Contacts
How persistent contacts differ from per-conversation leads, and what the merged history and lead score tell you.
A lead is a capture event. A contact is a person.
| Lead | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Created by | One capture | The identity behind captures |
| Scope | One conversation | Every conversation and channel |
| Duplicates | A repeat visitor creates another lead | Collapsed into one record |
| Carries | Status, owner, originating conversation | Merged history and a rolling lead score |
How contacts form
Captures that share an email address collapse into one contact. Their conversations, leads, and channel activity are merged onto that record, so you see one person with a history rather than five disconnected sessions.
The contact also carries a rolling lead score built from the signals on their messages, which is a rough interest ranking rather than a verdict.
When to use which
- Working today's queue, chasing a specific enquiry → [Leads](/guides/leads/pipeline).
- Answering "who is this person and what have we discussed?" → Contacts.
The leads table's Unique view is the middle ground: one row per contact, but inside the pipeline you are already working.
Limits worth knowing
Merging is by email. A visitor who chats anonymously and never leaves an address does not become a contact, and the same person using two addresses is two contacts.
Where to go next
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