CRM Hygiene and Note Writing

The first rule

If it is not in the CRM, it did not happen.

The CRM is the client's memory. When you are off shift, sick or moved to another campaign, the next person only knows what you wrote. A missed note can mean a seller called twice in one day, an angry customer repeating their story, or a hot lead going cold because nobody knew they were waiting.

The five habits of a clean CRM

1. Search before you create. Search by phone number and email (and address where relevant) before creating any new record. Duplicates split history and cause double contact.
2. Complete the required fields before you save or move a stage: name or company, at least one contact method, source, owner, stage, and next step date.
3. One standard format for every field (see the table below).
4. Log every touch the same shift: calls, texts, emails, voicemails, even no-answers if your campaign tracks them.
5. Every open record has a next step and a date. No record is left "floating" without an owner and a next action.

Field formats

Field	Standard	Example
Names	Proper case, no titles in the name field	Sam Sample (not SAM SAMPLE, not Mr. sam sample)
Phone	One format, as your campaign sets; 10 digits for US numbers	(405) 555-0134 or +1 405 555 0134
Email	Lowercase, no spaces	ssample@example.com
State	Two-letter code	TX
ZIP	Stored as text, keep leading zeros	02134
Dates	Your CRM's format; in notes, write the month as a word	Oct 18, 2026
Times	Always with the time zone named	2:00 PM CT
Tags and statuses	Approved values only; never invent a new tag	HOT, FU-WARM, DNC
Amounts	Numbers with commas, currency stated in notes	USD 185,000

Disposition codes

Every call or contact attempt gets one disposition code from your campaign's approved list, entered immediately after the contact. Common examples:

Code	Meaning
NA / VM	No answer, or voicemail
WRONG	Wrong number, or not the right person
DNC	Asked not to be contacted, in any wording. Entered before your next dial.
NI	Not interested (and did not ask to stop)
CB	Callback requested at a specific time
FU-WARM	Some interest, follow up later
HOT	Strong interest; hand off the same shift
APPT	Appointment booked

Your track and Client Playbook give the full list.

The universal Narqix note format

Every meaningful contact or action gets a note in this format. It works for every industry and every role.

(DATE) (TIME AND ZONE) · (CHANNEL) · (OUTCOME CODE)
Who: (NAME AND ROLE OF THE PERSON YOU SPOKE WITH)
What happened: (2 TO 3 SHORT SENTENCES OF FACTS)
Key details: (NUMBERS, DATES, CONDITIONS, DECISIONS)
Promised: (ANYTHING YOU OR THEY PROMISED, WITH TIMES)
Next step: (ACTION) by (OWNER) on (DATE, TIME AND ZONE)

Remember it as Who, What, Details, Promised, Next.

Example: outbound call (real estate)

Oct 18, 2026 7:42 PM CT · Outbound call · HOT
Who: Owner, (SELLER NAME), confirmed owner of (PROPERTY ADDRESS)
What happened: Inherited the house from her father last year. Lives out of state. House is vacant and needs work. Wants to sell before winter.
Key details: 3 bed, 1 bath. Roof about 20 years old, leaking in back bedroom. No mortgage. Asking around USD 140,000. Timeline 30 to 60 days. Sister is co-owner and agrees.
Promised: Our manager will call her tomorrow between 10 AM and 12 PM CT.
Next step: Acquisitions call by (MANAGER ROLE) on Oct 19, 2026, 10 AM to 12 PM CT. Handoff sent 7:50 PM CT.

Example: customer support ticket

Oct 18, 2026 3:15 PM ET · Email · Escalated P2
Who: Customer, (CUSTOMER NAME), order 48213
What happened: Table arrived with a broken leg. Customer sent 3 photos. Asked for a full refund.
Key details: Order paid USD 612, delivered Oct 15. Within 30-day window. No prior refunds. Above my USD 150 limit.
Promised: Told customer she will hear back by 5 PM ET today.
Next step: Refund approval by Campaign Lead by 4:30 PM ET; I update customer by 5 PM ET.

Example: back office task

Oct 18, 2026 11:05 AM ET · Internal · Done
Who: Not applicable (vendor file cleanup)
What happened: Merged 9 duplicate vendor records. Kept the record with the most activity in each case.
Key details: Backup export saved in the client's shared drive before merging. 2 records held, conflicting tax IDs.
Promised: Not applicable
Next step: Client to confirm correct tax IDs for 2 held records; I follow up Oct 20, 10 AM ET.

What makes a note excellent

• Facts, not opinions. "Said he needs to talk to his wife first" not "Seems weak, probably won't sell."
• Their words for important things. Quote short phrases when they matter: said "I just want this house gone."
• Numbers exact. "Asking USD 140,000" not "asking around 1 lakh something".
• No unclear abbreviations. Use only your campaign's approved short forms.
• Written for a stranger. Someone who has never seen this record must understand it.
• Written right away. Within 5 minutes of the call or task, before the next one. Memory fades fast.

Handoff notes

When you pass a lead, ticket or task to another person, add a handoff note so they never need to ask you anything:

HANDOFF to (ROLE OR NAME) · (DATE) (TIME AND ZONE)
Why now: (WHY THIS IS BEING HANDED OFF)
Situation in one line: (SUMMARY)
What they want: (THE CUSTOMER'S GOAL)
Watch out for: (SENSITIVITIES, OBJECTIONS, DEADLINES)
Promised: (WHAT AND WHEN)

Bulk changes and cleanup

• Never bulk-delete, bulk-edit more than 50 records, change pipelines or stages, or turn automations on or off without written approval.
• Export a backup before any approved bulk change.
• Duplicates: merge only if your campaign allows, keeping the record with the most activity. If in doubt, tag for review.
• Archive, do not delete, unless the client approves deletion in writing.

Weekly hygiene routine (15 minutes)

• Clear your overdue tasks: complete them or reschedule with a reason
• Check your records with no next step and add one
• Search for duplicates you created this week
• Check for stray tags or values that are not on the approved list
• Spot-check five of your own notes against the format

Check yourself

1. What are the five parts of the Narqix note format?
2. You are about to create a new contact. What must you do first?
3. Rewrite as a fact-based note: "Lady was rude and probably won't sell lol."
4. How soon after a call should your note be written?
5. Your lead asks you to update the status on 200 records. What do you need first?

Answers

1. Who, What happened, Key details, Promised, Next step (with the header line of date, time, zone, channel and outcome).
2. Search by phone and email (and address where relevant) to avoid a duplicate.
3. Example: "Owner said she is not interested in selling and asked us not to discuss it further. Coded NI." (If she asked to stop contact, code DNC.)
4. Within 5 minutes, before the next call.
5. Written approval and a backup export, because it is a bulk change over 50 records.

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