Overview
Directories in Sharpen provide a centralized way to organize and manage contacts across your organization. Administrators can create, edit, and delete directories as needed, with each directory built around a customizable schema that defines the fields used to capture contact information. Schemas can be updated at any time as your organization's needs evolve.
Contacts within a directory can be added individually or imported in bulk via CSV and can be edited or removed at any time to keep information current. In addition to organization-wide directories, Sharpen also supports personal directories, allowing individual users to maintain their own contact collections with their own custom schema, independent of the shared organizational directories.
Using Directories
Directories can support a variety of use cases within an organization. Here are some examples of situations where they are especially valuable:
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Managing Customer Accounts for Client-Facing Teams
For teams that interact with clients or customers, directories allow the organization to centralize and customize contact information by client account or department. This ensures that teams have easy access to up-to-date contact details, client-specific notes, and other relevant data, leading to improved customer service and faster response times.
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Maintaining Vendor and Partner Contacts
Organizations often work with various vendors, partners, and contractors. Directories provide a structured way to manage and organize this external contact information. Customizable schema fields can include categories such as “Vendor Type” or “Contract Renewal Date,” ensuring that partner information is organized and accessible across departments.
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Facilitating Internal Communication Across Departments
Directories can also be used to organize and maintain internal contact lists, especially in large organizations with multiple teams and locations. Departments can manage their own internal directories to keep team information current, enabling seamless collaboration and easy communication between departments, especially in hybrid or remote work environments.
To access directory management options, navigate to Admin → Configuration → Directories. As an administrator, you can perform the following actions:
Create a new directory
Edit an existing directory
Delete an existing directory
Define directory schema
Update directory schema
Create contacts within a directory
Import contacts to a directory
Edit contacts in a directory
Delete contacts within a directory
Define personal directory schema
Update personal directory schema
Configuration
Main Page
Select + New to create a new directory.
Use the search feature to locate a specific directory.
Modify details of an existing directory as needed.
Remove a directory that is no longer required.
Toggle between Light and Dark mode for display preferences.
Creating a Directory
After selecting + New on the main Directories page, you will be directed to a configuration page where you can customize your directory layout. Here, you can add, remove, or rename fields, and specify each field's type as either a string or a phone number.
There are two types of field configurations available: String and Phone Number. A String is a text-based field that can include letters, numbers, and special characters. A Phone Number field, however, only accepts numeric digits, ensuring accurate contact information formatting.
Adding a Contact to a Directory
To add a new contact, click on + New Contact and complete the relevant fields according to your customized layout.
Importing Contacts to a Directory
To import a large list of contacts, you can use the bulk import feature with a CSV file. Click on "Import Bulk Contacts" to access the import menu, where you can download the directory template or upload a CSV file. To upload, simply drag and drop the file into the designated area in the interface, or click "Upload CSV" to select the file from your computer.
We recommend clicking “Download Directory” to obtain a properly formatted CSV template for importing contacts. Please note that if the CSV is not correctly formatted, the upload process will not succeed.
Enabling Access to Directories
Directories can be enabled or disabled based on the user group configuration. To do so, navigate to Admin → Settings → User Groups, select the desired user group, and scroll to the bottom of the page to find the Q Phone Tabs section. To enable directories, select "Yes" from the drop-down menu; to disable, select "No."
Directories can also be enabled on an individual user basis, rather than by user group. To do this, navigate to Admin → Settings → Manage Users, select the appropriate user, locate the Q Phone Tabs section, and toggle the Directories tab on or off according to your preference.
If directories are enabled on an individual user basis, any updates made to the user's group by an administrator will override these individual settings, applying the user group configuration instead.
Accessing a Directory in the Sharpen Q
Once directories are enabled for a user group or individual user, they will become a selectable option in Sharpen Q. This allows users to access contacts, enabling agents to efficiently connect with the necessary resources to streamline their work.
This article is part of a series on Admin Configuration topics.