Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.telli.com/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Contact properties let you define a structured schema for your contacts — adding custom fields like “Lead Type”, “Contract Start Date”, or “Preferred Language” that are relevant to your business. Unlike free-text notes, every property has a defined type, so your data stays clean and consistent across all contacts.
Before contact properties, the only way to attach custom data to a contact was through unstructured text fields. This worked, but had significant downsides:
- No consistency — One team member might write “yes”, another “true”, another “ja”
- No validation — Typos and formatting mistakes went unnoticed
- No structure — You couldn’t filter, sort, or report on free-text fields reliably
Contact properties solve this by introducing typed, validated fields that ensure your contact data is structured and reliable.
Property Types
telli supports the following property types, each with its own input and validation:
| Type | Description | Example Value |
|---|
| Text | Free-text string | ”Enterprise” |
| Number | Numeric value | 42 |
| Boolean | Yes or No | Yes |
| Date | Calendar date | 2025-03-15 |
| Date & Time | Calendar date with time | 2025-03-15 at 14:30 |
| Select | Single choice from a predefined list | ”Gold” |
| Multi-Select | Multiple choices from a predefined list | ”German”, “English” |
| Phone Number | Phone number in international format | +49 172 1234567 |
| Email | Email address | [email protected] |
Tip: Choose the most specific type for your data. For example, use Date instead of Text for dates — this ensures proper validation and a better editing experience in the contact details panel.
Create Your First Property
1. Navigate to Settings
Head over to Settings and select the Properties tab.
2. Click “Create Property”
Click the Create property button to open the property editor.
Fill in the details for your new property:
- Type — Select the data type (e.g. Text, Select, Date)
- Name — Give it a clear, descriptive name (e.g. “Lead Source”)
- Description (optional) — Add a note to help your team understand what this property is for
4. Add Options (Select & Multi-Select only)
If you chose Select or Multi-Select, you’ll need to define the available options. Simply type the option name and press Enter to add it.
5. Save
Click Save and your new property is immediately available across all contacts.
Editing Properties
You can edit an existing property at any time from the Properties tab in Settings. Click the menu icon next to any property and select Edit.
You can change the name and description of any property. For Select and Multi-Select properties, you can also add new options.
Important limitations when editing
- You cannot change the property type after creation. If you need a different type, create a new property and delete the old one
- You cannot remove existing options from Select or Multi-Select properties. This protects contacts that already have those values assigned. You can only add new options
Deleting Properties
To delete a property, click the menu icon next to it and select Delete. You’ll be asked to confirm.
Warning: Deleting a property permanently removes it and its values from all contacts. This action cannot be undone.
When you open a contact, you’ll see your custom properties listed under the Custom Properties section. Each property renders with an appropriate input — a date picker for dates, a dropdown for select fields, checkboxes for multi-select, and so on.
Simply click on any property value to edit it, then hit Save to persist your changes.
You can show your custom properties as columns in the contacts table. Click the column picker icon to toggle which properties are visible.
In Agent Prompts
You can reference contact properties inside your agent’s prompt so the AI personalizes its conversation based on each contact’s data. This is done through the Variables panel in the Agent Builder.
The Variables Tab
When editing an agent prompt in the Agent Builder, expand the Variables panel at the bottom of the editor. It shows three categories of variables you can insert into your prompt:
| Category | Description |
|---|
| Custom variables | Variables you define yourself — useful for values you want to set per agent |
| Contact properties | Your custom contact properties, automatically available as variables |
| Read only | System variables like currentDate, firstName, or callDirection |
Referencing Variables in the Prompt
Variables use the {{variableName}} syntax. When you type {{ in the prompt editor, an autocomplete dropdown appears with all available variables grouped by category. Select a variable to insert it as a styled chip in the editor.
For example, a prompt might look like:
You are a customer service agent. The caller's name is {{firstName}}.
Their loyalty tier is {{Loyalty Tier}} and their preferred language
is {{Preferred Language}}.
How It Works at Runtime
When a call starts, telli replaces each {{variable}} with the actual value from the contact’s data. If a contact has “Loyalty Tier” set to “Gold”, the agent receives a prompt with that value filled in. Variables that don’t have a value for a given contact are removed from the prompt automatically.
Properties in CSV Import
When you import contacts via CSV, you can map CSV columns directly to your custom properties.
Automatic Mapping
telli automatically detects properties by key, label, or the Label (key) header format used in the CSV template.
Manual Mapping
During import, you can map any CSV column to an existing custom property or create a new one directly in the wizard.
In the import wizard, you can create these property types:
- Text
- Number
- Boolean
- Date
- Date & Time
- Phone Number
- Email
For existing Select and Multi-Select properties, map the CSV column to that property during the mapping step. For multi-select properties, separate multiple values in one cell with commas.
For the full CSV import flow, supported system fields, and scheduling options, see Contacts.
System Properties vs. Custom Properties
telli distinguishes between two kinds of properties:
| System Properties | Custom Properties |
|---|
| Examples | First Name, Last Name, Phone Number, Email | Lead Source, Contract Date, Language |
| Who defines them | Built into telli | Created by you |
| Can be edited | Values can be edited | Values and definitions can be edited |
| Can be deleted | No | Yes |
Current Limits
| Resource | Limit |
|---|
| Property types available | 9 (Text, Number, Boolean, Date, Date & Time, Select, Multi-Select, Phone Number, Email) |
| Options per Select/Multi-Select | Unlimited (append-only — existing options cannot be removed) |
| Property type changes | Not supported after creation |
Note: These limits may change as we continue to improve the platform.
💡 Pro tip: Start by defining properties for the data your agents reference most during calls — things like customer tier, contract type, or preferred language. Once defined, reference them in your agent prompt via the Variables panel in the Agent Builder to deliver personalized conversations automatically.
