Contact Ownership

Overview #

Contact ownership assigns responsibility for contacts to team members and controls who can view or edit them. Owners receive notifications and manage follow-ups for their assigned contacts.

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How Ownership Works #

Automatic Assignment

• Manual creation: Owner = Creator
• Form submission: Unassigned (or per integration rules)
• API: Specified user or explicit contact_owner field

Owner Field

• Purpose: Assigns responsibility for contacts
• Values: WordPress user or unassigned

Ownership States

Assigned: Has owner, visibility depends on view scope
Unassigned: contact_owner = null, visible to all, available for claiming

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View & Update Scopes #

View Scope

Controls which contacts users can see:

• All: See all contacts (Managers, Admins)
• Owned: See only owned + unassigned contacts (Sales reps, Support)

Update Scope

Controls which contacts users can edit:

• All: Edit any contact (Managers, Admins)
• Owned: Edit only owned contacts (Sales reps, Support)

Configuration: Role Manager → Permissions

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Best Practices #

For Managers

• Set clear ownership rules (territories, claiming process)
• Monitor unassigned contacts regularly
• Balance workload across team
• Use “view all” permission for oversight

For Team Members

• Claim contacts promptly
• Reassign if unable to follow up
• Respect team ownership protocols

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Common Scenarios #

Round-Robin: Form submissions → unassigned → team claims from pool
Territory-Based: Assign by location, “owned only” view per territory
Skill-Based: Tag-based claiming or auto-assignment
Manager Oversight: Manager (view all), Reps (view owned only)

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Troubleshooting #

Can’t see contact: “View owned only” setting and contact owned by another → Ask manager to reassign or change scope

Can’t edit contact: “Update owned only” setting and not owner → Ask for reassignment or scope change

Can’t claim: Contact already assigned or missing create permission → Verify unassigned status and permissions

Can’t reassign: Missing reassign permission or don’t own contact → Request permission or manager assistance