Summary
Contact Attributes let you store additional information about your contacts, such as customer preferences, campaign sources, membership plans, order IDs, or internal notes. You can use this information to organize your contacts, create targeted campaigns, personalize messages, and build automation workflows.
Unlike Tags, Contact Attributes are stored on contacts, not conversations. This guide explains how to add Contact Attributes, manage them, and follow best practices to keep your contact data organized.
Important: Contact Attributes are designed for contact segmentation and personalization. If you only need to categorize or search conversations, use Tags instead.
Instructions
What are Contact Attributes?
Contact Attributes are custom fields that store additional information about a contact.
For example, you can store information such as:
Customer preferences
Campaign sources
Membership plans
Order IDs
Internal notes
Because Contact Attributes are stored on contacts, they can be used for:
Contact segmentation
Campaign targeting
Message personalization
Automation workflows
Add Contact Attributes from the Contacts page
Follow these steps to add a Contact Attribute to a contact.
Step 1: Select a contact
Log in to your Wati account.
Go to Contacts.
Search for or select the contact you want to update.
Click the Edit icon next to the contact.
Step 2: Add a Contact Attribute
Go to the Contact Attributes section.
Click + Add Attribute.
Select + ADD NEW.
Enter:
Attribute name (for example,
plan_typeorcampaign_source)Attribute value (for example,
premiumorfacebook_ads)
Use clear and descriptive names so the purpose of each attribute is easy to understand.
Step 3: Save your changes
Review the information.
Click Save Changes.
The Contact Attribute is now saved to the contact and can be used for segmentation, campaigns, personalization, and automation.
Add Contact Attributes from the Team Inbox
You can also add or update Contact Attributes while viewing a conversation in the Team Inbox.
To edit a contact's attributes:
Log in to your Wati account.
Go to Team Inbox.
Open the contact's conversation.
In the contact details panel on the right, click the Edit (✏️) icon.
Add or update the required Contact Attributes.
Save your changes.
Manage Contact Attributes
Workspace admins can manage all Contact Attributes from the Tags and Attributes settings.
To manage Contact Attributes:
Click your profile icon in the upper-right corner of your Wati account.
Select Settings.
Go to Tags and Attributes.
Select the Attributes tab.
From this page, you can:
View all existing Contact Attributes.
Search for an attribute by typing its name in the search box. Matching attributes appear as you type.
Edit or delete existing Contact Attributes.
Create a new Contact Attribute. If no matching attribute exists, click Add Attribute to create one.
Best practices
Follow these recommendations to keep your contact data organized:
Use clear and descriptive attribute names.
Keep attribute values short and relevant.
Follow a consistent naming convention, such as lowercase letters with underscores (for example,
order_id).Avoid creating duplicate or unnecessary Contact Attributes.
Review and update Contact Attributes regularly.
Store multiple values correctly
Each Contact Attribute must have a unique name. If you reuse the same attribute name, the value may be overwritten.
Correct example
Use a different attribute name for each value:
broadcast_1 = white
broadcast_2 = blue
Both values are stored separately.
Incorrect example
Do not reuse the same attribute name:
broadcast = red
broadcast = yellow
Only one value is retained, and the other value may be overwritten.
When to use Contact Attributes?
Use Contact Attributes when you want to:
Track customer preferences.
Store order numbers or reference IDs.
Segment contacts for targeted campaigns.
Personalize automated messages.
Store internal information about a contact.
If you only need to organize conversations or search chats by topic, use Tags instead.
Contact Attribute limits
The maximum number of custom Contact Attributes available depends on your Wati subscription plan.
Plan | Maximum custom Contact Attributes |
Growth | 50 |
Pro | 100 |
Business | 500 |
These limits define the maximum number of custom Contact Attributes available in your Wati workspace.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
1. What are Contact Attributes in Wati?
Contact Attributes are custom fields that store additional information about a contact, such as customer preferences, campaign sources, membership plans, order IDs, or internal notes. They can be used for contact segmentation, campaign targeting, message personalization, and automation workflows.
2. Are Contact Attributes stored on contacts or conversations?
Contact Attributes are stored on contacts, not conversations.
3. When should I use Contact Attributes instead of Tags?
Use Contact Attributes when you want to segment contacts, target campaigns, personalize messages, build automation workflows, or store customer-specific information. If you only need to categorize or search conversations, use Tags instead.
Managing Contact Attributes
4. What can I do from the Contact Attributes page?
From Settings > Tags and Attributes > Attributes, workspace admins can:
View all existing Contact Attributes.
Search for Contact Attributes.
Edit or delete existing Contact Attributes.
Create new Contact Attributes.
5. How should I name Contact Attributes?
Use clear and descriptive names, keep values short and relevant, follow a consistent naming convention such as lowercase letters with underscores (for example, order_id), avoid duplicate or unnecessary Contact Attributes, and review them regularly to keep your data organized.
6. Can multiple Contact Attributes have the same name?
No. Each Contact Attribute must have a unique name. If the same attribute name is used more than once, one value may overwrite the other.
Limits
7. How many custom Contact Attributes can I create?
The number of custom Contact Attributes depends on your Wati subscription plan:
Growth: 50 Contact Attributes
Pro: 100 Contact Attributes
Business: 500 Contact Attributes