---
description: Learn how to collect customers’ or leads’ email addresses and phone numbers when conversations open.
title: How to Collect Contacts’ Emails and Phone Numbers
image: https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2F3f43c48b21b24f4e8b02b100c0c8fab0
---

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4. How to Collect Contacts’ Emails and Phone Numbers

# How to Collect Contacts’ Emails and Phone Numbers

![Avatar](https://assets2-proxy.respond.io/ph8r57dk1q9w/2Y6LIr15mC1nj8MgftMVT5/6ffeea71593277f0fc29dafd1c1de9b9/Serene_Avatar.svg)

Shing-Yi Tan

· 06 Apr 2025

2 min read

> In this article, you’ll discover how to collect customers’ or leads’ email addresses or phone numbers for identification when conversations open.

Contacts’ email addresses and phone numbers (in [E164 format](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.164#Numbering%5Fformats)) are valuable information that can be used to identify an existing customer or lead for more context. With a better understanding of a customer or lead, agents can provide better assistance.

## Benefits of Collecting Contacts’ Emails and Phone Numbers

Use the email addresses or phone numbers collected to:

* [merge Contacts](https://respond.io/help/contacts/contacts-overview#merge%5Fcontacts) when a Contact messages you from a different Channel.
* be able to [sync Contacts](https://respond.io/help/support-use-case/enrich-customer-data) and Contact properties with another CRM.

## Methods for Collecting Contacts’ Emails and Phone Numbers

Here are four methods that you can use to collect Contacts’ emails and phone numbers:

1. Automatically obtained from Channel's Metadata.
2. Ask for email or phone number using Workflows.
3. Use Pre-Chat Form on Website Chat Widget.
4. Identify logged-in Contacts via Website Chat Widget.

### Automatically obtained from Channel's Metadata

> **Use this method** when you are using channels that pass metadata containing Contact's email or phone number to respond.io platform.

Respond.io platform automatically receives Contacts’ emails or phone numbers for the following channels:

* [WhatsApp](https://respond.io/help/whatsapp)
* [SMS](https://respond.io/help/sms/sms-overview)
* [Email](https://respond.io/help/email/email-overview)

For channels that do not provide Contacts’ emails or phone numbers to respond.io platform, use the other methods to collect the information.

### Ask for email or phone number using Workflows

> **Use this method** when you expect Contacts to message you via instant messaging.

**Method Objectives**

* Select a Workflow Template and customize steps if needed
* Continue the Workflow when the question is skipped

#### Select Workflow Template and customize steps if needed

In the **Workflows** module, click **\+ Add Workflow** and choose your template:

* To collect emails, click **Welcome Message & Ask For Email** \> Click **Use Template**.
* To collect phone numbers, click **Welcome Message & Ask For Phone Number** \> Click **Use Template**.
![](https://assets2-proxy.respond.io/ph8r57dk1q9w/1HZZsSIxgAvTpNjdMgUnl0/5d048e09e108e96b780925a45f3bbd0f/ask-4-email-pn-2.png?fm=avif&w=1000) 

Customize the steps based on your business needs.

**1.** [**Trigger**](https://respond.io/help/workflows/workflow-triggers): The Workflow starts when a conversation is opened by a Contact.

**2\. Welcome Message**: [Sends a message](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-send-a-message) to greet your Contact.

**3\. Have Email** / **Phone # already?**: This is a [Branch](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-branch) step to check if the Contact Field already contains the email address or phone number.

| Condition                                      | Outcome            |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------ |
| Contact’s email or phone number does not exist | Asks the question  |
| Contact’s email or phone number exists         | Skips the question |

**4\. Ask for Email** or **Ask for Phone Number**: This [Ask a Question](https://respond.io/help/workflows/step-ask-a-question) step lets you send a message to the Contact asking for email or phone number if the Contact Field does not contain the email or phone number.

> Consider continuing your Workflow with [Routing](https://respond.io/help/inbound-conversations/route-contacts-by-team-functions) or [Assignment](https://respond.io/help/inbound-conversations/assignment-strategy-automatic-contact-distribution-load-balancing).

> Once you have completed the setup, click **Save** and **Publish** to activate the Workflow.

### Use Pre-Chat Form on Website Chat Widget

> **Use this method** when you expect Contacts to message you via Website Chat Widget.

When Contacts message from the Website Chat Widget, you’ll need to get their names in addition to the email addresses or phone numbers.

![](https://assets2-proxy.respond.io/ph8r57dk1q9w/795mtrSVbxZcPI294UHQog/6c67c031f795f218735c2ad54604d279/collecting-contacts-email-pn-3.png?fm=avif&w=1000) 

> **Important:** You must first add and install the [respond.io Chat Widget](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget).

> Learn more about [Pre-Chat Forms here](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget#pre%5Fchat%5Fform).

Here’s how to set up the Contact information you want to collect from the Pre-Chat Form:

1. Click **Settings** \> Click **Channels** \> Click **Website Chat Channel** \> Click **Customize**.
2. Open the Pre-Chat toggle and enable Pre-Chat Form.
3. Add _First Name_ and _Email Address_ or _Phone Number_ fields to the form, and then make the fields Mandatory for Contacts to fill them out.

### Identify logged-in Contacts via Website Chat Widget

> **Use this method** when you expect Contacts to message you via Website Chat Widget from a logged-in area on website.

If Contacts are logged in, you can automatically get the names, email addresses, phone numbers and more.

Follow the instructions to add JavaScript code to your website [here](https://respond.io/help/website-chat-widget/website-chat-widget#identifying%5Flogged%5Fin%5Fusers).

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## 

Related articles 👩‍💻

* [How to Enrich Customer Data from a CRM or other Business SoftwareRetrieve customer properties like Fields from your CRM or business software that holds your primary customer list and add the data to the Contact in respond.io. ](/help/capture-leads/enrich-customer-data)
* [How to Track Conversation Source from Multiple WebsitesLearn how to track where conversations are coming from even when using the multiple widgets of the same channel on different websites. ](/help/capture-leads/track-conversation-source)
* [How to Send Outbound Sales MessagesImport Contacts to send cold messages or follow up with leads. ](/help/capture-leads/sending-outbound-sales-messages)
* [How to Route Contacts from CTC Ads to AgentsLearn to automatically assign contacts coming from Click-to-Chat Ads to Agents. ](/help/capture-leads/how-to-route-contacts-from-ctc-ads-to-agents)

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2025-12-05T03:58:21.625Z

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