In BoldDesk, you can create and save a contact using only a phone number. This is ideal when customers reach you via phone, SMS, or chat and do not provide an email address. You can add phone‑only contacts from the Contacts module or inline while creating a ticket for the Requester.

Prerequisites

• Your role has permission to Create or Edit contact
• You have the customer’s phone number, formatted according to your workspace setting:
  • If E.164 validation is enabled, include the country code (e.g., +112345678).
  • If validation is disabled, local formats are accepted.

Configure Phone Number Format (E.164)

BoldDesk supports validating phone numbers using the E.164 international standard.

• When E.164 validation is enabled, all phone numbers must include a country code. (For example, +112345678)
• When E.164 validation is disabled, users can enter numbers in a local format (country code not required).

Steps to Enable or Disable E.164 Phone Number Validation

1. In the left navigation panel, click Admin.

2. Under Fields and Forms, select User Fields.

3. In the User Fields interface, open the Contact Form.

4. Locate the system-defined Phone Number field and click the Edit icon.

5. In the field settings, toggle Enable E.164 Validation to:

   • Yes — to enforce international format
   • No — to allow local number formats
     
   
   
   

Create a phone‑only contact from the Contacts module

Follow the standard Contacts workflow:

1. In the left navigation bar, click Contacts.

2. Select Add Contact in the top‑right corner to open the contact form.

3. In the Phone field, enter the customer’s phone number.

4. Leave the Email field blank if the email ID is not available.

5. Complete any other fields your organization uses (optional).

6. Click Add.

   
   
   

The contact will be created successfully with the phone number alone.

Create a phone‑only contact while creating a ticket

1. Go to Tickets → Create Ticket.

2. Next to Requester, click Add new contact.

3. In the Phone field, enter the customer’s phone number.

4. Leave the Email field blank if the email ID is not available.

5. Enter any other required details (e.g., Contact Group, if applicable).

6. Click Create.

   
   
   

Result: A new contact is created and the ticket is submitted. On the Ticket Details page under Requester Details, only the phone number will be displayed when no email is provided.

Search contacts by phone number

You can find contacts by entering their phone number in search. For best results, search using the same format the number was saved with (e.g., full international format when E.164 is enabled).

Use Case

Phone-only conversations: When a customer reaches out via phone, SMS, or chat without sharing an email, agents can create the contact using only the Phone field and proceed with ticketing and support.

Benefits

• Flexible data capture: Create contacts with either an email ID or a phone number—whichever is available.
• Faster onboarding: Reduce friction when customers don’t provide an email address.
• Channel fit: Supports phone/SMS/chat scenarios where email is unavailable.

Role and Permission

To add a new contact while creating a ticket, the permission “Add new contact at the time of ticket creation” must be enabled for the agent’s role. Also, the agent must have the permission to ‘Create or Edit contact’.

FAQs

1. Is an email required to create a contact in BoldDesk?
   No. A contact can be created with either a Phone or an Email value.

2. Can I create a ticket for a contact that only has a phone number?
   Yes. Use Tickets → Create Ticket, click Add new contact next to Requester, provide Phone, and submit.

3. Where will the phone number appear on the ticket?
   On the Ticket Details page under Requester, only the phone number is shown when no email is provided.

4. Who can add new contacts during ticket creation?
   Agents whose role has the “Add new contact at the time of ticket creation” permission enabled.

5. Can I save a contact without both phone and email fields?
   No. At least one of the two—Phone or Email—is required to save the contact.

Related Articles

1. How to Add and Edit Contacts
2. How to Block and Unblock Contacts in BoldDesk