# Notes and tasks

Log notes and tasks on contacts and companies, work through the Tasks list, and build sequences of dated tasks.

Updated Oct 28, 2026. Source: https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/crm/notes-and-tasks

## What this does

Notes and tasks in the Small Business Chatbot CRM sit on a contact or a company and show in its **Activity** timeline. A note is text you keep. A task is something to do, with a due date, a type and a priority. The **Tasks** tab lists every task, and the **Sequences** tab builds sets of dated tasks you start on a contact.

## Log a note or a task on a record

1. **Open the record**

   In the app, open **[CRM › Contacts](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/app?panel=contacts)** and click a contact, or open a company from the **Companies** tab, covered in [Companies and opportunities](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/crm/companies-and-opportunities). The box at the bottom of **Activity** has **Note** and **Task**.

   ![The Activity panel's task form with subject, description, task type set to Call and a due date](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/user-guides/notes-and-tasks-composer-2026-10-28.webp)
   *CRM › Contacts, October 2026*

2. **Log a note**

   With **Note** selected, type in **Write a note...**, check the text, and click **Log note**. A logged note stays as written. The newest note also shows on a **Notes** card in the record's details. Click the card to read every note, newest first.

3. **Create a task**

   Click **Task**. Fill in **Subject**, and add **Description / instructions**, **Task type** and **Due** if you need them. Click **Create task**.

> **Note:** In **Activity**, a task with no **Due** date is saved as already closed, as a record of something you did. Set a due date for work still to do.

Workflows can add notes and tasks too, through [CRM steps](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/workflows/steps/crm-steps).

## Work through the Tasks tab

Open tasks wait in the **Tasks** tab and on their record until you close them.

1. **Open Tasks**

   In the app, open **CRM › Contacts** and click the **Tasks** tab. **Show** picks **Open tasks**, **Closed tasks** or **All tasks**. Click a column heading to sort by it.

   ![The Tasks list showing open tasks with company, email, phone, due date and status columns](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/user-guides/notes-and-tasks-list-2026-10-28.webp)
   *CRM › Contacts › Tasks, October 2026*

2. **Add a task**

   Click **New task**. Fill in **Name**, then any of **Contact**, **Company**, **Due date**, **Type**, **Priority** and **Description**. New tasks always start open. Click **Create task**.

3. **Open a task**

   Click its name. **Task detail** shows the linked contact's name, phone, email, company and website, and lets you edit **Subject** and **Body / instructions**. Click **Save task** to keep your changes. **Copy body** copies the instructions.

   ![The Task detail dialog with the related contact's details, the subject, the instructions and the Close task button](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/user-guides/notes-and-tasks-detail-2026-10-28.webp)
   *CRM › Contacts › Tasks, October 2026*

4. **Close it**

   Click **Close task** in **Task detail**, or the tick at the end of its row. A closed task has **Reopen task**.

Tick several tasks to use **Close selected open tasks**, **Edit selected** or **Archive selected**.

| Task field | What it holds |
|---|---|
| **Name** | Required. What needs doing. |
| **Contact**, **Company** | Who it's about. The contact's name opens their record. |
| **Due date** | Date and time |
| **Type** | No type, **Call**, **Email**, **Text** or **Demo** |
| **Priority** | **Low**, **Normal**, **High** or **Urgent**. The default is **Normal**. |
| **Status** | **Open** or **Closed** |
| **Description** | Instructions or text to copy |

## Build a sequence

A sequence is a reusable set of tasks, each due a set number of days after a start date. Starting one on a contact creates the tasks. It sends nothing: an Email or Text step is a task for you, with the body ready to copy.

1. **Start a new sequence**

   In the app, open **CRM › Contacts**, click the **Sequences** tab, then **New sequence**.

   ![The sequence editor with a name, weekday schedule, two steps and a schedule preview](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/user-guides/notes-and-tasks-sequence-2026-10-28.webp)
   *CRM › Contacts › Sequences, October 2026*

2. **Name it and pick the schedule**

   Fill in **Name** and **Description (optional)**. Under **Schedule**, **Weekdays only** skips Saturdays and Sundays when counting days, and **Calendar days** counts every day.

3. **Add the steps**

   For each step set **Day** (1 to 365), **Due time**, **Type**, **Priority**, **Subject** and **Body / instructions**. Email and Text steps need a body. **Add step** adds the next one, up to 30.

4. **Save**

   Check the **Schedule preview**, then click **Save sequence**.

**Insert merge field** puts a contact or company field, such as `{{contact.first_name}}`, where you last clicked in a subject or body. When the sequence starts, the contact's own value fills it in. Start a sequence from the contact's **Sequence** card, covered in [Contacts](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/crm/contacts). **Clone** copies a sequence under a new name. **Archive** retires it and keeps the tasks it already created.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| **Close this sequence task or stop its sequence before archiving it** | An open task from a running sequence can't be archived. | Close the task, or click **Stop sequence** on the contact. |
| **Step 2 body is required for email.** | An Email or Text step has no body. | Write the body for that step and save again. |
| A note or task shows **Needs attention:** | It didn't save. | Copy your text, reload the page and add it again. |