If you’re running a business and dealing with a pile of contacts, you already know most CRMs can turn into a mess fast. Capsulecrm's tagging system should help you sort customers, but only if you use it right. This guide is for business owners, sales leads, and anyone who wants to actually get value (not headaches) from segmenting customers with tags in Capsulecrm.
Let’s cut through the fluff: Here’s how to make tags work for you, what to skip, and a few hard-won lessons from the trenches.
Why Tags Matter (and Where They Go Wrong)
Tags in Capsulecrm (see Capsulecrm) are meant to slice your contacts into groups. Think of tags as sticky notes—quick ways to spot who’s who. Use them well, and you’ll know exactly who to email, call, or follow up with. Use them poorly, and you’ll have a junk drawer of random labels nobody trusts.
The good: - Quick segmentation for marketing and sales. - Flexible—you can tag by industry, status, interest, or whatever you want. - Easy to use, unlike some CRM features that require a PhD.
The bad: - Tags can get out of hand if you’re not disciplined. - No built-in hierarchy; it’s a flat list, so things get messy. - It’s tempting to use tags for everything (don’t).
Bottom line: Tags work best for simple, clear-cut segmentation—not as a dumping ground for every bit of info.
Step 1: Decide What You Actually Need to Segment
Before you create a single tag, decide what you care about. Seriously. Don’t just copy what some “CRM best practices” blog says.
Ask yourself: - What do I want to know about my business customers at a glance? - What groups do I need for marketing, sales, or reporting? - Which segments will I actually use—not just track for the sake of tracking?
Common, useful business customer segments: - Industry (e.g., “Retail,” “Tech”) - Customer type (e.g., “Distributor,” “End User”) - Size (e.g., “SMB,” “Enterprise”) - Region (e.g., “EMEA,” “APAC”) - Current status (e.g., “Active,” “Churn Risk”)
What to ignore: - Overly specific tags (“Met-at-Joe’s-birthday-2022”). That’s what notes or custom fields are for. - Tags for things you never use in searches, reports, or campaigns.
Pro tip: Fewer tags, used consistently, beat dozens of half-baked ones.
Step 2: Set Up a Simple Tagging System
Now you know what you need to segment, it’s time to create (or clean up) your tags in Capsulecrm.
1. Standardize Tag Names
Set some ground rules: - Stick to singular or plural—just pick one and be consistent (e.g., “Agency” or “Agencies,” not both). - Use plain English. Avoid shorthand only you understand. - Capitalize tags the same way (all lowercase or Title Case).
Examples:
- Good: Retail, Wholesale, Prospect
- Bad: retailer, retail, RetailClient (all meaning the same thing)
2. Avoid Tag Soup
If you’ve already got a mess of tags, now’s the time to clean house. Delete duplicates and merge similar ones.
How to clean up: - Export your contacts and their tags. - Review the tag list in Excel or Google Sheets. - Decide which to keep, merge, or delete. - Update contacts in Capsulecrm to use only your new, tidy set.
3. Document Your Tags
Create a simple doc (Google Doc, Notion, whatever) listing: - Tags you’ll use - What each tag means - Who should use each tag
Share it with your team. Otherwise, someone will come along and add “Customer2024” or something equally unhelpful.
Step 3: Apply Tags Consistently
This is the step most teams skip—and pay for later.
Make tagging part of your workflow: - Add relevant tags when creating or importing a contact. - Update tags as relationships change (e.g., when a lead becomes a customer). - Remove tags that no longer apply.
Who’s responsible? - Decide if sales, admin, or someone else owns tagging. If it’s everyone’s job, it’s no one’s job.
Pro tip: Capsulecrm lets you bulk update contacts—use that for big tag changes, not manual one-by-one edits.
Step 4: Use Tags to Actually Segment and Act
Tags aren’t just for show. Here’s where they pay off.
1. Filtering and Lists
- Use tags to filter contacts for targeted emails, call lists, or reports.
- Example: Want to run a campaign for all “SMB” customers in “Tech”? Filter by both tags.
2. Smart Workflows
- Pair tags with Capsulecrm’s lists or saved searches.
- Example: Create a saved list for “Churn Risk” customers to review every Friday.
3. Reporting
- Tags can help with rough reporting (e.g., “How many active customers in Retail?”).
- Just don’t expect deep analytics—Capsulecrm isn’t a BI tool.
4. Automation
- If you use Zapier or other integrations, tags can kick off workflows (like adding contacts to a Mailchimp audience).
What not to do: - Don’t use tags as a dumping ground for notes, reminders, or “just in case” info. - Don’t rely on tags for things that should be custom fields (like contract value).
Step 5: Review and Update Regularly
CRMs don’t clean themselves. Set a quarterly or twice-yearly reminder to: - Audit tags—remove or merge ones nobody uses. - Check for misuse—are tags being applied correctly? - Update your tag documentation if you add or change tags.
Pro tip: If you have more than 20 tags, you’re probably overdue for a cleanup. Most small businesses can get by with 10 or fewer.
What Works (and What Doesn’t)
What Works:
- Simple, clear tags: Easy for anyone to use and understand.
- Consistent application: Avoids confusion and keeps lists meaningful.
- Documented rules: Prevents tag sprawl and “creative” tagging.
What Doesn’t:
- Using tags for data that should be a field: Like renewal dates, contract amounts, or contact info.
- Letting everyone create their own tags: Leads to chaos.
- Ignoring tag reviews: You’ll end up with “old system” and “new system” tags fighting each other.
Keep It Simple—And Iterate
The best tagging systems in Capsulecrm are the ones you actually use. Don’t chase perfection or overthink it. Start simple, tag what’s useful, and adjust as your business changes. If you find yourself with a mess, take an hour to clean it up. You’ll thank yourself the next time you need to find “Active Retail SMBs” in two clicks.
Simple, clear, and maintained beats clever every time. Happy segmenting.