Contact Preferences & Do Not Contact

AccuArk's CRM includes several fields on the Customer Info tab that help you track how and when each customer prefers to be contacted. These fields are located in the CRM Settings group and are designed to help your sales team communicate more effectively while respecting customer preferences.

This article covers each contact preference field in detail, explains the Do Not Contact flag and its implications, and provides best practices for using these tools to build stronger customer relationships.

Overview of Contact Preference Fields

The CRM Settings group on the Customer Info tab contains five contact-related fields:

Each field serves a distinct purpose, and together they give your sales team a clear picture of how to approach each customer.

Preferred Contact Method

The Preferred Contact Method dropdown lets you record which communication channel the customer prefers. The available options are:

• Phone — The customer prefers phone calls. Sales reps should call rather than email.
• Email — The customer prefers email communication. This is common for busy professionals who respond on their own schedule.
• Mobile — The customer prefers to be reached on their mobile/cell phone, which may include text messages.
• Any — The customer has no strong preference and is comfortable being contacted through any channel. This is the default value.

Why This Matters

Contacting customers through their preferred channel increases the likelihood of a positive interaction. A customer who prefers email will feel interrupted by an unscheduled phone call, while a customer who prefers phone calls may never respond to emails. Respecting this preference is a simple but powerful way to improve customer satisfaction.

How to Set It

1. Open the Customer form.
2. On the Customer Info tab, find the CRM Settings group.
3. Click the Preferred Contact Method dropdown.
4. Select the appropriate option.
5. Click Save on the customer form.

The selection is saved immediately when you save the customer record and is visible to all staff who open this customer's profile.

Best Contact Time

The Best Contact Time field is a free-text field where you can note when the customer is most receptive to contact. Unlike the Preferred Contact Method dropdown, which has fixed options, this field accepts any text, giving you flexibility to capture whatever timing information the customer provides.

Examples of Good Contact Time Notes

How to Set It

1. Open the Customer form.
2. On the Customer Info tab, find the CRM Settings group.
3. Click in the Best Contact Time text field.
4. Type the customer's preferred timing (keep it brief and clear).
5. Click Save on the customer form.

Keep your notes concise. Other staff members should be able to understand the timing at a glance without needing interpretation.

Next Follow-Up

The Next Follow-Up field is a date picker that lets you schedule when the customer should next be contacted. This acts as a lightweight reminder system built directly into the customer profile.

How to Set It

1. Open the Customer form.
2. On the Customer Info tab, find the CRM Settings group.
3. Click the Next Follow-Up date picker.
4. Select the date for the next planned follow-up.
5. Click Save on the customer form.

Using Next Follow-Up Effectively

The Next Follow-Up date appears on the customer profile as a reminder to your team. Here are some tips for using it effectively:

• Set the date at the end of every interaction. After a call, email, or meeting, decide when the next touchpoint should be and set the date immediately. This prevents customers from falling through the cracks.
• Combine with tasks for formal tracking. The Next Follow-Up field is a quick visual indicator, but for important follow-ups, also create a task on the Tasks tab. Tasks appear on the CRM Dashboard and can be assigned to specific team members.
• Update it when plans change. If a customer asks you to call back next week instead of tomorrow, update the follow-up date right away.

Last Contact Date

The Last Contact Date field is read-only and is updated automatically by AccuArk. Every time an activity is logged for a customer — whether it is a phone call, email, meeting, or note — the Last Contact Date is updated to reflect the date and time of that activity.

Why This Matters

The Last Contact Date helps you identify customers who have not been contacted recently. If you open a customer profile and see that the last contact was three months ago, that is a clear signal that the customer may need attention. Customers who go too long without contact are at higher risk of disengaging or switching to a competitor.

How It Works

• The field updates automatically when any user logs an activity (call, email, meeting, or note) on the customer's Activities tab.
• You cannot manually edit this field. It always reflects the timestamp of the most recent activity.
• If no activities have been logged for a customer, this field will be blank.

Do Not Contact

The Do Not Contact checkbox is a critical flag that indicates the customer has explicitly requested not to be contacted. When this checkbox is checked, AccuArk displays a prominent yellow warning banner at the top of the customer form to alert all staff.

What the Do Not Contact Flag Does

• Displays a yellow warning banner on the customer form. The banner is visible to all users who open the customer record, regardless of which tab they are on.
• Serves as a strong visual signal. The banner is designed to be impossible to miss. It alerts staff before they pick up the phone or draft an email.

What the Do Not Contact Flag Does NOT Do

• It does not prevent anyone from opening the customer record or viewing their data. Staff can still access invoices, payment history, and other information.
• It does not block emails or phone calls at a system level. AccuArk does not have the ability to prevent outbound communication. The flag relies on staff compliance.
• It does not hide the customer from lists, searches, or reports.

The flag is an organizational tool that depends on your team honoring it. It works because it is visible, prominent, and clear.

When to Use Do Not Contact

Set the Do Not Contact flag in these situations:

• Customer explicitly requests no contact. If a customer calls, emails, or tells you in person that they do not want to be contacted, check this box immediately.
• Legal hold or dispute in progress. If there is a legal matter involving the customer, your legal team may advise limiting contact. The Do Not Contact flag ensures all staff are aware.
• Customer has left the business. If a customer has closed their business or moved away and is no longer relevant, flag them to prevent wasted outreach efforts.
• Seasonal businesses during off-season. Some customers operate seasonally and prefer not to be contacted during their off-season. Set the flag during the off-season and remove it when the season begins.

Documenting the Reason

Whenever you check the Do Not Contact box, add a note in the customer's Notes field or log an activity explaining why. For example:

• "Customer called on Feb 15 and requested no further sales calls."
• "Legal hold per attorney guidance, effective March 1."
• "Business closed permanently as of January 2026."

This documentation is important because someone may later wonder why the flag is set. Without a note, staff might assume it is a mistake and remove the flag.

Reviewing Do Not Contact Flags Periodically

Situations change. A customer who requested no contact six months ago may be open to hearing from you now. Review your Do Not Contact flags periodically (quarterly is a good cadence) to determine if any should be removed. If you are unsure, it is better to leave the flag in place than to contact a customer who does not want to hear from you.

Best Practices for Contact Preferences

Here are guidelines for getting the most out of these fields:

Always Respect Do Not Contact Flags

This is the most important rule. A customer who has asked not to be contacted must have that wish honored. Ignoring the flag damages the customer relationship and could create legal or regulatory issues depending on your industry.

Document Everything

Whenever you set or change a contact preference, note the reason. "Changed preferred contact method to Email per customer request on Feb 20" takes ten seconds to type and saves confusion later.

Combine Preferred Contact Method with Best Contact Time

Using both fields together gives your sales team maximum effectiveness. Knowing that a customer prefers phone calls and is available on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons means your rep can plan their call schedule for optimal reach.

Use Next Follow-Up Consistently Across the Team

If only some reps use the Next Follow-Up field, it loses its value as a team coordination tool. Make it a standard practice: after every customer interaction, set the next follow-up date. This ensures that no customer is forgotten and that multiple reps do not accidentally contact the same customer on the same day.

Monitor Last Contact Date for At-Risk Customers

Make it a habit to check the Last Contact Date when you open a customer record. If the date is more than 30, 60, or 90 days old (depending on your business), consider reaching out proactively. Combine this with the "At Risk" client tag described in the related article for maximum visibility.

What to Read Next

• Customer Profile & Information — Complete overview of the Customer Info tab and all its fields
• Logging Customer Activities — How to log calls, emails, meetings, and notes that update the Last Contact Date