Searching Contacts

PloverCRM’s powerful search functionality helps you quickly find contacts using various criteria. Whether you’re looking for a specific person or a group of contacts matching certain conditions, the search system makes it fast and easy.

Overview #

Search capabilities include:

• Quick text search across all fields
• Advanced multi-field search
• Custom field search
• Combined search with filters
• Saved search queries
• API-based search

Quick Search #

Basic Text Search #

The simplest way to find contacts:

1. Navigate to PloverCRM → Contacts
2. Enter search term in the search box (top right)
3. Press Enter or click Search
4. Results appear instantly

What Gets Searched:

• Email addresses
• First names
• Last names
• Phone numbers
• All custom fields (if configured)

Example Searches:

john          → Finds all Johns
@example.com  → Finds all contacts <span class="hljs-built_in">from</span> example.com domain
<span class="hljs-number">555</span><span class="hljs-number">-0123</span>      → Finds contacts <span class="hljs-keyword">with</span> this phone <span class="hljs-built_in">number</span>
Acme          → Finds contacts <span class="hljs-keyword">with</span> <span class="hljs-string">"Acme"</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">any</span> field

Search Behavior #

Case-Insensitive:

• “john” finds “John”, “JOHN”, “john”
• No need to match exact capitalization

Partial Matching:

• “john” finds “John”, “Johnson”, “Johnathan”
• Searches within words, not just at start

Multiple Words:

• “john doe” searches for contacts with both “john” AND “doe”
• Order doesn’t matter

Special Characters:

• Searches work with @, +, -, etc.
• Email format: [email protected]
• Phone format: +1-555-0123

Advanced Search #

Multi-Field Search #

Search specific fields for more precise results:

Access Advanced Search:

1. Go to PloverCRM → Contacts
2. Click Advanced Search (or expand search panel)
3. Configure search criteria
4. Click Search

Available Search Fields:

Standard Fields:

• Email
• First Name
• Last Name
• Phone
• City
• State
• Country
• Postal Code

Custom Fields:

• All custom fields appear as search options
• Field type determines search behavior
• Text fields: partial matching
• Select fields: exact matching
• Date fields: range searching

Search Modes #

OR Mode (Default):

• Finds contacts matching ANY search criteria
• More results, broader search
• Example: “john” OR “doe” → finds Johns and Does

AND Mode:

• Finds contacts matching ALL search criteria
• Fewer results, narrower search
• Example: “john” AND “doe” → finds only John Does

Switching Modes:

1. In advanced search panel
2. Select “Match ALL” or “Match ANY”
3. Run search

Field-Specific Search #

Search in Specific Fields:

<span class="hljs-keyword">Search</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">in</span>: Email
Query: @example.com
Result: <span class="hljs-keyword">All</span> contacts <span class="hljs-built_in">with</span> example.com email addresses

<span class="hljs-keyword">Search</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">in</span>: First Name, Last Name
Query: john
Result: Contacts <span class="hljs-built_in">with</span> <span class="hljs-string">"john"</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">in</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">first</span> OR last name

<span class="hljs-keyword">Search</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">in</span>: Company (custom <span class="hljs-built_in">field</span>)
Query: acme
Result: Contacts <span class="hljs-built_in">with</span> <span class="hljs-string">"acme"</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">in</span> company <span class="hljs-built_in">field</span>

Benefits:

• More precise results
• Faster search
• Reduces false positives
• Better for large databases

Combining Search with Filters #

Search + List Filter #

Find contacts in specific lists matching search criteria:

1. Enter search term
2. Select list from filter dropdown
3. Results show only contacts in that list matching search

Example:

<span class="hljs-symbol">Search:</span> john
<span class="hljs-symbol">List:</span> Newsletter Subscribers
<span class="hljs-symbol">Result:</span> All Johns who are newsletter subscribers

Search + Tag Filter #

Find contacts with specific tags matching search criteria:

1. Enter search term
2. Select tag from filter dropdown
3. Results show only tagged contacts matching search

Example:

<span class="hljs-attribute">Search</span>: <span class="hljs-variable">@example</span>.com
<span class="hljs-attribute">Tag</span>: VIP
<span class="hljs-attribute">Result</span>: All VIP contacts from example.com domain

Search + Stage Filter #

Find contacts at specific stages matching search criteria:

1. Enter search term
2. Select stage from filter dropdown
3. Results show only contacts at that stage matching search

Example:

<span class="hljs-symbol">Search:</span> acme
<span class="hljs-symbol">Stage:</span> Customer
<span class="hljs-symbol">Result:</span> All customers with <span class="hljs-string">"acme"</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> their profile

Search + Owner Filter #

Find contacts owned by specific users matching search criteria:

1. Enter search term
2. Select owner from filter dropdown
3. Results show only that owner’s contacts matching search

Example:

Search: <span class="hljs-number">555</span>
Owner: John Smith
Result: <span class="hljs-keyword">All</span> John Smith<span class="hljs-symbol">'s</span> contacts <span class="hljs-keyword">with</span> <span class="hljs-string">"555"</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> phone

Multiple Filters #

Combine multiple filters for very specific searches:

<span class="hljs-attribute">Search</span>: tech
<span class="hljs-attribute">List</span>: Newsletter
<span class="hljs-attribute">Tag</span>: Hot Lead
<span class="hljs-attribute">Stage</span>: Prospect
<span class="hljs-attribute">Owner</span>: Jane Doe
<span class="hljs-attribute">Result</span>: Jane's prospects who are hot leads, in newsletter, with <span class="hljs-string">"tech"</span> in profile

Custom Field Search #

Text Custom Fields #

Search custom text fields like standard fields:

Custom <span class="hljs-keyword">Field</span>: Company Name
Query: tech
Result: <span class="hljs-keyword">All</span> contacts <span class="hljs-built_in">with</span> <span class="hljs-string">"tech"</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">in</span> company name

Select/Radio Custom Fields #

Search by exact option values:

Custom <span class="hljs-string">Field:</span> Industry
<span class="hljs-string">Value:</span> Technology
<span class="hljs-string">Result:</span> All contacts <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> Technology industry

Date Custom Fields #

Search by date ranges:

Custom Field: Birthday
<span class="hljs-keyword">Range</span>: <span class="hljs-number">2026</span>-<span class="hljs-number">01</span>-<span class="hljs-number">01</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">to</span> <span class="hljs-number">2026</span>-<span class="hljs-number">12</span>-<span class="hljs-number">31</span>
Result: <span class="hljs-keyword">All</span> contacts <span class="hljs-keyword">with</span> birthdays <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> <span class="hljs-number">2026</span>

Number Custom Fields #

Search by numeric ranges:

<span class="hljs-symbol">Custom</span> <span class="hljs-meta">Field</span>: Annual <span class="hljs-keyword">Revenue
</span><span class="hljs-symbol">Range</span>: <span class="hljs-number">100000</span> to <span class="hljs-number">500000</span>
<span class="hljs-symbol">Result</span>: All contacts with <span class="hljs-keyword">revenue </span><span class="hljs-keyword">between </span><span class="hljs-number">$100</span>k-<span class="hljs-number">$500</span>k

Checkbox/Multi-Select Fields #

Search by selected options:

Custom Field: Interests
<span class="hljs-symbol">Values:</span> Technology, Marketing
<span class="hljs-symbol">Result:</span> All contacts interested <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> Technology <span class="hljs-keyword">OR</span> Marketing

Search Results #

Results Display #

Information Shown:

• Contact name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Lists and tags
• Stage
• Owner
• Last activity date

Actions Available:

• View contact
• Edit contact
• Quick edit
• Delete contact
• Select for bulk operations

Sorting Results #

Sort Options:

• Name (A-Z or Z-A)
• Email (A-Z or Z-A)
• Date Created (Newest or Oldest)
• Date Modified (Newest or Oldest)
• Last Activity (Recent or Oldest)

To Sort:

1. Click column header
2. Click again to reverse order
3. Arrow indicates sort direction

Pagination #

Results Per Page:

• Default: 20 contacts
• Options: 10, 20, 50, 100
• Change in Screen Options (top right)

Navigation:

• First/Previous/Next/Last buttons
• Page numbers
• Jump to specific page

Exporting Search Results #

Export contacts matching search criteria:

1. Perform search
2. Select all results (or specific contacts)
3. Choose “Export” from Bulk Actions
4. Download CSV file

Use Cases:

• Create targeted email lists
• Generate reports
• Share specific contact segments
• Backup filtered data

Saved Searches #

Creating Saved Searches #

Save frequently used search criteria:

1. Configure search parameters
2. Click “Save Search”
3. Enter name for saved search
4. Click Save

Example Saved Searches:

• “Hot Leads in Tech”
• “VIP Customers in NY”
• “Unassigned Prospects”
• “Newsletter Subscribers”

Using Saved Searches #

1. Click “Saved Searches” dropdown
2. Select saved search
3. Results load automatically
4. Modify and re-save if needed

Managing Saved Searches #

Edit:

1. Load saved search
2. Modify criteria
3. Click “Update Search”

Delete:

1. Click “Saved Searches”
2. Click X next to search name
3. Confirm deletion

Share:

• Saved searches are user-specific
• Super admins can create global saved searches
• Export search criteria to share with team

Search Performance #

Optimizing Search Speed #

For Faster Searches:

1. Use Specific Fields:
   • Search in specific fields instead of all fields
   • Reduces database queries
   • Faster results
2. Limit Results:
   • Use filters to narrow results
   • Reduce per-page count
   • Faster page loads
3. Use Exact Matches:
   • Exact email searches are fastest
   • Use @ for email searches
   • Use + for phone searches
4. Enable Caching:
   • WordPress object caching
   • Speeds up repeat searches
   • Reduces database load

Large Database Considerations #

For 10,000+ Contacts:

1. Use FluentCRM Provider:
   • Optimized for large datasets
   • Better indexing
   • Faster search queries
2. Index Custom Fields:
   • Add database indexes
   • Speeds up custom field searches
   • Requires database access
3. Use Advanced Search:
   • More efficient than quick search
   • Targeted queries
   • Better performance

Search Tips and Tricks #

Email Domain Search #

Find all contacts from a domain:

<span class="hljs-attribute">Search</span>: <span class="hljs-variable">@example</span>.com
<span class="hljs-attribute">Result</span>: All contacts with example.com email addresses

Phone Area Code Search #

Find contacts in specific area:

<span class="hljs-keyword">Search</span>: +<span class="hljs-number">1</span><span class="hljs-number">-555</span>
Result: <span class="hljs-keyword">All</span> contacts <span class="hljs-built_in">with</span> <span class="hljs-number">555</span> area code

Name Variations #

Find all variations of a name:

<span class="hljs-symbol">Search:</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">jon
</span><span class="hljs-symbol">Result:</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">Jon, </span><span class="hljs-keyword">John, </span><span class="hljs-keyword">Jonathan, </span><span class="hljs-keyword">Jones, </span>etc.

Company Search #

Find all contacts from a company:

Custom <span class="hljs-keyword">Field</span>: Company
<span class="hljs-keyword">Search</span>: acme
Result: <span class="hljs-keyword">All</span> Acme employees/contacts

Location Search #

Find contacts in specific location:

<span class="hljs-string">Fields:</span> City, State
<span class="hljs-string">Search:</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">new</span> york
<span class="hljs-string">Result:</span> All contacts <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> New York

Date Range Search #

Find contacts created in period:

<span class="hljs-built_in">Date</span> Created: <span class="hljs-number">2026</span><span class="hljs-number">-01</span><span class="hljs-number">-01</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">to</span> <span class="hljs-number">2026</span><span class="hljs-number">-01</span><span class="hljs-number">-31</span>
Result: <span class="hljs-literal">All</span> contacts created <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> January <span class="hljs-number">2026</span>

Troubleshooting #

No Results Found #

Problem: Search returns no results but contacts exist.

Solutions:

1. Check spelling and typos
2. Try partial search (fewer characters)
3. Remove filters
4. Try different fields
5. Check if contacts are in trash

Too Many Results #

Problem: Search returns too many irrelevant results.

Solutions:

1. Use more specific search terms
2. Add filters (lists, tags, stage)
3. Use AND mode instead of OR
4. Search in specific fields only
5. Use exact phrases in quotes

Search is Slow #

Problem: Search takes long time to complete.

Solutions:

1. Use specific field search
2. Add filters to narrow results
3. Enable object caching
4. Consider FluentCRM for large databases
5. Contact hosting about database optimization

Custom Fields Not Searchable #

Problem: Cannot search custom field values.

Solutions:

1. Verify custom field exists and has data
2. Check if field is marked as searchable
3. Try advanced search instead of quick search
4. Verify field permissions
5. Check if field type supports search

Search Results Don’t Update #

Problem: New/updated contacts don’t appear in search.

Solutions:

1. Refresh the page
2. Clear browser cache
3. Clear WordPress object cache
4. Check if contacts are published
5. Verify search criteria includes new contacts

Related Documentation #

• Filtering by Lists and Tags – Filter contacts
• Filtering by Stage – Stage filtering
• Filtering by Owner – Owner filtering
• Understanding Contacts – Contact fundamentals
• Custom Fields Overview – Custom fields
• Bulk Operations – Bulk actions on search results

Need Help? #

If you’re having trouble searching contacts:

1. Try simpler search terms
2. Remove filters and try again
3. Check if contacts exist (view all contacts)
4. Verify search permissions
5. Contact support with search criteria and expected results

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Last updated: February 3, 2026