ShingleAI provides three ways to organize the people and companies you work with: Contacts, Customers, and Businesses. Each serves a different purpose, and understanding when to use each will help you get the most from the platform.
Overview
| Type | What It Represents | Example |
|---|
| Contact | An individual person | John Smith, jane@example.com |
| Customer | A business relationship with a person | John Smith as a buyer |
| Business | A company or organization | Acme Corporation |
| Field | Description |
|---|
| Name | First and last name |
| Company | Where they work (optional) |
| Job title | Their role (optional) |
| Emails | One or more email addresses with labels (work, personal) |
| Phone numbers | One or more phone numbers with country codes |
| Addresses | Physical addresses with labels |
| Notes | Free-form notes about the contact |
| Picture | Profile photo (optional) |
- Manually - Click Add Contact in the Contacts section
- From messages - Click a sender’s name in an email to create a contact
- Via API - Use the Contacts API to create contacts programmatically
- Multiple emails/phones - A single contact can have several email addresses and phone numbers
- Labels - Categorize emails and phones (e.g., “work”, “personal”, “mobile”)
- Message history - See all communications with a contact in one place
- Search - Find contacts by name, email, phone, or company
Contacts are automatically linked to messages based on email addresses. When you receive an email, ShingleAI checks if the sender matches an existing contact.
Customers
A customer represents a business relationship with a person. While a contact is just a person in your address book, a customer indicates they have a commercial relationship with you.
When to Use Customers
Use customers when you want to track:
- People who have purchased from you
- Ongoing client relationships
- Sales pipeline contacts
- Anyone with transaction history
Customer Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|
| Type | The type of customer relationship |
| Email | Primary contact email |
| Phone | Primary contact phone |
| Status | Active, inactive, prospect, etc. |
| Customer since | When the relationship started |
| Notes | Relationship notes |
Customer Transactions
Customers can have transactions associated with them—records of purchases, payments, or other financial events.
| Transaction Field | Description |
|---|
| Amount | Transaction value |
| Currency | USD, EUR, etc. |
| Status | Completed, pending, refunded |
| Date | When the transaction occurred |
Businesses
A business represents a company or organization. Businesses help you track company-level information separate from individual contacts.
What Businesses Store
| Category | Information |
|---|
| Profile | Name, industry, description |
| Offerings | Products or services the business provides |
| Online presence | Website, social media profiles |
| Physical locations | Office addresses, stores |
Business Relationships
Businesses can be connected to:
- Contacts - People who work at the business
- Customers - Customer records associated with the business
This lets you see both the company-level view and individual relationships.
How They Work Together
Here’s a practical example of how contacts, customers, and businesses relate:
Business: Acme Corporation
├── Contact: John Smith (Sales Manager)
│ └── Customer: John Smith (purchased in 2024)
├── Contact: Jane Doe (CEO)
└── Contact: Bob Wilson (Support)
- Acme Corporation is tracked as a business with its company information
- John, Jane, and Bob are contacts (individuals)
- John is also a customer because he’s made purchases
Choosing the Right Type
Use Contacts for everyone. Every person you communicate with should be a contact.
Use Customers for buyers. When someone makes a purchase or becomes a client, create a customer record.
Use Businesses for companies. When you need to track company-level information, create a business.
