> ## Knowledge Base Index > Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://support.contracthero.com/sitemap.xml > Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further. > Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash). # Contact field builder: manage different types of contacts # Contact Field Builder [Kontaktfeldbaukasten]: managing different types of contacts *The screenshots in this article show the German interface. The English label is given first, with the German label in square brackets.* ## Your benefit Cleanly structured contacts make every later contract analysis more precise: suppliers can be filtered by whether an IBAN is present, customers can be segmented by industry, and private individuals can be addressed by salutation. Instead of maintaining a catch-all of free-text notes, you gain a consistent data basis on which AI extraction, reporting and compliance checks can build reliably. ## How it works **1. Open the Contact Field Builder [Kontaktfeldbaukasten]** Navigate to **Settings [Einstellungen].** ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-15-at-17543_nwhksq.png) Navigate to **Field Builder [Feldbaukasten] → Contact Field Builder [Kontaktfeldbaukasten]**. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-15-at-17550_79mqln.png) You will see the three-column layout: * **Your contact types [Ihre Kontakttypen]** (left) — all contact types in your account (default: Service provider [Dienstleister], Customer [Kunde], Supplier [Lieferant], Person [Person], Company [Unternehmen]). * **Preview of your contact [Vorschau Ihres Kontaktes]** (centre) — how a contact of this type will later look: first the **Title [Titel] card** (contact header [Kontakt-Kopfzeile]), and below it the thematic sections (e.g. General [Generell], Location [Standort]). * **Your fields [Ihre Felder]** (right) — an alphabetical list of all fields in your account, with a search box. **2. Select a contact type** In the left-hand column, click a contact type (e.g. “Customer [Kunde]”). The centre column shows the fields and sections assigned to that type. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-15-at-17550_2mw826.png) **3. Create a new contact type** Click the green **“+”** to the right of **“Your contact types [Ihre Kontakttypen]”**. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-15-at-17550_ym03e1.png) In the dialogue, give it a name (e.g. “Cooperation partner”, “Broker”, “Public authority”) and choose a colour. If required, you can also use an existing contact type as a **template [Vorlage]** in order to adopt its structure — this saves time when building similar types. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-15-at-17571_x765lo.png) **4. Title card [Titel-Karte]: designing the contact header** Right at the top of the centre column you will see the **“Title [Titel]” card** with the note: “Contact header: add up to two single-line text fields here that will be shown at the top of the contact page, e.g. a name field.” ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-15-at-17571_17rm8nv.png) This is how you define **which information appears prominently at the top of the contact**. For a private individual, first name + surname makes sense. For a company: company name + legal form. Drag the appropriate fields from the right-hand column into the Title card [Titel-Karte]. **5. Designing sections and fields** Below that come the **sections** (e.g. General [Generell], Location [Standort]). As in the Contract Field Builder [Vertragsfeldbaukasten], you drag fields into the appropriate section. Use the green **“+”** next to “Preview of your contact [Vorschau Ihres Kontaktes]” to add new sections. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-15-at-17571_6056q0.png) Fields that occur in several contact types (e.g. **Address [Adresse]**, **Email [E-Mail]**, **IBAN**) only need to be maintained once in the right-hand column — ContractHero uses them per contact type according to the assignment. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-15-at-17550_4zu5hu.png) **6. Save** Do not forget to click **“Save [Speichern]”** in the top right — otherwise drag-and-drop changes will be lost when you leave the page. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/1/2/5/2/12522a019f980500/screenshot-2026-06-15-at-18010_aq29q2.png) ## Frequently asked questions **How do the default contact types differ?** ContractHero starts with five preset types — **Service provider [Dienstleister], Customer [Kunde], Supplier [Lieferant], Person [Person], Company [Unternehmen]**. They are generic templates that you can adapt to your own circumstances or extend with your own types. **What is the difference between a contact type and a contract category?** A **contract category [Vertragskategorie]** describes a type of contract (tenancy agreement, NDA, employment contract). A **contact type [Kontakttyp]** describes the nature of the contract partner (private individual, GmbH, public authority). There is one category per contract and one contact type per contract partner. Each controls its own fields. **Can different contact types share the same fields?** Yes — fields live in the account, not in the contact type. If you create an **“IBAN”** field and assign it to both “Supplier [Lieferant]” and “Service provider [Dienstleister]”, it is technically the same field. Values are stored separately per contact. **Can I change contact types later on?** Yes. You can change the contact type of an existing contact — the structured fields are then displayed according to the new schema, and existing values are retained (provided the field also exists in the new type). **Who is allowed to manage the Contact Field Builder [Kontaktfeldbaukasten]?** By default, only members with **owner status [Eigentümer]** or a role for which the **Field Builder [Feldbaukasten]** permission has been explicitly enabled. Regular members can see the fields on the contacts but cannot change the schema. **How many contact types make sense?** Rule of thumb: **5–8** clearly delineated types are enough for most organisations. More than 10 becomes confusing — it is better to keep types generic and to reflect differences via list fields or tags. ## Good to know * **Use the Title card [Titel-Karte] cleverly.** The contact header determines what is prominently visible when creating a contract and in lists. If the wrong value is at the top, you will spend longer searching later on. For companies: company name + legal form. For private individuals: first name + surname. * **Do not create IBAN twice.** One of the common mistakes is maintaining an “IBAN” field and a “Bank details [Bankverbindung]” field in parallel. It is better to have one central field per piece of information — that saves maintenance and avoids inconsistency. * **A contact template saves setup time.** If your new type resembles an existing one (e.g. “Cooperation partner” to “Service provider [Dienstleister]”), use the template when creating it — structure, fields and sections are copied and you only adjust the differences. * **Contract Field Builder [Vertragsfeldbaukasten] first, then Contact Field Builder [Kontaktfeldbaukasten].** For a consistent data model it is worth thinking both field builders through together — certain fields (e.g. “Internal account manager”) can make sense on the contract as well as on the contact. * **Do not forget to save.** Structural changes (moving fields, adding sections) are only saved when you click **“Save [Speichern]”** in the top right. ## Related articles * How do I create contacts? How do I edit contacts? * Field Builder – how do I create and manage fields? * Field Builder – how do I create and edit categories? * How do I merge duplicate contacts?