How Do I Add a Subscriber Manually with ChatSyncs?
How to add a single subscriber to ChatSyncs by hand from Create Subscriber, including the exact phone number format required and when to use a bulk import instead.
On this page
When to add a subscriber manually#
Use Create Subscriber when you need one contact in ChatSyncs right now and importing a whole file is overkill.
Example: Priya calls your shop asking about pricing before she's ever sent your WhatsApp number a message. You want her in ChatSyncs immediately — labeled as a Lead, with a quote template ready to send — instead of waiting for her to message the bot first.
Other common cases: a walk-in customer, a lead from a phone call or in-person event, or someone you want to enroll in a Sequence in advance. For more than a handful of contacts, How Do I Import Subscribers Using a CSV File? or How Do I Import Subscribers from Google Sheets? is faster and less error-prone.
Comparison: which import method fits?#
| Create Subscriber | CSV / Google Sheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | 1–2 contacts | Dozens, hundreds, or thousands at once |
| Fields you can fill in | Name, Phone Number only | Name, Phone Number, plus any custom field via extra columns |
| Setup time | A few seconds | A few minutes (preparing the file/sheet) |
| Risk of typos | Low — one record, easy to double-check | Higher on large files — verify the column mapping carefully |
Create a subscriber#
Open Export/Import → Add a Subscriber
From the Subscriber Manager list, open Export/Import, then Add a Subscriber.
Enter the subscriber's Name
Type their name into the Name field, e.g.
Priya Sharma.Enter the subscriber's Phone Number
Type the number in the exact format below — see the Warning.
Save
Click Save — the subscriber appears in the list immediately.
The Create Subscribers modal only asks for two fields: Name and Phone Number.
Expected result: The new subscriber appears in the Subscriber Manager list right away, with the same status and filters as any imported or bot-acquired subscriber — ready to be labeled, messaged, or enrolled in a Sequence.
What to do right after creating one#
A manually-created subscriber starts with just a name and phone number — nothing else. Common next steps:
- Add a label — select them in the list and use Options → Assign Label (e.g.
Lead,Walk-in) so they show up in filtered lists and broadcasts. See Create a label if the label doesn't exist yet. - Fill in a custom field — open their profile from the list and add data like city, email, or company under the Custom Fields tab, one field at a time.
- Enroll them in a Sequence — use Options → Assign Sequence to start one right away (see How to Build Automatic Follow-Up Chatbots on WhatsApp in ChatSyncs) without waiting for them to trigger it themselves.
- Send them a message — since they haven't messaged you first, you're outside the 24-hour customer service window, so your first message to them must be an approved Message Template.
Frequently asked#
What phone number format does Create Subscriber expect?
Country code directly followed by the number, with no +, spaces, or other punctuation —
e.g. 919876543210 for an Indian number. See the Warning above.
When should I use this instead of a CSV or Google Sheet import?
For one or two contacts at a time — a walk-in, a phone lead, someone you want in the system before they've messaged the bot. For more than a handful, bulk import is faster and less error-prone.
Can I add hundreds of contacts manually, one at a time?
You could, but you shouldn't — it's slow and easy to mistype a number. Use How Do I Import Subscribers Using a CSV File? or How Do I Import Subscribers from Google Sheets? instead for anything beyond a handful of contacts.
Can I edit a manually-created subscriber later?
Yes — labels, custom fields, and other details can be updated from their profile at any time, the same as any other subscriber.
Can I fill in a custom field while creating a subscriber manually?
No — the Create Subscriber modal only takes Name and Phone Number. Add custom field data afterward from the subscriber's profile, or import them via CSV/Google Sheet instead, where extra columns are picked up as custom fields automatically.
What happens if I enter the phone number in the wrong format?
ChatSyncs matches subscribers by the exact number format it expects. An inconsistent format
(missing country code, added +, extra spaces) risks creating a duplicate subscriber
instead of finding the existing one.
Can I message a manually-created subscriber right away?
Only with an approved Message Template. Since they haven't messaged you first, there's no open 24-hour service window yet — a free-form text reply won't deliver until they reply to a template and open one. See Creating a WhatsApp Message Template.
I created a subscriber with a number that already exists — what happens?
ChatSyncs matches by the exact phone number format. If it matches an existing subscriber,
that record is what gets found and used going forward — but only if the format is identical
(same country code, no +, no spaces). A mismatched format creates a separate duplicate
instead.
Related Documentation#
- Subscriber Manager — the subscriber list and full Options menu.
- How Do I Import Subscribers Using a CSV File? — for bulk-importing more than a handful of contacts.
- How Do I Import Subscribers from Google Sheets? — importing straight from a connected Google Sheet or Google Contacts.
- How Do I Manage Custom Fields and Labels? — adding structured data to a subscriber after creation.
Was this page helpful?
Still stuck? Open a support ticket and our team will help.