Configuring Contacts and Companies in Bitrix24 CRM
Contacts and companies are the client database directory in Bitrix24. Without proper configuration the database turns into a mess: duplicates, incomplete records, different managers creating the same company under different names. Configuring fields, creation rules, and access rights resolves these problems.
Structure: Contact vs. Company
Company — a legal entity or organization. Fields: name, tax ID, address, industry, number of employees.
Contact — an individual. Fields: name, position, phone, email.
Relationship: one contact can be linked to one or several companies. A company has multiple contacts. Deals are linked to a contact and/or company.
For B2B: it is essential to use both companies and contacts — so that when a project contact at a company changes, the full history remains in the company card.
For B2C: companies are often not needed. Contacts linked directly to deals are sufficient.
Custom Fields
Standard fields are rarely enough. For B2B companies, typical additions include:
- Tax ID (for identification and 1C integration).
- Industry (list — for segmentation).
- Company size (number of employees / revenue).
- Client source (how they found out about the company).
- Client type (partner, dealer, end buyer).
CRM → Settings → Custom Fields → Companies → "Add field".
For contacts:
- Preferred contact method (list: call / email / messenger).
- Birthday (for congratulations).
- Telegram / WhatsApp / VKontakte (messengers — not only via the standard "Phone" field).
- Role in decision-making (list: decision maker, influencer, user).
Card Configuration
CRM → Settings → Contact card / Company card.
In the card builder:
- Drag fields into the desired order.
- Create sections (tabs): "Basic information", "Financial data", "Marketing".
- Specify required fields — those without which the card cannot be saved.
Rule: the first screen of the card should contain only what the manager needs daily. Rarely used fields go into a separate section or tab.
Duplicates: Search and Rule Configuration
Duplication is the main problem with client databases. Bitrix24 finds duplicates by:
- Phone number.
- Email.
- Company name (fuzzy match).
Configuration: CRM → Settings → CRM Settings → "Duplicate control".
Modes:
- Block duplicate creation — a contact with an already-existing phone number cannot be saved. Strict, but reliable.
- Warning — the manager sees "Possible duplicate" and decides themselves.
- Disabled — duplicates are created freely (not recommended).
For companies, checking by tax ID is the most reliable option. Add the tax ID as a system identifier via a custom field + configure a uniqueness check via crm.company.list at creation (via robots or business processes).
Segmentation and Tags
Tags on contacts and companies are a simple segmentation method without complex fields. Added manually or automatically via robots.
Filtering by tags is available in the contacts/companies list. For mailings — the segment "All contacts with tag 'VIP'" can be exported and used in Bitrix24 Email Marketing.
For complex segmentation — "Segments" in the marketing module. A segment is built on conditions: contact/company fields + deal history + activities. For example: "Companies from Kyiv, with revenue > 100M, without deals in the last 6 months".
Access Rights
CRM → Settings → Access Rights → Contacts / Companies.
Typical configuration:
- Manager: views and edits their own contacts, views (but does not edit) others'.
- Department head: full access to their department's records.
- Marketer: view all contacts, no delete permission.
Important: it is better to restrict the "Delete" permission — accidentally deleting a contact with a deal history is difficult to undo. Even for managers, "Deactivate" is better than full deletion.
Telephony Integration
On an incoming call, Bitrix24 searches for the number in the contacts database. If found — it opens the card. If not — it suggests creating a new contact or lead.
For correct operation, phone numbers in contacts must be stored in a unified format. Bitrix24 normalises numbers when saving, but imported data may be in different formats (+7, 8, 7 without the plus). Before telephony integration — bring all phone numbers to a unified format via bulk update.
| Setting | Priority |
|---|---|
| Custom fields for the business | High |
| Duplicate rules (block) | High |
| Required fields in card | Medium |
| Access rights | High |
| Tags and segments | As needed |