🔎 Browse & Find Contacts
Helios Connect provides multiple ways to browse and filter contacts depending on what you are looking for.
Common Ways to Browse Contacts
- Search by Name – Quickly locate a known individual
- Browse Active Contacts – View currently active stakeholders
- Filter by Category – Group contacts by sector (Education, Government, etc.)
- Filter by Location – Identify contacts by state, region, or geography
- Filter by Owner – View contacts managed by a specific team or department
Using Search
- Navigate to Contacts
- Use the search bar at the top of the page
- Enter a name, organization, or keyword
- Select the appropriate record from results
Tip: Search is the fastest way to find a specific contact. Use filters when exploring broader groups.
Using Filters & Views
Dynamics allows you to narrow down results to find exactly what you need.
- Filter by Status (Active vs Inactive)
- Filter by Category / Subcategory
- Filter by Owner (Team or Individual)
- Sort by Name, Organization, or Last Modified
🎥 Watch: Searching and Filtering Contacts
👥 Create a Contact
Creating a contact ensures that individuals are properly tracked and connected to the organizations Helios engages with.
Steps to Create a Contact
- Navigate to Contacts
- Select New
- Enter required details:
- Full Name
- Email Address
- Job Title
- Associated Organization
- Select Save
Required & Key Fields
- Name – Full legal or professional name
- Email – Primary communication method
- Organization – Must be linked whenever applicable
- Title – Helps identify role and influence
Best Practices
- ✅ Search for existing contacts before creating a new one
- ✅ Always associate the contact with an organization
- ✅ Use consistent naming conventions
- ✅ Verify email accuracy before saving
Tip: A well-maintained contact record improves collaboration across teams and ensures reliable outreach.
🎥 Watch: Creating a Contact
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✏️ Edit Records
Editing records ensures contact and organization data stays accurate and useful across the organization.
Steps to Edit a Record
- Search for and open the contact or organization
- Select the field you want to update
- Enter the updated information
- Select Save
Common Updates
- Job title changes
- Organization changes
- Email or phone updates
- Category / classification updates
Best Practices
- ✅ Confirm accuracy before saving changes
- ✅ Update records instead of creating duplicates
- ✅ Maintain consistent formatting (names, titles, orgs)
- ✅ Ensure the record is linked to the correct organization
🎥 Watch: Editing a Record
🔄 Assign Ownership
📊 Data Ownership Model
Every record in Helios Connect should have a clearly defined owner responsible for maintaining data quality and accuracy.
- Contacts → owned by team managing relationship
- Organizations → owned by primary engagement team
Ownership determines who is responsible for maintaining and managing each record in Helios Connect.
Why Ownership Matters
- Ensures accountability for data accuracy
- Defines which team manages relationships
- Supports reporting and segmentation
Steps to Assign Ownership
- Open a Contact or Organization record
- Select the Assign button
- Choose:
- Yourself
- Another user
- A CRM Team
- Select Save
Helios CRM Teams (Ownership Groups)
Records should be assigned to the appropriate team responsible for maintaining that relationship.
- F&A CRM – Vendors, contractors, services, finance, etc.
- Comms CRM – Media, marketing, and outreach contacts
- Grants CRM – Grantees and funding relationships
- Exec CRM – Board and executive-level stakeholders
- Community Engagement (AZ / FL) CRM – Regional partnerships and community contacts
- Policy CRM – Government and policy-related contacts
Tip: Assign ownership to a team rather than an individual when the relationship is shared across a department.
Ownership Best Practices
- ✅ Assign records to the correct team at creation
- ✅ Reassign ownership if responsibility shifts
- ✅ Use team ownership for shared relationships
- ✅ Avoid leaving records unassigned
🎥 Watch: Assigning Ownership
🔁 Manage Duplicate Records (Merge Contacts)
Duplicate records can lead to confusion, missed communication, and inaccurate reporting.
Use the merge function to consolidate duplicate contacts into a single, accurate record.
When to Merge Records
- Same person appears more than once
- Duplicate entries created by multiple departments
- Partial records exist (one has email, another has title, etc.)
Steps to Merge Duplicate Contacts
- Search for and identify duplicate contact records
- Open one of the records
- Select the Merge option (typically from command bar or menu)
- Choose the duplicate record to merge with
- Select the master record (the one that will remain)
- Review field values across both records
- Select the correct values for each field
- Confirm and complete the merge
Choosing the Master Record
- ✅ Select the record with the most complete information
- ✅ Prefer records with assigned ownership already in place
- ✅ Keep records already used for reporting or communication history
Field Selection Guidance
When merging, you will be prompted to choose which values to keep. Be intentional:
- Name → Use the most complete and correctly formatted version
- Email → Ensure accuracy (primary contact method)
- Organization → Confirm correct association (critical)
- Title → Keep most current role
- Phone / Notes → Preserve additional context when possible
Tip: Always scan both records fully before confirming the merge—important data can exist in either record.
Ownership Considerations
- ✅ Ensure the correct CRM Team is assigned after merge
- ✅ Reassign ownership if necessary to reflect the correct department
- ✅ Verify that shared relationships remain assigned to team-level ownership
Important Notes
- ⚠️ Merging is typically not reversible
- ⚠️ Incorrect merges can result in data loss
- ⚠️ Only users with appropriate permissions should perform merges
Best Practices for Duplicate Management
- ✅ Always search before creating a new contact
- ✅ Use merge instead of deleting records
- ✅ Coordinate with other teams if ownership is unclear
- ✅ Regularly review records for duplication during cleanup efforts
🎥 Watch: Merging Duplicate Contacts
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