Manage contacts, custom fields, lifecycle stages, patient portal access, and data import/export.
The Patient CRM is the central hub for managing all contact data in Helpon. Access it from Helpon → Contacts in your WordPress admin sidebar. Every person who interacts with your practice through any channel is stored here as a contact record.
Contacts are created in three ways:
A single contact record aggregates all interactions across every channel — website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and email. No matter where the patient reaches out, their history lives in one place.
Each contact has a dedicated profile page containing their personal information, conversation history, appointments, notes, and activity timeline. The contacts list view provides search, filtering, and bulk actions.
Every contact record includes the following default fields:
Navigate to Helpon → Contacts in your WordPress admin. You will see the contacts list with search and filter controls.
Click the Add Contact button in the top-right corner. A form will open with all available profile fields.
Enter the contact's name, email, phone, and any custom fields. Assign tags and a lifecycle stage as needed. Only the name field is required.
Click Save Contact. The new record appears in the contacts list and is immediately available for conversations, appointments, and automation workflows.
The contact detail page shows a complete history of every conversation the patient has had across all channels. Click any conversation to view the full transcript, including AI responses, agent messages, and system events such as transfers or escalations.
If a patient has multiple records (for example, one from chat and one from import), you can merge them:
In the contacts list, check the boxes next to the duplicate records (up to 5 at a time).
Click Bulk Actions → Merge Selected. A merge preview shows which record will be the primary and which fields will be kept.
Review the merged profile preview, adjust any field values if needed, and click Confirm Merge. All conversation history, appointments, and activity logs are combined into the primary record.
Merging contacts cannot be undone. The secondary records are deleted after the merge. Make sure you have selected the correct contacts before confirming.
Custom fields let you capture additional data specific to your practice beyond the default contact fields. Create unlimited custom fields to store insurance information, medical IDs, preferred appointment types, or any other data your team needs.
Navigate to Helpon → Settings → CRM → Custom Fields to manage your field definitions.
| Type | Description | Example Use |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Single-line text input up to 255 characters | Patient ID, referral source |
| Number | Numeric values with optional min/max validation | Age, number of visits |
| Date | Date picker with configurable format | Date of birth, last visit date |
| Dropdown | Single selection from a predefined list of options | Insurance provider, preferred location |
| Checkbox | Boolean true/false toggle | Consent given, newsletter opt-in |
| Textarea | Multi-line text input for longer content | Medical notes, special instructions |
| URL | Validated web address field | Patient portal link, external record |
Drag and drop custom fields in the field list to reorder them. The order determines how they appear on the contact detail page and in the pre-chat form (if enabled). Fields marked as Required must be filled in before a contact can be saved manually. Fields with Show in Chat Widget enabled will appear in the pre-chat form so visitors can provide the information before starting a conversation.
Only enable 2-3 custom fields in the chat widget pre-chat form. Too many fields can reduce visitor engagement and lower your chat initiation rate.
Tags are labels you attach to contacts for quick categorization. Segments are dynamic groups of contacts based on tags, field values, and activity criteria. Together, they let you organize your contacts and target specific groups for broadcasts, automation, and reporting.
Go to Helpon → Contacts → Tags. You will see a list of all existing tags with their contact counts.
Click Add Tag, enter a name (e.g., "VIP", "Orthodontics", "Follow-Up Needed"), choose a color, and click Save. Tags can also be created inline from any contact's profile page.
Open a contact profile and click the Tags field to add or remove tags. You can also apply tags in bulk by selecting multiple contacts and using Bulk Actions → Add Tag.
Set up rules to automatically apply tags based on contact behavior. Navigate to Helpon → Settings → CRM → Auto-Tagging to configure rules. Examples:
Go to Helpon → Contacts → Segments and click Create Segment.
Build your segment using conditions with AND/OR logic. Filter by tags, custom field values, lifecycle stage, last activity date, conversation count, source channel, or assigned agent.
Name your segment (e.g., "Active Patients - Ortho") and click Save Segment. Segments are dynamic — contacts automatically enter or leave the segment as their data changes. Saved segments are available as recipients in broadcast campaigns and automation workflows.
Segments update in real time. If a contact's tag or field value changes and no longer matches the segment conditions, they are automatically removed from the segment. No manual maintenance is required.
Lifecycle stages track where each contact is in their journey from first interaction to active patient and beyond. Stages help your team prioritize follow-ups, trigger targeted automations, and measure conversion rates through your patient funnel.
| Stage | Description | Typical Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| New | A brand-new contact who has just been created. No meaningful interaction yet beyond the initial chat or form submission. | Contact created from chat, import, or manual entry |
| Engaged | The contact has had multiple interactions, asked questions, or shown interest in services. | 3+ messages exchanged or returned for a second conversation |
| Qualified | The contact has expressed clear intent to book or has been vetted by an agent as a potential patient. | Appointment inquiry, insurance question, or agent qualification |
| Patient | The contact has booked and attended at least one appointment and is now an active patient. | First completed appointment |
| Inactive | The contact has not had any interaction for a configurable period (default: 90 days). | No activity for 90 days |
Add your own stages to match your workflow. Go to Helpon → Settings → CRM → Lifecycle Stages and click Add Stage. Enter a name, choose a color, and drag it into position in the pipeline order. Common custom stages include "Consultation Scheduled", "Treatment In Progress", and "Post-Treatment Follow-Up".
Configure rules to automatically move contacts between stages based on their activity. Go to Helpon → Settings → CRM → Stage Automation to define progression triggers:
Lifecycle stage changes can trigger automation workflows. For example, when a contact moves to "Qualified", you can automatically send a booking link via WhatsApp. When a contact becomes "Inactive", trigger a re-engagement email sequence. Configure these in Helpon → Automation → Workflows using the "Lifecycle Stage Changed" trigger.
Use the Analytics dashboard to track how many contacts move between stages each week. This gives you a clear picture of your patient acquisition funnel and helps identify bottlenecks.
The Patient Portal gives your patients a self-service area where they can view their appointment history, access chat transcripts, download shared documents, and update their profile information. The portal is a branded page hosted on your WordPress site.
Go to Helpon → Settings → Patient Portal and toggle the Enable Patient Portal switch to on.
Set the portal page slug (default: /patient-portal), choose which sections are visible (appointments, chat history, documents, profile), and configure the access method (magic link via email or password-based login).
Upload your logo, set the portal's primary color to match your brand, and customize the welcome message that patients see when they log in.
Send portal access invitations from the contact detail page by clicking Send Portal Invite, or enable automatic invitations when a contact reaches the "Patient" lifecycle stage.
The patient portal is accessible at yourdomain.com/patient-portal (or your custom slug). Patients authenticate using a magic link sent to their email address, or with a password if you have enabled password-based login. Magic links expire after 24 hours and can only be used once.
The patient portal requires your site to have an active SSL certificate (HTTPS). Login tokens and patient data are transmitted securely and will not function over plain HTTP.
The Activity Timeline is a chronological log of every interaction a contact has had with your practice. It appears on the contact detail page and provides a complete audit trail for each patient. All events are timestamped and attributed to the source (chat, agent, system, or automation).
The timeline captures the following events:
Use the filter tabs above the timeline to show only specific event types. You can also filter by date range using the date picker. To export a contact's full activity timeline, click the Export Timeline button on the contact detail page. The export is available as a CSV or PDF file, which is useful for compliance audits and GDPR data requests.
Helpon supports bulk data operations to help you migrate from other systems, create backups, and comply with data regulations.
Format your CSV file with column headers matching the contact fields. Include at minimum a name or email column. The first row must contain column headers.
Navigate to Helpon → Contacts → Import and click Choose File. Select your CSV file (maximum 10MB, up to 10,000 rows per import).
Helpon auto-detects common column names. Review and adjust the field mapping to ensure each CSV column maps to the correct CRM field. Unmapped columns are skipped.
Choose how duplicates are handled: Skip (do not import duplicates), Update (overwrite existing fields), or Create New (always create a new record). Duplicates are matched by email address.
Click Start Import. A progress bar shows the import status. When complete, a summary report shows how many contacts were created, updated, and skipped. Any errors are listed with row numbers so you can correct the source file.
first_name,last_name,email,phone,tags,lifecycle_stage,insurance_provider,date_of_birth Jane,Doe,jane.doe@email.com,+15552345678,"VIP,Orthodontics",Patient,BlueCross,1990-05-14 John,Smith,john.smith@email.com,+15559876543,New Patient,New,Aetna,1985-11-22 Maria,Garcia,maria.garcia@email.com,+15551234567,"Follow-Up",Engaged,Cigna,1978-03-08 Robert,Johnson,robert.j@email.com,+15554567890,"",Qualified,UnitedHealth,1992-09-30
Click Download CSV Template on the import page to get a pre-formatted file with all default and custom field columns. Fill it in and re-upload for a seamless import experience.
Export your contacts list from Helpon → Contacts → Export. You can export all contacts, a filtered subset, or a specific segment. Choose which fields to include in the export and select the output format (CSV or XLSX).
Set up recurring exports to receive a fresh contacts file on a regular basis. Go to Helpon → Settings → CRM → Scheduled Exports and configure:
Helpon supports the right to data portability under GDPR. When a patient requests their data:
Search for the patient in Helpon → Contacts and open their profile.
Click Actions → GDPR Data Export. Helpon compiles all data related to the contact: profile fields, conversation transcripts, appointment history, activity timeline, and any uploaded documents.
Download the ZIP archive containing structured JSON and CSV files, or email it directly to the patient's email address on file. All exports are logged in the activity timeline for compliance purposes.
For GDPR "right to erasure" requests, use Actions → Delete Contact & Data. This permanently removes all contact data, conversations, and files. This action cannot be undone and is logged for audit purposes.
Common CRM issues and how to resolve them:
If your issue is not listed here, check the Helpon → Settings → System Info page for diagnostic details and contact support with the debug log attached.