Sometimes you want to keep a Contact or Company in your database, but limit or block communication with them or hide them from searches. Do Not Use does this.
How do I turn on Do Not Use?
An admin sets this up in your settings.
Go to Settings > Core Records, and select Contacts or Companies.
Create a status, or edit an existing one.
In the Status Meaning drop-down, select Do Not Use.
What options can I set on a status?
Status Meaning: the meaning of the status, such as Do Not Use.
Parent Status: makes your status a sub-status of another one.
Color: the color for the status.
Style: Apply Color gives records with this status a form header in the status color. None leaves them looking as they normally do.
Visibility: Show keeps records with this status visible throughout the app. Hide hides them by default, so they do not appear in grids, lists, forms, search, or lookups.
Allow Communication: Yes allows all email, phone, and SMS from Crelate, including bulk communication. No disables all of it. Limited disables bulk communication and only warns you if you communicate directly.
💡 Pro Tip: The Visibility setting, not the status name, decides whether records are hidden. A Do Not Use status with Visibility set to Show still appears in search. Only a status with Visibility set to Hide is hidden.
How do I mark a Contact or Company as Do Not Use?
Open the Contact or Company Record.
On the left side, use the status drop-down to select your Do Not Use status.
In the dialog, enter a Status Reason. This is optional.
The Record header changes to the status color. Hover over the icon in the top left of the Record to see the Status Reason.
💡 Pro Tip: Add a Status Reason when you change a status. It helps your teammates understand why a Contact or Company was marked Do Not Use.
Why can I not find a Contact or Company in my search?
Records with a status whose Visibility is set to Hide do not appear in search, grids, lists, forms, or lookups. To find them, filter by that status.
Go to Search, and turn on Advanced mode.
Select Add Filter, and choose Contact Record Status to find a Contact, or Company Record Status to find a Company.
Search for and choose the status that hides records.
Search for the Contact or Company by name.
If the record appears, check its status. If the status was set by mistake, change it using the status drop-down on the Record.
💡 Pro Tip: Not sure which status hides records? Ask an admin to check. In Settings > Core Records, select Contacts or Companies, open each status, and review its Visibility.
Can I still contact someone marked Do Not Use?
It depends on the status’s Allow Communication setting. Yes allows all communication. No disables all email, phone, and SMS from Crelate. Limited disables bulk communication and only warns you if you communicate directly.
Key takeaway
Do Not Use is a status you can apply to a Contact or Company to limit communication. An admin sets up statuses in Settings > Core Records. A status with Visibility set to Hide also removes records from search, grids, lists, forms, and lookups. To find a hidden record, filter by that status in Advanced Search, using Contact Record Status or Company Record Status.
What's Next?
Learn more about a similar concept with Company statuses below!