Linking phone numbers to customers
When a customer contacts you via SMS or phone, you can link their phone number to an existing customer profile or create a new one. Linking connects the conversation to the customer's full history -- orders, account details, loyalty balance, and previous interactions -- so your team has complete context without leaving the conversation.
Why link customers
Without linking, an inbound SMS or phone call is just a phone number. Your agents see no customer context -- no order history, no account preferences, no prior conversations. Linking solves this by connecting the phone number to a customer profile.
Once linked:
During conversations, the customer's profile is displayed alongside the chat or call, giving your agent instant access to their data.
In the customer timeline, the conversation appears alongside orders, email interactions, and other activity.
For future contacts, the phone number is automatically recognized so the profile loads without manual linking.
Linking to an existing customer
When you're in a conversation with an unlinked phone number, select Add to Profile to open the linking dialog.
Make sure Add to Customer is selected (this is the default mode).
Type an email, name, or phone number into the search field and select Search.
Browse the results. Each result shows the customer's email, name, and phone number (if on file).
Select the matching customer from the results list.
Select Link to Profile to complete the link.
The phone number is added to the customer's shipping address and the conversation is immediately associated with their profile.
If you're unsure which customer matches, open their profile in a separate tab to verify before linking. Linking the wrong customer can be corrected, but it's easier to get it right the first time.
Creating and linking a new customer
If the caller doesn't have an existing customer record, you can create one directly from the linking dialog.
Select Create New to switch to the create mode.
Enter an Email address (required, must be a valid email format).
Enter a Password (required, minimum 6 characters).
Select Create & Link to create the customer and link the phone number in one step.
The phone number is automatically added to the new customer's shipping address.
Where linking appears
The linking dialog is available in two contexts:
SMS conversations -- when viewing a conversation with an unrecognized phone number, the option to link or create a customer is presented in the conversation sidebar.
Active calls -- during a phone call with an unlinked number, the same linking interface is accessible from the call context panel.
In both cases, the workflow is identical: search for an existing customer or create a new one, and the phone number is associated with the profile.
Related pages
Customers overview -- capabilities summary and page navigation
General customer settings -- customer profile fields
Searching and filtering customers -- finding customers in the list view