receive the confirmation for the newsletter opt-in.

Delete

delete

Deletes the data record after you have confirmed your decision.

2.2. Functions in the toolbar of guest orders

Table 3. Guest order: Available functions in the toolbar
Setting Element Explanation

Save

save

Saves the data record.

Reload

refresh

Reloads the data record.
For further information, refer to the Anonymising a data record chapter.

Download all data saved in this data record

download

Downloads all data that is saved for this data record.
Further information can be found in the chapter Downloading all data of a contact or a guest order.

Convert guest into contact

sync_alt

Converts the address data from a guest order into a regular contact data record. In the History area of the newly created contact data record, the entry Converted by as well as the name of the person who converted the data record are added.
Further information can be found in the Converting a plentyShop and marketplace guest order into a contact data record chapter.

Delete

delete

Deletes the data record after you have confirmed your decision.

2.3. Reloading the data record

Reloading the data record:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to reload by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The data records that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the data record.
    → The detail view opens.

  4. In the toolbar on the top, click on Reload (refresh).
    → The data record is reloaded.

2.4. Downloading all data of a contact or guest order

In the CRM » Contacts menu, you can download with just one click all data that is saved for a contact or the address data belonging to a guest order as a ZIP file. The ZIP file contains an HTML file and a machine-parsable file in JSON format.

Downloading all data of a contact or guest order:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the data record that you want to download by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The data records that correspond to the search criteria entered are shown in the overview.

  3. Click in the line of the data record.
    → The data record opens.

  4. In the toolbar, click on Download all data saved in this data record (download).
    → A dialogue window appears. Determine a location on your computer where the ZIP file is saved.

  5. Download the file.

2.5. Anonymising a data record

You can delete data of a contact respectively make this data illegible in such way that no reference to this person is given any longer.

Anonymising data is only possible when the data record is a "real" contact and not a guest order.
Which data is anonymised and deleted?

By clicking on Anonymise (), the following data in the data record of the contact is anonymised and deleted:

  • This data is anonymised: First name, last name

  • This data is deleted: Contact options, address options, addresses, address relations, order relations, account relations, bank details

Anonymising a data record:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the data record that you want to download by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The data records that correspond to the search criteria entered are shown in the overview.

  3. Click in the line of the data record.
    → The data record opens.

  4. In the toolbar, click on Anonymise data record ().
    → A window appears and you need to confirm your decision.

  5. Enter the ID of the contact that you would like to anonymise.

  6. Click on Anonymise.
    → The data record is anonymised.

2.6. Downloading the vCard

You can download the contact data as electronic business card in VCF format and save it, for example, in the address register of your email programme.

Downloading the vCard:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. In the toolbar on the top, click on Download contact as vCard (contact_mail).
    → A window opens. Select the storage location on your computer.

  5. The vCard is available at the selected storage location.

2.7. Converting a plentyShop and marketplace guest order into a contact data record

The CRM » Contacts menu allows you to convert with just one click the address data from a guest order that came into your system either via your plentyShop or via a marketplace into a regular contact data record.

  • In case of a guest order via the plentyShop, the saved data record only consists of the address and the corresponding order; a contact ID is not saved. However, the symbol done is shown in the overview’s Guest column.

  • In case of a guest order via a marketplace, a contact ID is assigned and the symbol done is shown in the overview’s Guest column.

If a company name is additionally contained in the address, a company data record is also created when converting the data record.

Converting a plentyShop and marketplace guest order into a contact data record:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The data records that correspond to the search criteria entered are shown in the overview.

  3. Click in the line of the data record.
    → The data record opens.

  4. In the toolbar, click on Convert guest to contact (sync_alt).
    → A window appears and you need to confirm your decision.

  5. If you have worked in compliance with GDPR, click on Convert.
    → The data record is converted into a contact data record and automatically obtains the next free contact ID. In the History area of the contact data record, the entry Converted by as well as the name of the person who converted the data record are added.

plentyShop guest orders and marketplace guest orders

plentyShop guest orders get the symbol done in the overview’s Guest column, but no contact ID. Marketplace guest orders get the symbol done in the overview’s Guest column and in addition a contact ID.

Notes about converting a guest order into a contact data record

  • Converting a plentyShop guest order is possible in the CRM » Contacts menu via the button Convert guest to contact (sync_alt) in the toolbar.

  • Converting a marketplace guest order is possible in the contact data record in the CRM » Contacts menu. How to proceed in this case is described in the Converting a guest order into a regular contact data record chapter.

2.8. Converting a guest order into a regular contact data record

In general, you can recognise a guest order by the symbol done in the Guest column in the overview. If you open the data record of a guest order, you can see in the side navigation on the left in addition the symbol badge and in brackets behind the name the word Guest

In order to be able to work GDPR-compliant, no contact data record is created for guest orders that are coming into your system via the plentyShop.

Guest orders coming into your system via a marketplace receive a contact ID. Proceed as described below to convert a marketplace guest order into a regular contact data record.

Converting a guest order into a regular contact data record:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. Click on Options on the left side.
    → In the Options area, you can the entry Access, guest with the value 1. 1 means that it’s a guest.

  5. In the line Access, guest, click on close to remove the option.

  6. Save (save) the settings.
    → The guest has been converted into a contact data record. The symbol done is removed from the Guest column in the overview.
    Note: If you cannot see the change immediately, it might be necessary to reload the CRM » Contacts menu.

warning Send an email to the contact and inform them that the guest order was converted into a regular contact data record. They can then create a password to be able to log into your plentyShop.

Further information about converting plentyShop and marketplace guest orders into regular contact data records can be found in the Converting a plentyShop and marketplace guest order into a contact data record chapter.

3. Editing fields directly in the Messenger overview

You can edit some fields directly in the Contact overview. This is called inline editing.

At the moment this feature is available for the following fields:

  • First name

  • Last name

  • Tags

  • Class

  • Client

  • Language

  • Owner

  • Rating

  • Type

Proceed as follows to edit the fields in the overview.

Edit fields directly in the Messenger overview:

  1. Open the CRM » Contacts menu.

  2. Search for the contact by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.

  3. Click on edit in the overview header next to the field you want to edit.
    → Above the header several icons are shown in the editing mode. Note Table 4.

messenger symbole inline editing
Figure 1. Inline editing: icons in the overview
Table 4. Using inline editing in the Messenger overview
Symbol Element Explanation

save

Save

Saves the changes.
Important: After you saved, click on playlist_remove (Deactivate the editing mode for all columns) to go back to the overview.

undo

Undo

Undoes the last change, unless this change has already been saved.

redo

Redo

Restores the previously undone change.

app_registration

Activate the editing mode for all columns

If you click on edit at a field that has editing mode available, you can click on app_registration to activate the editing mode for all columns.

playlist_remove

Deactivate the editing mode for all columns

Click on playlist_remove to deactivate the editing mode for all columns and return to the overview.
Important: Save the changes beforehand.

4. Details about the individual areas

All areas and their functions that are available in the contact data record are described in the following sub-chapters. By clicking on an entry in the following list, you will be directly forwarded to the corresponding sub-chapter where you can find further details.

How is data being loaded in the individual areas?

If you click in the contact data record on the left side in the navigation on the corresponding area that you want to edit, this area will shortly be highlighted in blue, the available data for this area will be loaded and you can directly start editing it.
Note: When you open the contact data record, the following areas will already be initially loaded and opened: Contact details, Primary address, Orders and Options.
The following areas will only be loaded and opened after clicking in the navigation on the left side: Documents, Properties, Tags, plentyShop login, Addresses, History, Bank details, Account, Messenger and Tickets.

Would you like to expand or collapse certain areas by default?

You can determine for each MyView which areas should be expanded and collapsed by default. To do so, open a contact data record and click on Edit view () in the top right. Then, click on Edit (edit) in every section. In the *Setting*area you determine if the section is expanded or not.

Afterwards, click on Close (close) and carry out the settings in every other area. Save the view by clicking on Save view (save).

Users without admin rights: Missing rights for certain areas, buttons and functions in contact data record?

If a person without admin rights is not able to see certain areas and/or buttons and functions contained in the contact data record, a person with Admin access rights needs to activate further rights in the Setup » Account management » Roles menu.
You can find all required rights for the contact data record regarding the individual areas, buttons and functions in the Activating rights for certain areas and buttons in the contact data record chapter on the Carrying out the preparatory settings page.

4.1. Contact overview / Guest overview

In this area, you see an overview of the contact or the guest. The data in this area are determined by default and cannot be adjusted.

If it’s a regular contact data record, the following details are visible:

  • Company

  • Private email address

    • You can directly send an email to the contact (email) or copy the email address to the clipboard (content_copy).

  • Type

  • Number of orders

  • Invoice address

If it’s a regular guest order, the following details are visible:

  • Company

  • Email address

    • You can directly send an email to the person (email) or copy the email address to the clipboard (content_copy).

  • Full name

  • Type

  • Number of orders

4.2. Contact details

When you open the contact data record, this area is opened by default and the available data is loaded. Table 5 lists all fields that are available in the Contact details area of the contact data record.

Table 5. Settings in the Contact details area
Setting Explanation

Form of address

Select a form of address from the drop-down list. This selection is optional.
Ms. = Female form of address
Mr. = Male form of address
Diverse = Form of address for the gender option "Diverse"

Title

Enter the title of the contact, if required.

First name /
Last name

Enter the first name and last name of the contact.
Note: These are mandatory fields, if no company is selected.

Type

Select a type. The Customer, Sales representative, Supplier, Partners, Manufacturers and Interested party types can be selected by default. Create further types in the Setup » CRM » Types menu.
Note: This field was already preselected when the contact was created. You can of course adjust the value here.
Note about the type Sales representative: If you select the type Sales representative, the two fields Country of the type “Sales representative” and Postcode area of the type “Sales representative” are automatically shown.

Country of the type “Sales representative”

This field is only visible if you selected the option Sales representative as type.
Select a country from the drop-down list that the postcode area of the sales representative refers to.
Tip: If a sales representative is working in multiple countries, create one contact data record per country.

Postcode area of the type “Sales representative”

This field is only visible if you selected the option Sales representative as type.
Enter the sales representative’s postcode area. Use commas to separate multiple areas, e.g.: 33,34.
Note: The more numbers per postcode area, the more this area is limited.

Class

Select a class. Classes serve as an internal distinction between customers and determine, for example, which discount is granted. Classes are created in the Setup » CRM » Classes menu.
If you want to offer different prices to end customers and sellers in the plentyShop, this can be done with the Display of the prices in the online store option in the settings of the customer class. It is very common that gross prices are shown for end customers (B2C) in the plentyShop and net prices for sellers (B2B).
Note: This field was already preselected when the contact was created. You can of course adjust the value here.

Client

Select the client from the drop-down list in order to assign the contact to this client.
Note: This field was already preselected when the contact was created. You can of course adjust the value here.

Language

Select the language for the contact. If you have created a template in the CRM » EmailBuilder menu or the Setup » Client » [Select client] » Email » Templates menu in the same language that you have selected here, email templates are sent to the contact in this language.
Note: This field was already preselected when the contact was created. You can of course adjust the value here.

Customer number

Enter the customer number of the contact, if required. Customer numbers can be assigned for internal purposes. They are not saved automatically. You decide whether and how you would like to use customer numbers.

Debtor account

Enter additional, separate customer numbers, if required. Generally, this number corresponds to the customer number or the debtor number in your financial accounting. It can be helpful to you or your tax accountant when further processing your receipts. This field can also be filled in automatically, if required.
For further information about the debtor account, refer to the Accounting page of the manual.

External number

Enter an external number for the contact, if required. External numbers can be used for internal purposes and are not saved automatically.

Owner

Select the owner for the contact. Enter at least one letter of the owner name. Your system then suggests owners that have already been saved. If you do not want to select an owner, select the empty option.
Note:*The drop-down list only shows users (owners) that have a role assigned in which the setting _See or Edit is activated for the rights CRM or CRM » Contacts.

Sales representative that is assigned to the contact

Here, you can assign a sales representative to the contact. Enter the first 3 characters of the name to see a suggestion list of all sales representatives that are already saved in your system. By clicking on the name or the ID of the sales representative, the sales representative is assigned to the contact.

Rating

Save a rating for the contact. This settings serves for internal purposes only.
5 yellow stars are the best rating, 5 red stars are the worst rating.

Date of birth

Enter the date of birth of the contact in the format dd-mm-yyyy or select the date from the calendar (today).

Job position

Select a job position from the list.
Note: Here, all job positions are available that you have created in the Setup » CRM » Job positions menu.

Newsletter

Shows if the contact receives the newsletter (toggle_on). To deactivate the newsletter subscription for the contact, click on toggle_off.

Contact not blocked

By default, the contact is not blocked (toggle_on). This means that the contact is not blocked for the selected client and is able to log into your plentyShop.
When you click on the button (toggle_off), the contact is blocked. This means that the contact is blocked for the selected client and is not able to log into your plentyShop.

Allow invoice / Allow debit

If you have already allowed the two payment methods Invoice and Debit in the class, you don’t need to carry out any settings here. Because: The settings in the class have priority over the settings in the contact data record.

toggle_on = The contact can pay using this payment method, even if you do not offer this payment method in your plentyShop.
toggle_off = The contact is not allowed to pay with this payment method. This is the default setting.

Example: A contact who has bought in your online shop multiple times, should be allowed to buy items on invoice.

Necessary settings:
- Make sure that the payment method is activated and the plugin is set is deployed so the payment method is available in the order. For further information, refer to the manual pages Invoice and Debit.
Important: Make sure that no countries of delivery were saved in the settings of the payment method. Otherwise, the payment method would be available to all customers in your plentyShop, which is not desired in this case.

- The payment method Invoice or Debit has to be available in at least one shipping profile, i.e. the payment method may not be blocked in the shipping profile.

- Activate the shipping profile for the items.

Check the necessary settings that are listed here and activate (toggle_on) the payment method. This allows the contact to use the payment method.

4.3. Primary address

Here, the contact’s primary addresses are shown if you selected Yes, primary for the invoice address and/or the delivery address in the Addresses area. When you open the contact data record, this area is opened by default and the available data is loaded.

Click on New address (add) to create a new address. Click on more_vert to edit (edit) or delete (delete) the address. Next to the email address or next to the phone number, click on content_copy to copy these values to the clipboard. In front of the phone number, click on Call number (phone) to open the default phone app on your computer and directly call the contact. In front of the email address, click on Send email (mail) to open the default email programme on your computer and directly write an email to the contact.

Primary delivery address (example)
Figure 2. Example: Primary delivery address

Click on the following link and note the explanations on the Creating a contact page if the delivery address is a DHL Packstation or DHL post office.

4.3.1. Logic when creating a new address

  • If the first address is created in a contact data record where no addresses exist so far, both the invoice address and the delivery address will be set to Yes, primary by default.

  • If an address already exists in the contact data record and another address is created

    • the invoice address will be set to No by default.

    • the delivery address will be set to Yes in case the contact already has a primary delivery address.

    • the delivery address will be set to Yes, primary in case the contact does not have a primary delivery address yet.

4.3.2. Using the address layout in the primary address

You can decide whether you want to use in the primary address an address layout that you created in the Setup » CRM » Address layout menu.

Using the address layout in the primary address:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. Click on Edit view () at the top right.

  5. In the Primary address area on Edit (edit).
    → The Settings area opens.

  6. Activate the toggle button (toggle_on).
    → The text changes to Use address layout.

  7. From the drop-down list Layout type, select the option Always use the same address layout.
    → The drop-down list Address layouts becomes visible.

  8. From the list Address layouts, select an address layout that you created so that this address layout will be used in the primary address.

  9. At the top, click on Save view (save).

Next to toggle_on Use address layout, click on edit to directly open the Setup » CRM » Address layout menu and create a new address layout, if needed.
For more information about creating an address layout, refer to the to the Setting up the address layout for location-based order documents page.

4.4. Documents

Here, you can upload and manage the documents and files saved for the contact. Create also folders to be able to keep an overview of all uploaded documents.

4.4.1. Creating a folder

The folder Main folder is visible once you have created a new folder (add). The main folder cannot be deleted. You can, however, create as many sub-folders as you like on further levels.
By clicking on more_vert in the line of the folder, you can delete the folder again after having confirmed your decision. In this case, the folder as well as all sub-folders and the files contained therein will be deleted.

4.4.2. Uploading documents

Click on Upload documents (file_upload) to select a file from your computer or use drag-and-drop to place the documents in the corresponding area. If the document has been uploaded successfully, the symbol of the file type, the name, the date and time of the last change as well as the file size are shown in the overview.

4.4.3. Searching for documents

Use the search in the Documents area to quickly and easily find all documents that were uploaded in the contact data record.
Note that the search is always limited to the currently selected folder. Carrying out a search across all folders that you created is not possible.

Searching for documents:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. Click on Documents on the left side.

    • Alternative 1: Click on Search (search) to get a list of all the contact’s documents.

    • Alternative 2: Click on filter_alt to narrow down the search results with filters.
      → In this area, the filters Name and Type are available.

4.4.4. Downloading a document

You can download the uploaded documents at any time. In the line of the document, click on more_vert and on file_download Download. A window opens and you can save the document at the desired location on your computer.

4.4.5. Opening a document

If your browser supports the file format, you can open the document. In the line of the document, click on more_vert and on open_in_new Open.

4.4.6. Deleting a document

If you no longer need a document, you can delete it after having confirming your decision. In the line of the document, click on more_vert and on delete Delete.

4.5. Properties

Here, you can assign properties to the contact. You can see all properties here that you have already created in the Setup » Settings » Properties » Configuration menu for the Contact area.

Click on edit_note Select properties to select (check_box) exactly those properties from the list that you really need.

Click on Add new property (add) and you will directly be forwarded to the Setup » Settings » Properties » Configuration menu. You can create additional properties there.

4.6. Tags

Here, you assign tags to the contact. You can later use filters in the search to quickly find all contacts with this tag.

The area Assigned tags shows all tags that have already been assigned to the contact. Click in the list to assign more available tags. The list shows all tags that you created in the Setup » Settings » Tags menu for the Contact area.

Click on Add new tag (add) and you will directly be forwarded to the Setup » Settings » Tags menu. You can create further tags there.

4.7. plentyShop login

Here you can manually change the password for your contact, send an email to the contact containing a link to change the password,unlock the login and open the My account area of the contact via the login URL.

Click on Reload (refresh) to reload the plentyShop login area.

plentyShop login
Figure 3. plentyShop-Login

4.7.1. Manually changing the password

Proceed as described below to manually change the password for the contact.

Manually changing the password:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. Click on plentyShop on the left side.

  5. Click on edit Change password.
    → The New password window opens.

  6. Enter the new password.

  7. Repeat the new password.

  8. Click on Save.

4.7.2. Sending an email to reset the password

Send an email template to your contact containing a link to change the password in your plentyShop. It is required that you have linked an email template from the EmailBuilder containing the variable URL to change password with the event Send customer email to change password. Carry out this setting in the Setup » Client » Global » Email accounts menu in the Automatic despatch step.

For further information, refer to the EmailBuilder page.

Sending an email to reset the password:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. Click on plentyShop on the left side.

  5. Click on forward_to_inbox Send email to reset password.
    → The contact receives an email to reset the password in his My account area. Note the information in the following box.

Save appropriate variable in template for automatic despatch

To ensure that the email to reset the password will be correctly sent to your customers, you have to save the appropriate variable in the template that you selected for the option Send customer email to change password in the Setup » Client » Global » Email accounts menu in the Automatic despatch step.

4.7.3. Unlocking the contact’s login

If the contact enters the wrong password in your plentyShop 4 times in a row, the contact will be blocked for the login for 24 hours and receives the message in the plentyShop to contact the administrator. With one click, you unlock the contact’s login and your contact is able to log into the your plentyShop again as usual.

Unlocking the contact’s login:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. Click on plentyShop on the left side.

  5. Click on Unlock login.
    → The contact’s login is unlocked and the contact is able to log into your plentyShop again.

You can copy the link to the contact’s My account area in your plentyShop to the clipboard by clicking on content_copy. Or you can directly open the start page of your plentyShop with the logged in contact by clicking on launch.

4.8. Orders

Here, you can see all orders of the contact. When you open the contact data record, this area is opened by default and the available data is loaded. Click in the line of the order to open the order in the Orders » Edit order menu.

Select (check_box) one or multiple order types from the drop-down list Order type and click on Reload data (refresh) to only show these order types of the contact in the list. Click on Options (add) in the top right to create a new order, a new offer, a new subscription or a new multi-order. For further information about this context menu, refer to the Context menu in the overview chapter on the Searching for a contact page.

Click on Configure columns (settings) on the top right and decide which columns to show in the Orders area. Click on drag_indicator to change the order of the columns with drag-and-drop. The following columns are available:

  • Order ID

  • Main (order)

  • Order status

  • Order type

  • Invoice number

  • Payment method

  • Gross order value

  • Order date

  • Referrer ID

  • Referrer name

  • Client

  • Incoming payment

  • Outgoing items

  • Shipping date

Click on Refresh data (refresh) in the top right to refresh the Orders area.

4.9. Addresses

Here, you can see the addresses that are saved for the contact. Note that only 25 address data records can be shown.

Click on Configure columns (settings) on the top right and decide which columns to show in the Addresses area. Click on drag_indicator to change the order of the columns with drag-and-drop. The following columns are available:

  • ID

  • Company

  • Invoice

  • Delivery

  • First name

  • Last name

  • Street

  • House number

  • Postcode

  • Town

  • Country

  • Phone

    • Next to the phone number, click on Call number (phone) to open the default phone app on your computer and directly call the contact.

  • Email

    • Next to the email address, click on Send email (mail) to open the default email programme on your computer and directly write an email to the contact.

Click on Refresh data (refresh) in the top right to refresh the Addresses area.

Click in the line of the address to open the address for further editing. Note Table 6.

Figure 4 shows as an example that the address is an invoice address (done) and the primary delivery address (star done).

Address table (example)
Figure 4. Example: address table

Click on New address (add) to save a new address for the contact. Table 6 lists the available fields of the address.
Note: After saving, the address data record is given a consecutive ID that cannot be changed. The ID is, however, not consecutive for each contact, but for all address data records that you create in your system.

Not possible to edit addresses that are linked with orders

If the address is linked with an order, you cannot edit the address. You can, however, create a new address of course.

Table 6. Creating a new address
Setting Explanation

Toolbar

Save

Click on save to save the changes.

Delete

By clicking on delete, a window with a security question appears. You need to confirm your decision to delete the address.

Reload

Click on refresh to reload the data record.

Derive new invoice address

This function is only available if it is an existing address data record.
By clicking on , a new invoice address based on the currently selected address is created. The drop-down list Invoice address changes to Yes. The drop-down list Delivery address changes to No.
Note: In order to create a new address with a new ID, changes have to be made to the data fields of the new invoice address.

Derive new delivery address

This function is only available if it is an existing address data record.
By clicking on , a new delivery address based on the currently selected address is created. The drop-down list Delivery address changes to Yes. The drop-down list Invoice address changes to No.
Note: In order to create a new address with a new ID, changes have to be made to the data fields of the new delivery address.

New address / Address + ID

Invoice address

Which type does the new address have? Select one of the following options:

  • No (set by default) = The new address is not an invoice address.

  • Yes = The new address is the invoice address.

  • Yes, primary = The new address is the primary invoice address.

When selecting the option Yes, primary, the invoice address will then be shown in the Primary address area in the overview as attach_money Invoice.

Note: If the address is an invoice address (Yes) or a primary invoice address (Yes, primary), but not a delivery address (No), all EU countries are available in the drop-down list Country. Displaying all EU countries and not only the countries that are activated in the system is required due to the Geoblocking regulation.

Delivery address

Which type does the new address have? Select one of the following options:

  • Yes (set by default) = The new address is the delivery address.

  • No = The new address is not a delivery address.

  • Yes, primary = The new address is the primary delivery address.

When selecting the option Yes, primary, the delivery address will then be shown in the Primary address area in the overview as local_shipping Delivery.

Tip: Click on the following link and note the explanations on the Creating a contact page if the delivery address is a DHL Packstation or DHL post office.

Company (Name 1)

What’s the name of the company?
This is a mandatory field when there is no entry for First name and Last name.

Form of address

Select a form of address from the drop-down list.

First name (Name 2)

What’s the first name of the contact?
This a mandatory field when there is no entry for Company and Last name.

Last name (Name 3)

What’s the last name of the contact?
This is a mandatory field when there is no entry for Company and First name.

Additional information (Name 4)

Do you want to enter any additional information for the contact? Enter the information, e.g. c/ o Mr. John Doe.

Address 1 (Street)
Address 2 (House number)

Enter the street and/or house number.
Street is a mandatory field when there is no entry for House number and Additional address information. House number is a mandatory field when there is no entry for Street and Additional address information.

Address 3 (Additional address information)

Do you want to enter an additional address information? Enter the information, e.g. Apartment 12a.
This is a mandatory field when there is no entry for Street and House number.

Address 4 (Free)

You can enter whatever you want.

Postcode
Town

Enter the postcode, if available, and the town of the contact. Town is a mandatory field.
This data is used for the invoice address, for example. The order of the options Postcode and Town is reversed for certain countries, e.g. Germany.

Country
Region/County

Select the values from the drop-down list.
Important: The drop-down list Region/County is not available for all countries.
Note 1: The country that you saved as default location in the Setup » Client » [Select client] » Settings menu is automatically preselected. You can of course adjust the setting before saving the contact data record.
Note 2: If the address is an invoice address, but not a delivery address, all EU countries are displayed in that list due to the Geoblocking regulation.

Address options

Email

Email address of the contact.

Phone

Telephone number of the contact.

More

VAT number

What’s the contact’s VAT number?

External address ID

Did you save an external address ID?

External customer ID

Did you save an external customer ID?

Entry certificate (Gelangensbestätigung)

An entry certificate is related to the VAT exemption in the context of intra-community supplies. In order to be exempted from paying the value-added tax when sending items in another EU country, sellers have to prove by means of the entry certificate that the items from Germany arrived safely in another participating EU member state.
Enter 0 for active and 1 for not active.

Post number

What’s the contact’s DHL post number?

Personal number

Is a personal number available for the contact?

Age restriction

Is there an age rating for this contact?
Select an option from the drop-down list.

Date of birth

Enter the contact’s date of birth in the format dd.mm.yyyy.

Title

What’s the title of the contact?

Contact person

Do you want to enter an additional contact person?

Buyer reference

Is the recipient of the electronic invoice a public authority of the federal administration? Then, the buyer reference must always be transferred as a mandatory input. You find further information about buyer reference on the website of the federal ministry of the interior and community.

Deleting an address

Click in the line of the address to open the address data record. You can delete it by clicking on Delete (delete) and after confirming the security question.

Not possible to delete addresses that are linked with orders

If the address is linked with an order, you cannot delete the address. An error message appears. However, the relation between address and contact is removed in the background.

4.10. History

When creating the contact data record, the history of a contact is saved. The history includes e.g. how long the contact has been registered and when they have been logged into your plentyShop for the last time and when the last order was generated. This data is automatically updated and cannot be changed.

Looking at the history:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. Click on History on the left side.

  5. Note the explanations about the history in Table 7.

Table 7. History in the contact data record
Setting Explanation

Registered since

Date and time when the contact has first registered.

Updated

Date and time when the data record of the contact has been updated for the last time.

Access type

Account via which the contact has registered.
Regular account = The contact has newly registered in your online shop or the data record has been manually created in the back end.
Guest account = The order came into your system via a marketplace or the contact logged in as a guest into your plentyShop and placed an order.
Note: In general, you can recognise a guest order by the symbol (done) in the Guest column in the overview. If you open the data record of a guest order, you can see in the side navigation on the left in addition the symbol badge and in brackets behind the name the word Guest
Note: When the data record is a guest and has a contact ID, the order came into your system via a marketplace. When the data record is a guest and has no contact ID, the order came into your system via your plentyShop.

Last order

Date and time when the last order was placed. If no order has been placed, No data is displayed in this field.

Last login

Date and time when the contact was logged in for the last time. If the contact was not logged in, No data is displayed in this field.

4.11. Bank details

Here, you can see the contact’s bank details. In total, up to 50 bank data records are shown in this area.
When the contact has more than 2 bank data records, the data is displayed in a table. With a click on Column Configuration (settings) you determine the order of displayed columns and show or hide designated columns.

Click on more_vert to edit or delete the bank details. Click on Reload (refresh) to reload the Bank details area. By clicking on Add new bank details (add), you will be forwarded to a new bank data record and create a new one there.
Note: After saving, the bank data record is given a consecutive ID that cannot be changed. The ID is, however, not consecutive for each contact, but for all bank data records that you create in your system.

Table 8 lists the fields available in the bank data record.

Table 8. Available field in the bank data record
Setting Explanation

IBAN, BIC, Account holder, Account number, Bank code

What are the contact’s bank details?
The fields IBAN and Account holder are mandatory fields.

Bank name, street, postcode and town of the bank

What’s the name and address of the bank?

Country of the bank

Select the country from the drop-down list.
Note: Due to the Geblocking regulation, all EU countries are visible in this list.

SEPA direct debit mandate

By default, the SEPA direct debit mandate is not activated (toggle_off). Therefore, activate the button (toggle_on) as soon as the contact has signed the SEPA direct debit mandate.
Important: This option needs to be selected before pain.008 formats can be retrieved for SEPA payments. How to automatically export SEPA direct debits into a ZIP file using a process to provide your bank with this file is described on the Procedures/control elements page in the Processes user manual area.

SEPA direct debit mandate granted on

Only visible when the option SEPA direct debit mandate has been activated (toggle_on).
The date when the contact agreed to the SEPA direct debit mandate is displayed. As an alternative, you can select the date from the calendar (today).

Type of mandate

Only visible when the option SEPA direct debit mandate has been activated (toggle_on).
Select an option from the drop-down list:
SEPA business to business direct debit = Enables business customers (B2B) in the role of payers to make payments by direct debit.
SEPA core direct debit = Allows a biller to collect funds from a payer’s account, provided that a signed mandate has been granted by the payer to the biller.

Payment frequency

Only visible when the option SEPA direct debit mandate has been activated (toggle_on).
Select an option from the drop-down list:
One-time payment = Is typically used for standard orders.
Recurring payment = Is typically used for regularly occurring orders such as subscription orders, etc.

4.12. Company

Here, you can see the company assigned to the contact or you can assign a company to the contact.

4.12.1. No company has been linked yet

If no company has been assigned to the contact, you have 2 options:

  • In the search field Search company, enter the name of a company that already exists and click afterwards on Create link (domain_add) to assign the selected company to the contact (see Figure 5).

  • Click on Add new company (add) to create a new company that will then be automatically linked with the contact.

For further information about how to create company data records, refer to the Companies page.

4.12.2. Company has already been linked

4.12.2.1. Editing the company

Click in the line of the company to open the company data record in the CRM » Companies menu and edit the company details.

4.12.2.2. Deleting the relation to the company

In the line of the company, click on more_vert and then on delete Delete relation to company to remove the relation between contact and company.

By clicking on Add new company (add), a new window opens in which you add a new company. After you have filled all the fields in the new company data record and saved the settings, the contact will be automatically assigned to the company.
Important: The relation to the previously saved company will be removed.

After you have reloaded the contact data record, the new company will be visible in the overview.
Important: The relation to the previously saved company will be removed.

4.12.3. Configuring the columns in the company overview

Click on Configure columns (settings) on the top right and decide which columns to show in the Company area. Click on drag_indicator to change the order of the columns with drag-and-drop. The following columns are available:

  • ID

  • Name

  • VAT number

  • Valuta in days

  • Early payment discount in days

  • Percentage for early payment discount

  • Payment due date in days

  • Delivery time in days

  • Minimum order value

  • Currency

  • Owner

  • Procedure

4.13. Payment overview

Here, you can see all the revenues of the contact, for example the total sum of the invoice amounts of all invoices that the contact has already paid and the sum that the contact still needs to pay. Proceed as follows to have the payment overview of the contact displayed.

Displaying the payment overview:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. On the left side, click on Payment overview.
    → All data that is available for the account of the contact is displayed.

  5. Note Table 9 and Table 10.

The revenues of the contact are displayed in detail above the table. Apart from the balance, you can also find information about invoices and credit notes. Note Table 9. You can also go directly to the AR list by clicking on Open AR list (open_in_new).

Table 9. Amounts in the payment overview of a contact
Setting Explanation

Balance

Shows the customer’s payment overview.
+ = Total of the contact’s outstanding payments.
- = Total of payments that still have to be paid to the contact if the contact has paid too much or if a credit note still has to be paid out.
0,00 = No outstanding amounts.

Credit note amounts ÷ invoice amounts

Ratio of credit notes to the invoices.
0.00 % means that no credit note has been paid out to the customer yet.
100 % means that every amount paid by the customer has been paid back in form of credit notes.

Paid

Total sum of the invoice amounts of all invoices that the contact has already paid.

Outstanding

Total sum of the invoice amounts of all orders that the contact still has to pay.

Credit notes paid

Total sum of credit notes that you have already paid to the contact.

Credit notes outstanding

Total sum of credit notes that you still have to pay to the contact.

Further down in the table of the Payment overview you find orders with the type Order, Return, Credit note, Warranty, Repair and Advance order of the contact. The table rows Payment status, Outstanding and Payment due date each refer to the individual order type.
If a payment for the order type Order is listed in the Outstanding column, the contact still has to pay the amount to you. If a payment for the order type Credit note is listed in the Outstanding column, you still have to pay this amount to the contact.

This table is customisable. This means that you can decide which information is displayed in the table columns. To do so, proceed as follows:

Configuring columns:

  1. Click in the Payment overview area on Configure columns (settings).
    → The Column configuration window will open.

  2. Select which columns you want to be displayed. Note Table 10.

  3. Move (drag_indicator) the columns so they are displayed in the order you need them in.

  4. Click on Confirm to save your settings.

Once you have customized the table, this selection will be saved. A list of the available columns can be found in Table 10.

Table 10. Information in the Payment overview area of the contact data record
Setting Explanation

Payment status colour

Depicts the payment status by colours:
Green = The order is paid or overpaid.
Orange = The order is only partially paid.
Red = The order is not paid yet and payment is overdue.
Note: Cancelled orders are not highlighted by a colour because no payment status has to be displayed for them.

Order type

Type of the order, for example order or credit note.

Order ID

ID of the order. Click on the ID to open the detailed view of the order.

Order date

Date when the order was created.

Order status

Status of the order, for example Waiting for payment.

Payment method

Payment method of the order.

Document no.

Document number, e.g. invoice number, of the current main document of the order.

Payment due date

Date on which payment is due for the order To have a payment due date displayed here, the payment terms of the corresponding order have to be filled in and an invoice has to be created.

Gross order value

Gross value of the order.

Outstanding

Remaining amount that is due before the order is completely paid for.

Payment status

Shows the payment status of the order.
Outstanding = The whole amount is still open.
Prepaid = The amount has been paid in advance, either in full or partially.
Partly paid = The amount has been partially paid.
Paid = The amount has been paid in full.
Overpaid = It has been paid more than the outstanding amount.

Filtering data

You can use various filters to retrieve specific information about your contact’s payment overview. Set these filters (tune) in the payment overview of a contact and click on search. You can combine several filters. The filter settings are explained in the table below.

Table 11. Filter settings in the Payment overview area of the contact data record
Setting Explanation

Order ID

Search for a specific order by entering an order ID.

Order type

Narrow down the orders by searching for a specific order type.
Available order types: Order, Repair, Credit note, Warranty, Repair und Advance order.

Order date from and Order date to

You can set a time range, for example to have only the data of the current month displayed. To do so, select the dates from the calendar (today) to narrow down the time range or enter the dates in the format dd.mm.yyyy.

Status from and Status to

Use this filter to search for orders with a specific order status or in a status range. Set both filters to the same status to search for orders with this order status. Alternatively, you can enter different order statuses to search for orders in this selected status range.

Document no.

Search for a specific order by entering a document number.

Payment status

Search for all orders in a specific payment status. For example, you can search for all orders which are only partially paid. The payment statuses unpaid, prepaid, partly paid, paid and overpaid are available.

RESET

Resets the selected filter criteria.

SEARCH

Starts the search. The account data found is listed in the overview.

4.14. Contact notes

The Contact notes area serves only for internal communication purposes. All notes that you create here are thus only internally visible and cannot be seen by your contacts.

In the messenger the group Contact notes is available to you that gives you access to all notes saved to the contact data records. For further information about the Messenger groups, refer to this user manual page.

4.15. Messenger

In the Messenger area, you can see all messages that belong to the contact. You can whisper messages so that they are only internally visible and not for your customers. You can send messages and you can capture minutes for the message and save these minutes as free minutes or paid minutes.

Click on the already created message to open the conversation in the messenger. You can carry out further settings there. For further information, refer to the Messenger page.

4.15.1. Whispering a message

Proceed as described below to whisper a message.

Whispering a message:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. On the left side, click on Messenger.

  5. Click on New message (add).
    → The messenger opens.

  6. Select one ore multiple recipients.
    Note: The ID of the contact is already prefilled as recipient. This way, the email will be sent to the email address that is saved in the invoice address.

  7. Enter more recipients, if needed.

  8. Enter a subject.

  9. Enter the text.
    → Double-click on the word to use formatting options for your message.

  10. Click on attach_file Add attachments to add a file, if needed.

  11. Click on visibility_off WHISPER to whisper the message.

4.15.2. Sending a message

Proceed as described below to send a message.

Sending a message:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. On the left side, click on Messenger.

  5. Click on New message (add).
    → The messenger opens.

  6. Select one ore multiple recipients.
    Note: The ID of the contact is already prefilled as recipient. This way, the email will be sent to the email address that is saved in the invoice address.

  7. Enter more recipients, if needed.

  8. Enter a subject.

  9. Enter the text.
    → Double-click on the word to use formatting options for your message.

  10. Click on attach_file Add attachments to add a file, if needed.

  11. Click on visibility_off Whisper mode to switch off the whisper mode.
    Note: The button changes from visibility_off WHISPER to forward_to_inbox SEND.

  12. Click on forward_to_inbox SEND to send the message.

4.15.3. Capturing minutes for the message

Proceed as described below to capture minutes for the message. You can then decide whether the minutes are free minutes or paid minutes.

Capturing minutes is only possible for whispered messages.

Capturing minutes for the message:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. On the left side, click on Messenger.

  5. Click on New message (add).
    → The messenger opens.

  6. Select one ore multiple recipients.
    Note: The ID of the contact is already prefilled as recipient. This way, the email will be sent to the email address that is saved in the invoice address.

  7. Enter more recipients, if needed.

  8. Enter a subject.

  9. Enter the text.
    → Double-click on the word to use formatting options for your message.

  10. Click on attach_file Add attachments to add a file, if needed.

  11. Click on more_vert and then activate (toggle_on) the option Capture minutes.
    Note: The button changes to visibility_off CAPTURE MINUTES.

  12. Click on visibility_off CAPTURE MINUTES to capture the minutes for the message.
    → The Capture minutes window opens.

  13. Adjust the minutes, if necessary.

  14. Select (radio_button_checked) whether the minutes are Free minutes or Paid minutes.

  15. Assign tags to the message, if needed.

  16. Click on CAPTURE AND SAVE.

4.16. Options

Here, you can see all options that are saved for the contact. When you open the contact data record, this area is opened by default and the available data is loaded.

Click on Add option (add) to add more options. To do so, select the appropriate option from the context menus and sub-menus. Options that are already in use are disabled and cannot be used a second time. Click on delete to directly delete the option.

Adding contact options:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.

  4. Click on Options on the left side.
    → If you have already entered the private email address and private telephone number of the contact when you created the contact data record, these values will be shown here.

  5. Click on Add option (add) to add a new contact option.

  6. Select the option that you want to add from the context menus and sub-menus.
    → Options that are already in use are disabled and cannot be used a second time.

  7. Add more options following this procedure.

  8. In the toolbar on the top, click on Save (save).

Direct link for default phone app and default email programme

Next to the phone number, click on Call number (phone) to open the default phone app on your computer and directly call the contact. Next to the email address, click on Send email (mail) to open the default email programme on your computer and directly write an email to the contact.

Deleting an option

Simply delete those options that you do no longer need by clicking on delete.
Note: warning When clicking on delete, the option will be directly deleted without another security question.

Would you like to know which types and sub-types are available in the options? Simply expand the following area (expand_more).

Available types and sub-types in the contact options
Type Sub-type

Phone

Private
Note: Next to the phone number, click on Call number (phone) to open the default phone app on your computer and directly call the contact under the number that is saved here.

Phone

Work
Note: Next to the phone number, click on Call number (phone) to open the default phone app on your computer and directly call the contact under the number that is saved here.

Phone

Mobile private
Note: Next to the phone number, click on Call number (phone) to open the default phone app on your computer and directly call the contact under the number that is saved here.

Phone

Mobile work
Note: Next to the phone number, click on Call number (phone) to open the default phone app on your computer and directly call the contact under the number that is saved here.

Email

Private
Note: If you save both a private and a business email address, the private email address has priority over the business email address.
Note: Next to the email address, click on Send email (mail) to open the default email programme on your computer and directly write an email to the contact.

Email

Work
Note: If you save both a private and a business email address, the private email address has priority over the business email address.
Note: Next to the email address, click on Send email (mail) to open the default email programme on your computer and directly write an email to the contact.

Email

PayPal

Fax

Private

Fax

Work

Web page

Private

Web page

Work

Marketplace

eBay

Marketplace

Amazon

Identification number

Klarna

Identification number

DHL

Payment

PayPal

Payment

Klarna

Payment

Standard

Payment

Mollie

User name

Private

User name

Work

User name

Forum

Group

Forum

Access

Guest

Access

Marketplace partner

Addition

Contact person

Addition

Follow-up date

Salutation

Private

Salutation

Work

4.17. Quick access: Addresses

In the place Addresses area, you can see all addresses that you opened in the Addresses area for this contact. Moreover, click on place New to easily and quickly create a new address for the contact.

This area is only visible when you either added the area Addresses or Primary address to your view.

4.18. Quick access: Bank details

In the Bank details area, you can see all bank data records that you opened in the Bank details area for this contact. Moreover, click on credit_card New to easily and quickly create a new bank data record for this contact.

This area is only visible when added the area Bank details to your view.

4.19. Copying the contact ID to the clipboard

In the side navigation on the bottom left, click on the ID of the contact (content_copy) to copy the contact ID to the clipboard.

5. Saving changes in the contact data record

When you make changes to the contact data record, an asterisk appears in the left navigation bar next to the contact’s name and ID. The asterisk indicates unsaved changes.

If you try to close a contact data record with unsaved changes, a window will appear. It informs you of the unsaved changes. You decide how to proceed in this case.

The asterisk disappears when you save your changes or when you reset the settings to their original values.

Table 12. Saving changes in the contact data record
Option Explanation

Do not save

The changes will be discarded and the contact data record will close. If you open the contact data record again, you will see that the settings were reset to their original state.

Cancel

Only the window will close. The contact data record remains open. Your changes are still pending, i.e. they have not been saved yet. You can continue editing the contact data record.

Save

The changes will be saved and the contact data record will close. If you open the contact data record again, you will see that the settings were changed. This action is the same as the save button further up in the toolbar. The save button is disabled as long as the changes are being saved.

6. Deleting a contact

You can delete individual contact data records either from the overview or in the detail view of the contact data record. Also all addresses that are saved for the contact will be deleted when they are not linked to an order. A contact data record can only be deleted when it is not linked with an order or a ticket.

When linked to an order or ticket: anonymise data record

When the contact is linked with an order or a ticket or when the contact is a supplier who is linked with a reorder or redistribution, it is not possible to delete the data record.
In this case, you have, however, the possibility to anonymise the data record. How to proceed, is described in the Anonymising a data record chapter.

6.1. Deleting the contact in the overview

Proceed as follows to delete a contact in the overview.

Deleting the contact in the overview:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. In the line of the contact that you want to delete, click on more_vert.
    → A list with further options appears.

  4. Click on delete Delete contact.
    → A window appears and you need to confirm your decision.

  5. Click on Yes.
    → The contact is deleted and removed from the overview.

6.2. Deleting the contact in the detail view

Proceed as follows to delete a contact in the detail view.

Deleting the contact in the detail view:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contact that you want to edit by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Click in the line of the contact to open the data record.
    → The detail view of the contact opens.

  4. In the toolbar on the top, click on more_vert.

  5. Click on delete Delete.
    → A window appears and you need to confirm your decision.

  6. Click on Yes.
    → The contact is deleted and removed from the overview.

Delete addresses without orders, contacts, POS and warehouses (guest accounts)

Go to Setup » Settings » Hosting » Cleansing and determine the time period after which unused addresses are automatically deleted from your system. Unused addresses are those addresses that do not have any relation to a contact, an order, a POS and a warehouse.

For further information about deleting unused data records, refer to the Data cleansing page of the manual.

7. Carrying out the group function

Instead of editing every contact individually, you can save time and edit multiple contacts at the same time by using the group function. Once you selected (check_box) at least one contact in the overview, the different buttons become visible. [table-contact-group-functions] lists the elements from the group functions as well as their explanations.

Group function
Figure 6. Group function
Table 13. Group function in the overview

Element

Symbol

Explanation

Download address label

print

Downloads the address label selected from the drop-down list for all activated (check_box) contacts in the overview.
Important: The address label template has to be created in the Setup » Orders » Documents » Address label menu in advance. Whether the primary invoice address or the primary delivery address of the contact is printed, depends on the setting in the address label template.
Tip: You can find a detailed description on how to download the address labels using the group function in this chapter.

Send email template

email

Sends the template selected from the drop-down list to all activated (check_box) contacts.
Important: First, you have to create the email template in the EmailBuilder in the CRM » EmailBuilder menu.

Important: The email template that you send via the group function has no relation to an order. Therefore, make sure that the email template does not contain any order-related variables.

Tip: You can find a detailed description on how to send email templates using the group function in this chapter.

Add to newsletter folder

post_add

Copies the email addresses of the activated (check_box) contacts to the email folder selected from the drop-down list. The email addresses are listed in the Setup » CRM » Newsletter » PlentyONE » Email folder menu.
Tip: You can find a detailed description on how to add email addresses to a newsletter folder using the group function in this chapter.

Add tags

label

Adds the selected tags to all activated (check_box) contacts. The list shows all tags that you created in the Setup » Settings » Tags menu for the Contact area.
This function is behind the context menu more_vert.
Tip: You can find a detailed description on how to add tags using the group function in this chapter.

Change class

manage_accounts

Changes the current class of all activated (check_box) contacts to the selected class. The lists shows all classes that you created.
This function is behind the context menu more_vert.
Tip: You can find a detailed description on how to change the customer class using the group function in this chapter.

Change language

translate

Changes the current language of all activated (check_box) contacts to the selected language.
This function is behind the context menu more_vert.
Tip: You can find a detailed description on how to change the language using the group function in this chapter.

Change owner

person

Changes the current owner of all activated (check_box) contacts to the selected owner.
This function is behind the context menu more_vert.
Tip: You can find a detailed description on how to change the owner using the group function in this chapter.

Change rating

star

Changes the current rating of all activated (check_box) contacts to the selected rating.
This function is behind the context menu more_vert.
Tip: You can find a detailed description on how to change the rating using the group function in this chapter.

Change customer type

category

Changes the current customer type of all activated (check_box) contacts to the selected customer type.
This function is behind the context menu more_vert.
Tip: You can find a detailed description on how to change the customer type using the group function in this chapter.

Delete

delete

Deletes the activated (check_box) contact data records.
This function is behind the context menu more_vert.
Tip: You can find a detailed description on how to delete multiple contact data records using the group function in this chapter.

7.1. Downloading address labels of multiple contacts

Proceed as described below to download the address label for multiple contacts using the group function.

Downloading address labels of multiple contacts:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contacts by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Select (check_box) the contacts whose address labels you want to download.

  4. In the toolbar on the top, click on Download address label (print).
    → The Download address label window opens.

  5. Select the address label from the drop-down list.

  6. Click on print Download address label.
    → The address labels of the selected contacts will be downloaded.
    → Save the label on your computer and print it afterwards.

7.2. Sending an email template to multiple contacts

Proceed as follows to send an email template to several contacts via group function.

Sending an email template to multiple contacts:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contacts by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Select (check_box) the contacts that you want to send an email template to.

  4. Click in the toolbar on the top on Send email template (email).
    → The Email service window opens.

  5. In the Recipient field you see all chosen chosen (check_box) contacts that will receive the email templates in the overview.

  6. Use filter if necessary. Note the explanations about the filters in the Filter options in the email service chapter.

  7. Select the email template.

  8. Click on send SEND.
    → The email template is sent to the selected contacts.

7.3. Adding multiple email addresses to a newsletter folder

Proceed as described below to add the email addresses of multiple contacts to a newsletter folder using the group function.

Adding multiple email addresses to a newsletter folder:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contacts by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Select (check_box) the contacts whose email addresses you want to add to a certain newsletter folder.

  4. In the toolbar, click on Add to newsletter folder (post_add).
    → The Add to newsletter folder window opens.

  5. Select the newsletter folder from the drop-down list.

  6. Click on post_add Add to newsletter folder.
    → The email addresses of the selected contacts are added to the newsletter folder.

7.4. Adding tags to multiple contacts

Proceed as described below to assign tags to multiple contact data records.

Adding tags to multiple contacts:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contacts by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Select (check_box) the contacts which you want to assign one or multiple tags to.

  4. In the toolbar, click on more_vert.

  5. Click on label Add tags.
    → The Add tags window opens.

  6. Select one or multiple tags from the list.

  7. Click on label Add tags.
    → The tags are added to the selected contacts.

7.5. Changing the class for multiple contacts

Proceed as described below to change the class for multiple contact data records.

Changing the class for multiple contacts:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contacts by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Select (check_box) the contacts that you want to change the class for.

  4. In the toolbar, click on more_vert.

  5. Click on manage_accounts Change class.
    → The Change class window opens.

  6. Select the class from the list.

  7. Click on manage_accounts Change class.
    → The class is changed for the selected contacts.

7.6. Changing the language for multiple contacts

Proceed as described below to change the language for multiple contact data records.

Changing the language for multiple contacts:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contacts by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Select (check_box) the contacts that you want to change the language for.

  4. In the toolbar, click on more_vert.

  5. Click on translate Change language.
    → The Change language window opens.

  6. Select a language from the list.

  7. Click on translate Change language.
    → The language is changed for the selected contacts.

7.7. Changing the owner for multiple contacts

Proceed as described below to change the owner for multiple contact data records.

Changing the owner for multiple contacts:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contacts by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Select (check_box) the contacts that you want to change the owner for.

  4. In the toolbar, click on more_vert.

  5. Click on person Change owner.
    → The Change owner window opens.

  6. Select the owner from the list.

  7. Click on person Change owner.
    → The owner is changed for the selected contacts.

7.8. Changing the rating for multiple contacts

Proceed as described below to change the rating for multiple contact data records.

Changing the rating for multiple contacts:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contacts by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Select (check_box) the contacts that you want to change the rating for.

  4. In the toolbar, click on more_vert.

  5. Click on star Change rating.
    → The Change rating window opens.

  6. Select the rating from the list.

  7. Click on star Change rating.
    → The rating is changed for the selected contacts.

7.9. Changing the customer type for multiple contacts

Proceed as described below to change the customer type for multiple contact data records.

Changing the customer type for multiple contacts:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contacts by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Select (check_box) the contacts that you want to change the customer type for.

  4. In the toolbar, click on more_vert.

  5. Click on category Change customer type.
    → The Change customer type window opens.

  6. Select the customer type from the list.

  7. Click on category Change customer type.
    → The customer type is changed for the selected contacts.

7.10. Deleting multiple contact data records

Proceed as described below to delete multiple contact data records.

Deleting multiple contact data records:

  1. Go to CRM » Contacts.

  2. Search for the contacts by means of the filter settings. Note the explanations about the filters on the Searching for a contact page.
    → The contacts that correspond to the search criteria entered are displayed.

  3. Select (check_box) the contacts that you want to delete.

  4. In the toolbar at the top, click on more_vert and then on Delete (delete).
    → A security question will follow.

  5. Confirm your decision by clicking on delete Delete.

8. Duplicate check for contact data records with identical email address

When creating new and updating existing contact data records, the email address is checked in order to avoid duplicate entries in the system.

The logic works in the following way:

  • When creating a new contact, the system searches for an existing regular contact with identical private email address. If a contact is found, this contact is updated with the new data. If no contact is found, a new regular contact is created.

  • When updating the private email address of an existing regular contact, the system searches if another regular contact with the same private email address exists. If this is the case, the private email address of the current contact is not updated. All other data, however, is updated.

9. Showing the change history for contact data

Via the change history you can track which user has changed data of a contact data record at which time in your system. Furthermore, it is displayed if the contact have made changes in the My account area of your online shop.

Showing the change history for contact data:

  1. Go to Data » CRM Change History.

  2. Click on tune.

  3. Select an option from the drop-down list Reference type.

  4. Enter the reference ID, e.g. the ID of the contact.

  5. Click on search.
    → A list of changes with the old and new values, the change date as well as the name and ID of the user who did the changes appears.

For further information, refer to the CRM Change history chapter on the Tracking changes page.

10. Checking the VAT number

The value added tax identification number (VAT number) is an exclusive identification number and serves to designate VAT registered individuals. Within the EU, tax offices need this number for VAT accounting purposes. The VAT check via the European Commission allows you to verify German and international VAT numbers. These checks can be carried out daily from 5:00 a.m. to 11 p.m. CET.

Checking the VAT number in the PlentyONE back end is not possible. You can, however, download a plugin in the plentyMarketplace, e.g. the plugin VAT ID Check to carry out the VAT ID check.

10.1. Checking the VAT number in the plentyShop

The VAT number is automatically checked in the plentyShop during the order process. If an invalid VAT number was entered, the customer is only able to complete their order once a valid VAT number has been entered or once the entry has been deleted.

10.2. Exporting check data

You can export a list of all the check data or the data for the current month. For further information about exporting the VAT number check data, refer to the Exporting data page.

11. Exporting, importing and updating contact data

Go to Data » Elastic export to export the data of your contacts. To do so, it is required to install and deploy the plugins FormatDesigner and Elastic Export. Both plugins are available in the plentyMarketplace.

Create the format for the export in the Data » FormatDesigner menu. Create a new export in the Data » Elastic export menu. Select the format that you have just created via the FormatDesigner from the drop-down list. Afterwards, export the data to a CSV file.

Various filter options are available for the export. You can export, for example, only contacts that you have rated with 3 stars or only contacts that are assigned to a certain owner.

Import or update the data of your contacts including address options, contact options and account data via the import tool. To do so, use the import type Contacts, companies and addresses. For further information, refer to the Using the import tool page of the manual.