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Understanding "Active" & "Inactive" Contact records

Jomar
Updated

Introduction

In AskNicely, Contacts are the people eligible to receive surveys—but not all Contacts are treated equally. Depending on their status, they may or may not receive future survey invitations.

This article explains the difference between Active and Inactive Contacts, how to change a contact’s status, and how these statuses impact survey delivery.

Email Statuses That Indicate Inactive State

Video Tutorial

Step-by-Step Instructions

✅ Changing a Contact's Status

For an Individual Contact:

  1. Go to the Contacts page

  2. Find the contact you want to update

  3. Click the silhouette icon on the right side of their record

  4. Choose from:

    • Deactivate – Moves the contact to Inactive status

    • Unsubscribe – Prevents all future contact

    • Delete All Data – Permanently deletes all data and anonymizes responses

For Multiple Contacts:

  • Manually via UI:

    1. Check the boxes next to multiple contacts

    2. Click the “Deactivate” button at the top

  • Via CSV Upload:

    1. Create a spreadsheet with at least one column for email addresses

    2. Upload it as a normal Contact import

    3. On the final import screen, select “Deactivate everyone in this CSV”

🧠 Extra columns in the CSV won’t cause issues—only the email field is required for deactivation.

Viewing Active vs. Inactive Contacts

Use the dropdown at the top of the Contacts page to filter by:

  • Active Contacts

  • Inactive Contacts

  • Both

This view helps clarify who is currently eligible to receive surveys.

What Makes a Contact Active?

Contacts on the Active list are eligible to receive surveys if:

  • They are picked by the Daily Scheduler

  • They receive a manual one-off email from the Contacts page

  • A Survey Blast includes them, and they pass Contact Rules

What Makes a Contact Inactive?

Contacts become Inactive through several mechanisms:

🔧 Deactivated

  • Manually changed by a User

  • Deactivated by an Importer set to deactivation settings 

  • Automatically deactivated through your CRM/Integration if they are no longer present in your synced list

📭 Unsubscribed

  • Contact clicks Unsubscribe in a survey email

  • Manually unsubscribed by a user on your team

  • Removed via a privacy request

💣 Delete All Data

  • Irreversibly erases all data linked to the contact

  • Anonymizes their survey responses

  • Prevents any future survey from being sent to that contact

Email Statuses 

Head to your Contacts page and +Add Filter. Filter for Bounce Status. Be sure to remove "Status: Active Contacts" filter to ensure you are seeing all results. 

 

Status Meaning
hard_bounce Invalid or non-existent email address (will result in Contact deactivation)
soft_bounce Inbox is full, server is down, or email too large (will not result in Contact deactivation)
rejected Email server rejected the message (unspecified reason)
spam Rejected by the recipient’s server due to spam filtering

🔔 Special Note on Web/In-App Surveys

If you’re using Web or In-App surveys, be aware:

  • Deactivated contacts may still see the survey

  • To fully block survey access, you must Unsubscribe the contact

FAQs & Common Issues

  • Q: Can I reactivate a contact?
    A: Yes, simply import them again or toggle their status back to Active from the Contacts page.

  • Q: Does deactivating delete survey data?
    A: No. Deactivation prevents survey sends but retains historical data.

  • Q: Can unsubscribed contacts be re-added?
    A: Not without manual intervention. Contact AskNicely Support for compliance with privacy protocols.

  • Q: What’s the safest way to clean up a stale list?
    A: Use the CSV deactivation method to ensure older or unreachable contacts don’t receive surveys.

Next Steps & Related Articles

Video Tutorial

🎥 

Need Help?

If you’re unsure which status to apply or need assistance cleaning up your Contact list, reach out via the chat icon or email support@asknice.ly

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