Understanding All Contacts

All Contacts is your master database inside Audience Center. It brings every contact into one unified list so you can manage data consistently, build powerful segments, and use the same records across email, forms, landing pages, scoring, and reporting. This article gives you a clear understanding of what All Contacts is, how it is structured, and how you can use it across your Act-On account.

What is All Contacts?

All Contacts is a single, consolidated database that replaces the need for separate Marketing Lists. It stores every contact in your account using a shared set of fields. This unified structure makes it easier to segment your audience, maintain clean data, and personalize your marketing consistently.

How All Contacts is organized

Each row represents a contact, and each column is a contact field. These include:

• Standard fields (Email Address, First Name, Company, Job Title)
• CRM fields (Account Owner, Industry, Lifecycle Stage)
• Custom fields you define for your business needs

Where to find All Contacts

1. Go to Audience Center.
2. Select All Contacts from the left navigation.
3. Open the segment All Act-On Contacts to view every contact in your database.

Key elements of the All Contacts page

• Segment tree: A hierarchical list of all segments built from All Contacts.
• Filters: Quickly switch between Favorites, Recently Created, or segments Created By You.
• Folders: Organize segments by campaign, region, product line, team, or workflow.
• Search: Find segments by name using the search bar.
• Data cards: High-level stats such as contact totals, new contacts added, and insights.
• Contact detail panel: View and edit contact fields, see segment memberships, and review behavioral history.

Viewing and editing a contact

Selecting a contact opens a detailed view that shows:

• All standard and custom field values
• CRM-synced fields (if applicable)
• Segments the contact belongs to
• Recent behavioral activity

How segments relate to All Contacts

Segments are dynamic groups built from All Contacts. Each segment uses criteria to automatically include the right contacts. When contact data changes, segment membership updates in real time.

Exporting contacts

You can export the full database or any segment:

1. Open All Contacts or choose a segment.
2. Select the Export option from the actions menu.
3. Download the CSV file.

If export options aren’t available, check with your Act-On administrator to confirm permissions.

Related articles

• Set Up Your All Contacts Data Schema
• Audience Center Upgrade Assistant
• Find and Manage Segments