# Customer Contacts

Master data for identifying and matching customer contacts or contact persons on a document.

For RFQs and orders, the channel can use a second contact list: the internal contacts, i.e. your own employees whom customers name as contact person on the document (e.g. from internal sales). Both lists have the same structure. Which document type uses which list is described under [Which document type uses which list](/en/docs/master-data.md#listen-pro-dokumenttyp).

## Column Description

> **Required:** Workist cannot use the record without this column. **Recommended:** significantly improves recognition. The import itself does not check columns: if a column is missing, the field stays empty.

| # | Field Name | Status | Description |
|---|----------|--------|--------------|
| 1 | `contact_id` | <span class="status-required">Required</span> | Primary contact number |
| 2 | `first_name` | <span class="status-recommended">Recommended</span> | First name. Workist recognises contacts mainly by their name. |
| 3 | `last_name` | <span class="status-recommended">Recommended</span> | Last name |
| 4 | `phone` | <span class="status-optional">Optional</span> | Landline phone number |
| 5 | `mobile_phone` | <span class="status-optional">Optional</span> | Mobile phone number |
| 6 | `email` | <span class="status-optional">Optional</span> | Email address |
| 7 | `partition_id` | <span class="status-optional">Optional</span> | `client_id1` of the customer the contact belongs to. Workist then only chooses among this customer's contacts, which significantly increases the recognition rate. Workist offers contacts without a `partition_id` for every customer. |
| 8 | `extra_data` | <span class="status-optional">Optional</span> | Additional information as a JSON object, e.g. `{"Brand": "Sample"}`. Workist stores it with the record and shows it in the data explorer. By default, Workist does not use it for recognition. |

The import configuration always shows `partition_id`, `first_name` and `last_name` as rows marked with `*`. The import does not check these columns; without a `partition_id`, the contact applies to all customers.

## Format

> Columns that are not needed can be omitted from the data export.

Example file name: `contact_list.csv`

```csv
contact_id;first_name;last_name;phone;mobile_phone;email;partition_id
C001;Max;Mustermann;0123/456789-89;+49 151 23456789;max.mustermann@muster.de;K001
C002;Erika;Beispiel;0321/689371-56;+49 160 7654321;erika.beispiel@beispiel.de;K002
C003;Hans;Test;;;hans.test@test.de;K003
```

The example uses `;` as delimiter. Set the delimiter in the [import configuration](/en/docs/master-data/transformer-configuration.md); without a setting, Workist expects a comma.

Via the API you send the same columns as a CSV file or as JSON. Endpoint: [Swagger](https://api.workist.com/v1/swagger/#/Master%20Data/contacts_imports_create), basics: [Using the Master Data API](/en/docs/api-documentation/master-data-api.md).