• Permissions
• Enable customer relations management (CRM)
• Configure the contact source
• Contacts
  • View contacts linked to a group
  • Create a contact
  • Edit a contact
    • Change the state of a contact
• Organizations
  • View organizations
  • Create an organization
  • Edit an organization
• Issues
  • View issues linked to a contact
  • View issues linked to an organization
  • View contacts linked to an issue
  • Add contacts to an issue
  • Remove contacts from an issue
• Autocomplete contacts
• Moving objects with CRM entries

Customer relations management (CRM)

With customer relations management (CRM) you can create a record of contacts (individuals) and organizations (companies) and relate them to issues.

By default, contacts and organizations can only be created for top-level groups. To create contacts and organizations in other groups,assign the group as a contact source.

You can use contacts and organizations to tie work to customers for billing and reporting purposes. For more information about what is planned for the future, seeissue 2256.

Permissions

Enable customer relations management (CRM)

Customer relations management features are enabled at the group level. If your group also contains subgroups, and you want to use CRM features in the subgroup, CRM features must also be enabled for the subgroup.

To enable customer relations management in a group or subgroup:

1. On the left sidebar, selectSearch or go toand find your group or subgroup.
2. SelectSettings > General.
3. Expand thePermissions and group featuressection.
4. SelectCustomer relations is enabled.
5. SelectSave changes.

Configure the contact source

• Availablein GitLab 17.6.

By default, contacts are sourced from an issue’s top-level group.

The contact source for a group will apply to all subgroups, unless they have a contact source configured.

To configure the contact source for a group or subgroup:

1. On the left sidebar, selectSearch or go toand find your group or subgroup.
2. SelectSettings > General.
3. Expand thePermissions and group featuressection.
4. SelectContact source > Search for a group.
5. Select the group from which you wish to source contacts.
6. SelectSave changes.

Contacts

View contacts linked to a group

Prerequisites:

• You must have at least the Reporter role for the group.

To view a group’s contacts:

1. On the left sidebar, selectSearch or go toand find your group.
2. SelectPlan > Customer relations.

Create a contact

Prerequisites:

• You must have at least the Developer role for the group.

To create a contact:

1. On the left sidebar, selectSearch or go toand find your group.
2. SelectPlan > Customer relations.
3. SelectNew contact.
4. Complete all required fields.
5. SelectCreate new contact.

You can alsocreate contacts using the GraphQL API.

Edit a contact

Prerequisites:

• You must have at least the Developer role for the group.

To edit an existing contact:

1. On the left sidebar, selectSearch or go toand find your group.
2. SelectPlan > Customer relations.
3. Next to the contact you wish to edit, selectEdit().
4. Edit the required fields.
5. SelectSave changes.

You can alsoedit contacts using the GraphQL API.

Change the state of a contact

Each contact can be in one of two states:

• Active:contacts in this state can be added to an issue.
• Inactive:contacts in this state cannot be added to an issue.

To change the state of a contact:

1. On the left sidebar, selectSearch or go toand find your group.
2. SelectPlan > Customer relations.
3. Next to the contact you wish to edit, selectEdit().
4. Select or clear theActivecheckbox.
5. SelectSave changes.

Organizations

View organizations

Prerequisites:

• You must have at least the Reporter role for the group.

To view a group’s organizations:

1. On the left sidebar, selectSearch or go toand find your group.
2. SelectPlan > Customer relations.
3. In the upper right, selectOrganizations.

Create an organization

Prerequisites:

• You must have at least the Developer role for the group.

To create an organization:

1. On the left sidebar, selectSearch or go toand find your group.
2. SelectPlan > Customer relations.
3. In the upper right, selectOrganizations.
4. SelectNew organization.
5. Complete all required fields.
6. SelectCreate new organization.

You can alsocreate organizations using the GraphQL API.

Edit an organization

Prerequisites:

• You must have at least the Developer role for the group.

To edit an existing organization:

1. On the left sidebar, selectSearch or go toand find your group.
2. SelectPlan > Customer relations.
3. In the upper right, selectOrganizations.
4. Next to the organization you wish to edit, selectEdit().
5. Edit the required fields.
6. SelectSave changes.

You can alsoedit organizations using the GraphQL API.

Issues

If you useService Deskand create issues from emails, issues are linked to contacts matching the email addresses in the sender and CC of the email.

View issues linked to a contact

Prerequisites:

• You must have at least the Reporter role for the group.

To view a contact’s issues, select a contact from the issue sidebar, or:

1. On the left sidebar, selectSearch or go toand find your group.
2. SelectPlan > Customer relations.
3. Next to the contact whose issues you wish to view, selectView issues().

View issues linked to an organization

Prerequisites:

• You must have at least the Reporter role for the group.

To view an organization’s issues:

1. On the left sidebar, selectSearch or go toand find your group.
2. SelectPlan > Customer relations.
3. In the upper right, selectOrganizations.
4. Next to the organization whose issues you wish to view, selectView issues().

View contacts linked to an issue

Prerequisites:

• You must have at least the Reporter role for the group.

You can view contacts associated with an issue in the right sidebar.

To view a contact’s details, hover over the contact’s name.

You can also view issue contacts using the GraphQL API.

Add contacts to an issue

Prerequisites:

• You must have at least the Reporter role for the group.

To addactivecontacts to an issue use the/add_contacts [contact:[email protected]] quick action.

You can also add, remove, or replace issue contacts using the GraphQL API.

Remove contacts from an issue

Prerequisites:

• You must have at least the Reporter role for the group.

To remove contacts from an issue use the/remove_contacts [contact:[email protected]] quick action.

You can also add, remove, or replace issue contacts using the GraphQL API.

Autocomplete contacts

When you use the/add_contactsquick action, follow it with[contact:and an autocomplete list with theactivecontacts appears:

/add_contacts [contact:

When you use the/remove_contactsquick action, follow it with[contact:and an autocomplete list with the contacts added to the issue appears:

/remove_contacts [contact:

Moving objects with CRM entries

When you move an issue or project and theparent group contact source matches, issues retain their contacts.

When you move an issue or project and theparent group contact source changes, issues lose their contacts.

When you move a group with acontact source configured or it’scontact source remains unchanged, issues retain their contacts.

When you move a group and itscontact source changes:

• All unique contacts and organizations are migrated to the new top-level group.
• Contacts that already exist (by email address) are deemed duplicates and deleted.
• Organizations that already exist (by name) are deemed duplicates and deleted.
• All issues retain their contacts or are updated to point at contacts with the same email address.

If you do not have permission to create contacts and organizations in the new top-level group, the group transfer fails.