How to Use ChatAE Contacts for Account Planning
What Is ChatAE Contacts?
ChatAE Contacts is an integrated contact discovery and enrichment feature that's part of your account planning workflow. It does everything you've been using Apollo, LeadIQ, or Clay for contact data — but faster, simpler, and fully integrated into account planning.
You can search, enrich, and export every relevant contact across all your accounts — no more juggling tools, tabs, or spreadsheets.
Here's how to use ChatAE Contacts for account planning — from contact discovery to enrichment to integration.
Why ChatAE Contacts Is Different
ChatAE Contacts is different because it's integrated:
Part of account planning: Contacts are part of your account research, not a separate activity.
Account context: Contacts have account context. You know their role, their company, and account intelligence.
No tool switching: You don't switch between tools. Contacts are in ChatAE, where you're already planning accounts.
Why it matters: Integration eliminates friction. Contacts are part of your workflow, not a separate task.
How to Discover Contacts
Here's how to discover contacts in ChatAE:
Search Within Accounts
How to search:
- Navigate to your account in ChatAE
- Go to the Contacts section
- Search by name, title, department, or keywords
- Filter by role, seniority, or department
Why it matters: Account-based search finds contacts within your accounts. They have context.
Best practices: Search strategically. Focus on decision-makers and influencers. Use filters to narrow results.
Enrich Contact Data
How to enrich:
- Select contacts from search results
- Click "Enrich Contacts"
- ChatAE enriches through premium data networks
- View enriched data — email, phone, LinkedIn, company info
Why it matters: Enrichment provides complete contact data. It enables outreach.
Best practices: Enrich contacts you'll actually contact. Focus on decision-makers. Verify data quality.
Use Waterfall Strategy
How it works: ChatAE uses a waterfall strategy for enrichment — multiple data sources, maximum coverage and accuracy.
Why it matters: Waterfall strategy ensures you get the best data available. It maximizes coverage.
What you get: Clean, verified emails, mobile numbers, and LinkedIn profiles all in one view.
How to Use Contacts in Account Planning
Here's how to use contacts in account planning:
Map Stakeholders
How to use: Use contacts to map stakeholders within accounts.
Why it matters: Stakeholder mapping informs account strategy. It identifies decision-makers and influencers.
How to do it: Search for contacts by role. Enrich decision-makers. Map stakeholder relationships.
Example: Map C-suite contacts, department heads, and key influencers. Understand their roles and relationships.
Build Contact Lists
How to use: Build contact lists for outreach and engagement.
Why it matters: Contact lists enable targeted outreach. They organize contacts for messaging.
How to do it: Search and filter contacts. Select contacts for outreach. Build lists by role or initiative.
Example: Build list of VP-level contacts for executive outreach. Build list of technical contacts for product discussions.
Enrich Account Context
How to use: Use contacts to enrich account context and intelligence.
Why it matters: Contact data enriches account understanding. It provides stakeholder insights.
How to do it: Enrich key contacts. Review contact data. Incorporate into account planning.
Example: Enrich executive contacts. Review their backgrounds. Understand their priorities and concerns.
Integration with Account-Based Messaging
ChatAE Contacts integrates with Account-Based Messaging:
Select Contacts for Messaging
How to use: Select contacts from Contacts section to generate personalized emails.
Why it matters: Contacts from account research have context. Messaging is more personalized.
How to do it: Select contacts from Contacts section. Click "Generate Emails." Emails use account context.
Example: Select VP contacts from account. Generate personalized emails referencing account research.
Use Contact Data in Emails
How to use: Contact data informs email personalization.
Why it matters: Contact data enables personalization. Emails reference role, background, and account context.
How to do it: Enrich contacts before messaging. Contact data is automatically used in email generation.
Example: Email references contact's role, company, and account context. Personalization is accurate and relevant.
Advanced Features
Here are advanced features for Team & Enterprise customers:
CRM Integration
How to use: Sync contacts with your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.).
Why it matters: CRM integration eliminates manual data entry. Contacts flow into CRM automatically.
How to do it: Connect CRM in ChatAE settings. Configure sync rules. Contacts sync automatically.
Example: Contacts enriched in ChatAE sync to Salesforce. No manual entry required.
Bulk Operations
How to use: Perform bulk operations on contacts — enrich, export, assign.
Why it matters: Bulk operations save time. They enable scale.
How to do it: Select multiple contacts. Perform bulk enrich, export, or assign operations.
Example: Select 50 contacts. Bulk enrich. Export to CSV or sync to CRM.
Contact Assignment
How to use: Assign contacts to reps or BDRs.
Why it matters: Contact assignment organizes outreach. It enables team coordination.
How to do it: Assign contacts to team members. Track assignments. Coordinate outreach.
Example: Assign VP contacts to account executive. Assign technical contacts to solutions engineer.
Product Usage Mapping
How to use: Map contact data to product usage data.
Why it matters: Usage mapping identifies power users and champions. It informs account strategy.
How to do it: Connect product usage data. Map contacts to usage. Identify champions and power users.
Example: Map contacts to product usage. Identify power users. Engage champions for expansion.
Best Practices
Here are best practices for using ChatAE Contacts:
Search Strategically
What to do: Search for contacts strategically. Focus on decision-makers and influencers.
Why it matters: Strategic search finds the right contacts. It improves outreach effectiveness.
How to do it: Use filters to narrow results. Focus on seniority and role. Prioritize decision-makers.
Enrich Before Messaging
What to do: Enrich contacts before generating emails or messaging.
Why it matters: Enriched contacts enable better personalization. They improve response rates.
How to do it: Enrich contacts as part of account planning. Verify data quality. Use enriched data in messaging.
Use Account Context
What to do: Use account context when searching and enriching contacts.
Why it matters: Account context enables better contact selection and personalization.
How to do it: Search within accounts. Use account intelligence to inform contact selection.
Organize Contacts
What to do: Organize contacts into lists or groups.
Why it matters: Organization enables targeted outreach. It improves coordination.
How to do it: Build contact lists by role, initiative, or priority. Use lists for messaging.
Integrate with Workflow
What to do: Integrate contacts into your account planning workflow.
Why it matters: Integration eliminates friction. Contacts become part of planning, not a separate task.
How to do it: Use contacts as part of account research. Enrich during planning. Use in messaging.
Common Use Cases
Here are common use cases:
Initial Account Research
Use case: Discovering contacts during initial account research.
How to use: Search for contacts within account. Enrich key contacts. Map stakeholders.
Why it works: Contact discovery is part of account research. Contacts have context from the start.
Stakeholder Mapping
Use case: Mapping stakeholders for account planning.
How to use: Search for contacts by role. Enrich decision-makers. Map relationships.
Why it works: Stakeholder mapping informs account strategy. It identifies key contacts.
Outreach Preparation
Use case: Preparing contacts for outreach and messaging.
How to use: Search and filter contacts. Enrich contacts. Build contact lists. Generate emails.
Why it works: Preparation enables targeted outreach. Contacts are ready for messaging.
Account Expansion
Use case: Finding new contacts for account expansion.
How to use: Search for new contacts within account. Enrich contacts. Add to account planning.
Why it works: Contact discovery enables expansion. New contacts create new opportunities.
Troubleshooting
Here are common issues and solutions:
Contacts Not Found
Problem: Can't find contacts in search results.
Solution: Broaden search criteria. Check filters. Try different search terms.
Prevention: Use specific but flexible search terms. Check filters. Try variations.
Enrichment Fails
Problem: Contact enrichment doesn't return data.
Solution: Try different contacts. Check data sources. Verify contact information.
Prevention: Enrich contacts with complete information. Use multiple data sources.
Data Quality Issues
Problem: Enriched data is inaccurate or incomplete.
Solution: Verify data from multiple sources. Update manually if needed.
Prevention: Use waterfall strategy. Verify data quality. Update as needed.
The Bottom Line
Using ChatAE Contacts for account planning:
- Search within accounts — Find contacts with account context
- Enrich contact data — Get complete contact information
- Map stakeholders — Identify decision-makers and influencers
- Build contact lists — Organize contacts for outreach
- Integrate with messaging — Use contacts for Account-Based Messaging
Best practices: Search strategically, enrich before messaging, use account context, organize contacts, integrate with workflow.
Advanced features: CRM integration, bulk operations, contact assignment, product usage mapping (Team & Enterprise).
ChatAE Contacts isn't just contact data. It's integrated contact discovery and enrichment that's part of your account planning workflow — eliminating tool switching, providing account context, and enabling targeted outreach.
That's how you use ChatAE Contacts for account planning — by discovering contacts within accounts, enriching data, and integrating contacts into your planning and messaging workflow.