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Manage contacts and customer portal access

Updated Monday, October 26, 2026 · Marc Staine

Contacts identify the people your team supports and connect them to companies, communication details and portal access. Accurate contact relationships help agents choose the correct customer and avoid misdirected communication.

Applies to: Supportbench Core. Location: Customers → Contacts. Access and available controls depend on your role and account capabilities.

Before you begin

  • You need permission to edit this configuration. Ask an administrator if the page is available but its editing controls are not.
  • Review the current configuration and where it is used before making a change. Available choices depend on your account, enabled modules, division access and role.
  • Use a test record or a controlled test account for behavior checks. Do not change production routing or send customer messages just to try an example.

Configure and verify

  1. Open Customers → Contacts.
  2. Find the item in the list and open it, or choose the page’s new-item action.
  3. Enter a clear name and description. Set the fields below, including any scope, hierarchy, visibility or availability controls.
  4. Save the item and resolve any validation message. Reopen it to confirm the saved values.
  5. Check the relevant selection list or form using a user with the intended access. Repeat for an excluded user or division when scope is restricted.

Settings reference

Identity and contact details

SettingWhat it controlsHow to choose
First name / Last name / EmailFirst name and primary email are required.Confirm the person and address before saving.
Primary company / Status / TypeCompany association and configured contact classifications.Choose the actual organization and lifecycle category.
Support level / ExpiryContact-specific support entitlement.Review the intended relationship with the company’s support arrangement.
Title / Department / Bio / AvatarProfessional context and identification.Store relevant, verified information.
Secondary emails / Phone / Extension / MobileAdditional communication channels.Confirm ownership and avoid shared addresses unless intentional.
Tags / Managers / Timezone / LDAP username / ActiveClassification, relationship ownership, regional and supported directory context.Set only applicable values and review access before deactivation.

Mailing, social and fields

SettingWhat it controlsHow to choose
Use company mailing addressUses the associated company’s mailing details where supported.Use when this is the correct business address.
Address / City / State / Country / PostalContact mailing address when separately maintained.Keep the full address consistent.
Social URLs / Twitter handlesSupported social profile references.Use verified professional links.
FieldsContact custom fields selected by the applicable policy.Follow each field’s intended data type.

Community and relationships

SettingWhat it controlsHow to choose
Disable community accessPrevents supported customer portal access for the contact.Confirm the intended restriction before saving.
Community administratorGrants supported portal administration capability.Assign only to an authorized customer representative.
Company watcherReceives supported case notifications for the company, beyond the contact’s individual case participation.Enable only for a customer representative who should receive company-wide case updates.
Related companiesAdditional company relationships.Verify the person is entitled to the resulting company context.
Roles / IntegrationsCustomer-role associations and conditional integration information.Review audience and integration effects independently.

Behavior to know

  • Portal access depends on more than an email address: contact flags, relationships, roles and portal configuration all matter.
  • Customer policy can hide or rearrange fields without deleting stored values.

Recommended use

  • Use terminology that agents and customers already understand. Explain the intended meaning in the description.
  • Keep the initial configuration small enough for people to choose consistently. Add options when they represent a real operational difference.
  • Review existing references before renaming, changing scope, or deleting. Where supported, deactivate an obsolete option before considering permanent deletion.

Worked example

  1. Create a test contact with a required first name and verified email.
  2. Choose the primary company and appropriate support level.
  3. Review portal access, related companies and customer roles.
  4. Save and check the contact’s intended portal experience using a controlled test identity.

Troubleshooting

ProblemWhat to check
The item is missing from a picker.Check Active, division access, parent hierarchy, enabled modules, and the user’s role. Reopen the consuming form after saving.
The form rejects a save.Read the displayed validation message. Check required values, text limits and permitted scope; do not change unrelated settings to bypass validation.
An existing record still shows an old value.A configuration change and a record change are different operations. Inspect the record and relevant references before assuming the save failed.
  • Customers → Manage companies and customer organization details
  • Customers → Configure company and contact field policies
  • Customers → Configure contact states
  • Customers → Configure contact types
  • Customers → Configure customer roles
  • Self-Service → Configure a customer portal

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