> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.zaapi.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.zaapi.com/contacts/populating-contact-fields.md).

# Populating contact fields

Contact fields can be filled in by your team from the Ticket sidebar or the contact page. Because fields live on the Contact — not the Ticket — a value entered once is visible on every Conversation with that customer, on every channel.

#### Fill in fields from the Ticket sidebar

The fastest place to capture data is mid-conversation:

1. Open a Ticket.
2. In the **Zaapi Contact Information** panel, click any field to set its value.
3. Changes save automatically.

A customer mentions they run a retail business? Set **Industry** = *Retail* without leaving the chat. The next agent to speak to them — on any channel — sees it.

#### Fill in fields from the contact page

For bulk clean-up or updates outside a conversation:

1. Go to **Contacts** and click the customer (or click **View contact** in the Ticket sidebar).
2. Click any field to edit it. Changes save automatically.

#### Data that arrives on its own

Not everything needs typing in:

* **Channel details** — when a customer first messages you, Zaapi creates the Contact with whatever the channel provides, such as their name or phone number.
* **Merging** — when Conversations merge under one Contact, extra phone numbers and emails are kept as secondary phone numbers and emails. See **Merging contacts**.

#### Put the data to work

Filled-in fields are what make the Contacts page useful:

* **Filter** by any field to build a segment — every *Newsletter Subscribed = Yes* customer, every Contact owned by a specific teammate.
* **Export** a filtered segment for campaigns or CRM imports.
* **Give context to every reply.** Fields sit in the sidebar on every Ticket, so agents answer with the customer's status, history, and owner in view.

{% hint style="info" %}
Fields only pay off if they're filled in. Keep the list short, put the most-used fields at the top (see **Creating contact fields**), and make capturing them part of how your team closes a Ticket.
{% endhint %}