# Contact created and tag added

Start a workflow when a chat, text or booking creates a CRM contact, when you add one, or when you tag one, with every field of that contact.

Updated Oct 28, 2026. Source: https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/workflows/triggers/contact-events

## What this does

Small Business Chatbot has two contact triggers. Each starts a run in every published workflow that uses it.

- **Labels in the app:** Contact created, Contact tag added
- **Fires:** When a chat, text or booking creates a CRM contact, when you add a contact, or when you add a tag to a contact in the app
- **Carries:** The contact, as `{{trigger.contact.…}}`, plus the tag on **Contact tag added**
- **Settings:** **Tag to watch** on **Contact tag added**. **Contact created** has none.

## When they fire

**Contact created** fires once for each new contact:

- When a website chat, a text conversation or a booking creates a contact. That needs **Passive CRM sync** and **Save contacts** on for that channel under **CRM › Contacts › Settings**. A chat also needs a phone number or email from the visitor.
- When you click **New contact** in **CRM › Contacts** and save it.

Contacts saved from answered calls and email replies, and contacts under **Needs review**, don't fire it. For callers, start the workflow with [Call ended](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/workflows/triggers/call-ended). A new contact whose phone or email matches an existing contact updates that contact instead.

**Contact tag added** fires once for each tag added to an existing contact:

- When you edit a contact's tags in **CRM › Contacts** and save.
- When you select contacts and click **Add tag**. Each selected contact starts its own run. This is how to start a workflow for contacts you pick, imported ones included.

Contacts and tags from a CSV import, and changes a workflow step makes, fire neither trigger. To tag a new contact and start a **Contact tag added** workflow, save the contact first, then add the tag.

## Tag to watch

On **Contact tag added** only. Type the tag the workflow waits for, such as `booked`. Capitals and spaces at either end are ignored. "Leave blank to start on any newly added contact tag."

![The Contact tag added trigger watching the tag spring-tune-up](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/workflows/contact-events-tag-to-watch-2026-10-28.webp)
*Workflows › Editor, October 2026*

> **Careful:** With **Tag to watch** blank, every tag you add starts the workflow, and adding two tags at once starts it twice.

## What they carry

| Variable | Type | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| `trigger.tag` | text | The tag that was added. **Contact tag added** only. |
| `trigger.event_name` | text | `contact_created` or `contact_tag_added`. Also in `trigger.event_type` and `trigger.event.name`. |
| `trigger.event_source` | text | Where the change came from, such as `crm_contact_add_tag` or `chat_widget_passive_sync`. Also in `trigger.event.source`. |
| `trigger.event.occurred_at_iso` | date and time | When it happened, in UTC |
| `trigger.public_config_id` | id | Your account's id. Also in `trigger.workspace.public_config_id`. |
| `trigger.contact.*` | object | The contact, with the fields below |

## Contact fields

Every trigger that carries a contact uses these names. A field is empty when the contact has no value for it.

| Variable | Type | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| `trigger.contact.contact_id` | id | The contact's id in your CRM |
| `trigger.contact.first_name` | text | First name |
| `trigger.contact.last_name` | text | Last name |
| `trigger.contact.full_name` | text | Full name |
| `trigger.contact.email` | text | Email |
| `trigger.contact.phone` | text | Phone number |
| `trigger.contact.website` | text | Website |
| `trigger.contact.linkedin_url` | text | LinkedIn address |
| `trigger.contact.business_name` | text | The contact's business |
| `trigger.contact.status` | text | The status's stored value, such as `open` or `booked` |
| `trigger.contact.tags` | list | All the contact's tags |
| `trigger.contact.custom_fields.*` | object | Your custom fields, by name |
| `trigger.contact.source` | text | Where the contact first came from |
| `trigger.contact.created_at`, `updated_at`, `last_activity_at` | date and time | When the contact was created, last changed and last active |

## Example

A **Contact tag added** run:

```json trigger
{
  "event_name": "contact_tag_added",
  "event_source": "crm_contact_add_tag",
  "tag": "spring-tune-up",
  "contact": {
    "contact_id": "c_3317",
    "first_name": "Lee",
    "phone": "+14165550177",
    "email": "lee@example.com",
    "tags": ["past-customer", "spring-tune-up"]
  }
}
```

## Used in

- [Contacts](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/crm/contacts): add tags and contacts in the CRM.
- [Triggers](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/workflows/triggers): how to pick a trigger.
- [CRM steps](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/workflows/steps/crm-steps): update the contact from the workflow.