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All you need to know about Contact Book

The Contact Book is the central place in Fohlio where all contact-related information is stored and managed. It acts as a shared database for contacts that are used across projects, purchase orders, invoices, proposals, and reports.

What the Contact Book Is Used For

The Contact Book:

  • Stores all company and contact records in one place

  • Enables consistent use of contacts across projects and financial documents

  • Supports supplier, client, consultant, and warehouse workflows

  • Provides visibility into supplier usage and spending

  • Helps control which information appears in printed reports


Contact Book Tabs

The Contact Book is organized into four main tabs


1. Clients

The Clients tab contains contacts that can be:

  • Assigned to projects

  • Used in client proposals

  • Used in client invoices

Currency settings defined at the client level are used automatically in proposals and invoices


2. Sources (Suppliers & Manufacturers)

The Sources tab contains all sourcing partners, including Suppliers and Manufacturers, presented in a single, unified view.

This tab is used wherever sources are selected in Fohlio, such as:

  • Project Sheets

  • Purchase Orders

  • Supplier Invoices

You can easily identify:

  • Manufacturers (brands you purchase directly from)

  • Supplier distributors (representing one or more brands)

Note: The same contact can be a supplier and manufacture, you can manage that by selecting the type of Contact. 



Consultants & Contractors

The Consultants & Contractors tab is used to store:

  • Contacts that are not directly tied to procurement or invoicing

  • External partners for reference and internal tracking

This tab functions as a contact database for non-transactional relationships.


Warehouses

The Warehouses tab stores shipping destination addresses.

Warehouse contacts populate the Ship To field in:

  • Project Sheets

  • Purchase Orders


Contact Types

Each company in the Contact Book can be assigned one or more contact types using the Contact Type selector.

Contact Type selection is available for all contacts, including:

  • Clients

  • Sources (Suppliers and Manufacturers)

  • Consultants & Contractors

  • Warehouses

This means a single company can:

  • Act as both a Supplier and a Manufacturer

  • Be reused across different workflows without duplication

  • Have its contact type updated at any time while keeping all records intact

Contact Types control where and how a company appears across Fohlio, without affecting historical data, analytics, or document usage.


Adding Contacts to the Contact Book

There are two ways to add contacts in Fohlio.


Add a Contact Manually

  1. Click the green Add button

  2. Select Add New

  3. Complete the required sections:

    • Company details

    • Main contact person

    • Address information

Additional Information

You can optionally add:

  • Currency

  • Account numbers

  • Other reference details

This information is saved and reused across documents.


Batch Upload Contacts

You can also add contacts using batch upload by:

  • Downloading the Fohlio template

  • Uploading completed contact data in bulk

This is useful when onboarding multiple contacts at once.


Contact Statuses

For all Contacts, each company can be assigned a status that controls availability and visibility.

Available statuses include:

  • Approved – Available across Fohlio to be selected

  • Preferred – Highlighted for users during selection

  • Pending Approval – Awaiting internal review

  • Blocked – Not approved for use

  • Archived – No longer active, but records are preserved

Statuses apply to the company as a whole, regardless of assigned contact types.


Supplier & Source Analytics

The Contact Book provides built-in analytics for sourcing partners, based on the last 12 months of activity:

  • Total PO amount

  • Total unique spec items (not quantities)

  • Number of projects used

  • Project names

These insights help teams evaluate supplier performance and sourcing decisions.


Make sure the columns actually available on your view. 


Managing Contacts & Addresses

Each company can have:

  • Multiple contact persons

  • Multiple addresses

Linking Contacts to Addresses

Contact persons can be linked to one or more addresses within the same company. You can also set:

  • A primary contact

  • A primary address

Primary selections are automatically used when the company is selected elsewhere in Fohlio.


Categories for Sources

Sources can be assigned product categories to indicate:

  • What types of items they supply or manufacture

Categories update automatically based on project usage, keeping the Contact Book accurate.


Currency Settings

Currency settings play a critical role across Fohlio:

  • Sources: Used in Purchase Orders and Supplier Invoices

  • Clients: Used in Client Proposals and Client Invoices

If currency appears incorrect in documents, always verify the currency in the Contact Book.


Company Details & Documents

From the company details view, you can:

  • Review all company information

  • Upload and manage documents

  • View contacts and addresses

  • Access focused analytics


Presentation Settings

For Sources, Presentation Settings control which company details appear in printed reports.

If reports display incorrect or sensitive information, review the presentation settings in the Contact Book.


Search, Views, and Export

You can:

  • Search contacts using multiple criteria

  • Customize visible columns and column order

  • Save different table views

  • Export contact lists to Excel

Exports are available for all contact types.

 


Access & Permissions

If you cannot edit contacts, your user role does not have the required permissions. Contact your administrator for access updates.


Summary

The Contact Book is a foundational component of Fohlio. It powers projects, procurement, invoicing, logistics, and reporting—while giving teams the flexibility to manage contacts accurately, efficiently, and at scale.