Track Outlook contacts in Dynamics 365 for Outlook

When you track a contact in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Outlook, a copy of that contact record is saved in Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement and synchronized with the Outlook record. After your contacts are tracked, you’ll be able to see any email, tasks, appointments, and account records associated with those contacts. You can access the records in Dynamics 365 for Outlook or Customer Engagement.

Tracking contacts in Dynamics 365 for Outlook is a manual process. This gives you the ability to keep your personal contacts separate from your Customer Engagement contacts. Synchronization of contacts from Customer Engagement to Dynamics 365 for Outlook is automatic, however. Any contacts that you own in Customer Engagement will automatically be available in Dynamics 365 for Outlook. If you sync Outlook on your mobile device, you can also access your Customer Engagement contact records on that device.

1. In Dynamics 365 for Outlook, choose People in the navigation pane, and then select up to 20 contacts.

   Tip

   If you want to select more than 20 contacts, or if you want to track all your Outlook contacts in Customer Engagement, you can use the Add Contacts wizard. More information: Use a wizard to add and track multiple Outlook contacts in Dynamics 365 for Outlook

2. To track the contact, do one of the following:

   • To track the contact record without linking it to a parent (account) record in Customer Engagement, on the Home tab, in the Customer Engagement group, choose Track.

     -Or-

   • To track the contact and link it to a parent (account) record in Customer Engagement, on the Home tab, in the Customer Engagement group, choose Set Parent, and then search for the parent record in the Look Up Record dialog box. After you find the record you want, choose Add.

     When you choose the Track button or the Set Parent button, a Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement pane (also known as the “tracking pane”) appears at the bottom of the contact record. This pane shows that the contact is tracked and provides links to related records. If you choose the Set Parent button, Dynamics 365 for Outlook also provides a link to the parent record. Tell me more about how tracking works

     In Dynamics 365 for Outlook, the Tracked in Dynamics 365 apps icon is displayed next to any tracked contacts.

3. To add additional information about the contact to the Contact form in Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement, choose the contact, and then in the Customer Engagement group, choose View in Customer Engagement.

   Notes

• To add additional information about the contact to the Contact form in Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement, choose the contact, and then in the Customer Engagement group, choose View in Customer Engagement.

• If the contact is linked to a parent record, you can open the parent record from the Outlook contact record in Dynamics 365 for Outlook. In the contacts list, open the record. In the Customer Engagement group, choose View Parent (or select the link in the tracking pane).

• The Company field for an Outlook contact is not automatically added to the parent account of the new Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement contact. More information:. Set personal options that affect tracking and synchronization between Dynamics 365 apps and Outlook or Exchange

Avoiding duplicate contact records

When you track contacts, Customer Engagement checks for duplicate records. Customer Engagement also checks for duplicates when you synchronize records manually or go online if you’re been working offline.

If Customer Engagement detects that a contact might be a potential duplicate, instead of saving the contact, Customer Engagement displays the Duplicates Detected dialog box.

Here’s what you need to do if this happens:

1. In the Potential duplicate records list, double-click or tap the record.

2. If your new or updated record is not a duplicate, to create the new record, choose Save Record.

   - OR -

   If your new or updated record is a duplicate, to cancel your changes, choose Cancel.

3. If the duplicate-detection rule identified potential duplicate records in other record types, review records from each record type listed.

See also

Overview of tracking records in Dynamics 365 for Outlook
Use a wizard to add and track multiple Outlook contacts in Dynamics 365 for Outlook
Set personal options that affect tracking and synchronization between Dynamics 365 apps and Outlook or Exchange
Frequently asked questions about synchronizing records between Microsoft Dynamics 365 apps and Microsoft Outlook