[FEATURE] Implement Contact Management APIs

Overview

In today's fast-paced sales environment, maintaining accurate customer information is crucial for building strong relationships and driving business growth. To address this need, we propose implementing contact management APIs for CustomerConnect, a cutting-edge customer relationship management (CRM) platform. These APIs will enable sales representatives to create, manage, and track customer contacts efficiently, ensuring that customer information is always up-to-date and accessible.

Why Contact Management APIs Matter

Contact management APIs are essential for any CRM platform, as they provide a centralized hub for storing and managing customer information. With these APIs, sales representatives can easily create and update contact records, track interactions, and segment contacts based on various criteria. This enables businesses to:

• Improve customer engagement: By having a single, accurate view of customer information, sales representatives can tailor their interactions to meet individual customer needs.
• Enhance sales productivity: Contact management APIs streamline the process of managing customer contacts, freeing up time for sales representatives to focus on high-value activities.
• Gain valuable insights: By tracking customer interactions and behavior, businesses can identify trends and patterns that inform sales strategies and improve customer satisfaction.

API Endpoints for Contact Management

To support contact management, we propose implementing the following RESTful API endpoints:

Create Contact

• Endpoint: /contacts
• Method: POST
• Request Body: Contact information (e.g., name, email, phone number)
• Response: Created contact ID

Retrieve Single Contact

• Endpoint: /contacts/{contact_id}
• Method: GET
• Response: Contact information (e.g., name, email, phone number)

Retrieve List of Contacts

• Endpoint: /contacts
• Method: GET
• Query Parameters: Filter criteria (e.g., company, category)
• Response: List of contact IDs and corresponding information

Update Contact

• Endpoint: /contacts/{contact_id}
• Method: PUT
• Request Body: Updated contact information
• Response: Updated contact ID

Delete Contact

• Endpoint: /contacts/{contact_id}
• Method: DELETE
• Response: Deleted contact ID

Additional Features

To provide a comprehensive contact management solution, we propose implementing the following features:

Contact Organization by Companies and Categories

• Endpoint: /contacts/{contact_id}/organizations
• Method: GET
• Response: List of organizations and categories associated with the contact

Contact History Tracking

• Endpoint: /contacts/{contact_id}/history
• Method: GET
• Response: List of interactions and events associated with the contact

Contact Segmentation

• Endpoint: /contacts/segment
• Method: GET
• Query Parameters: Filter criteria (e.g., company, category)
• Response: List of contact IDs and corresponding information

Custom Fields for Contacts

• Endpoint: /contacts/{contact_id}/custom_fields
• Method: GET
• Response: List of custom fields associated with the contact

Contact/Export Functionality

• Endpoint: /contacts/import
• Method: POST
• Request Body: Contact data in CSV or JSON format
• Response: Imported contact ID

Duplicate Detection

• Endpoint: /contacts/duplicate
• Method: GET
• Query Parameters: Contact information (e.g., name, email, phone number)
• Response: Duplicate contact ID (if found)

Permission Checks

• Endpoint: /contacts/{contact_id}
• Method: GET, PUT, DELETE
• Response: Error message (if permission is denied)

Unit Tests for All API Endpoints

• Test Framework: Go's built-in testing framework
• Test Cases: Comprehensive set of test cases for each API endpoint

API Documentation

• Format: Swagger/OpenAPI
• Content: Detailed documentation for each API endpoint, including request and response formats

Technical Implementation

To implement the contact management APIs, we propose using the following technologies:

• Programming Language: Go
• Database: PostgreSQL
• API Framework: Go's built-in net/http package
• Validation: Go's built-in validation package
• Permission Checks: Custom implementation using Go's built-in permission checks

Conclusion

Q: What is the purpose of implementing contact management APIs for CustomerConnect?

A: The primary goal of implementing contact management APIs is to provide a centralized hub for storing and managing customer information, enabling sales representatives to create, update, and track customer contacts efficiently.

Q: What are the benefits of using contact management APIs?

A: The benefits of using contact management APIs include:

• Improved customer engagement: By having a single, accurate view of customer information, sales representatives can tailor their interactions to meet individual customer needs.
• Enhanced sales productivity: Contact management APIs streamline the process of managing customer contacts, freeing up time for sales representatives to focus on high-value activities.
• Gain valuable insights: By tracking customer interactions and behavior, businesses can identify trends and patterns that inform sales strategies and improve customer satisfaction.

Q: What are the proposed API endpoints for contact management?

A: The proposed API endpoints for contact management include:

• Create Contact: /contacts
• Retrieve Single Contact: /contacts/{contact_id}
• Retrieve List of Contacts: /contacts
• Update Contact: /contacts/{contact_id}
• Delete Contact: /contacts/{contact_id}

Q: What additional features are proposed for contact management?

A: The proposed additional features for contact management include:

• Contact Organization by Companies and Categories: /contacts/{contact_id}/organizations
• Contact History Tracking: /contacts/{contact_id}/history
• Contact Segmentation: /contacts/segment
• Custom Fields for Contacts: /contacts/{contact_id}/custom_fields
• Contact Import/Export Functionality: /contacts/import
• Duplicate Detection: /contacts/duplicate
• Permission Checks: /contacts/{contact_id}

Q: What technologies will be used to implement the contact management APIs?

A: The proposed technologies for implementing the contact management APIs include:

• Programming Language: Go
• Database: PostgreSQL
• API Framework: Go's built-in net/http package
• Validation: Go's built-in validation package
• Permission Checks: Custom implementation using Go's built-in permission checks

Q: How will the contact management APIs be tested?

A: The contact management APIs will be tested using Go's built-in testing framework, with comprehensive test cases for each API endpoint.

Q: What is the expected outcome of implementing the contact management APIs?

A: The expected outcome of implementing the contact management APIs is to provide a robust and scalable contact management system that enables sales representatives to manage customer contacts efficiently, improving customer engagement, sales productivity, and customer satisfaction.

Q: What is the timeline for implementing the contact management APIs?

A: The timeline for implementing the contact management APIs will be determined based on the project requirements and resources available.

Q: Who will be responsible for implementing the contact management APIs?

A: The implementation of the contact management APIs will be the responsibility of the development team, with input and guidance from the project stakeholders and subject matter experts.

Q: What is the budget for implementing the contact management APIs?

A: The budget for implementing the contact management APIs will be determined based on the project requirements and resources available.

Q: What is the expected return on investment (ROI) for implementing the contact management APIs?

A: The expected ROI for implementing the contact management APIs is to improve customer engagement, sales productivity, and customer satisfaction, resulting in increased revenue and profitability for the business.