Comprehensive CRM Guide [Beta]

Looking for a shorter overview of Roundtable's CRM? 🤔 Check out our FAQ or Quickstart Guide!

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Roundtable CRM Overview

The Roundtable CRM is your centralized place to manage contacts, track engagement, and coordinate outreach — all directly connected to the spaces and work you’re doing in Civic Roundtable.

Whether you're running a working group, launching a campaign, or coordinating technical assistance, the CRM keeps everything aligned in one place.

Setting Up Your CRM

🔍 Navigating to the CRM

When logged into Roundtable, you can access your CRM from the left sidebar under the Admin section

🖌️ Customizing Your CRM

Make your CRM uniquely yours by configuring the following:

  • CRM name and URL: Choose a name and custom URL.
  • Logo: Upload your organization’s logo.
  • User permissions: Control who has access and what they can do.

💼 Managing Users and Permissions

Before adding Members and Admins to your CRM, you must first share a Roundtable Space with them. This ensures users already have access to the Roundtable ecosystem before joining your CRM.

Once shared, you can assign one of two roles:

Member Permissions  👤 Admin Persmissions  💼
  • Full access to all CRM features and data.
  • Cannot view or modify CRM settings
  • Complete access to all CRM features and data..

  • Exclusive access to CRM settings and configuration.

🔒 CRM Privacy

All CRM data remains completely private and internal to your CRM teammates.

Members in Spaces cannot see any information entered in the CRM system, including member profiles, notes, or tags. Members will only see the content intended for them within their Spaces.

Connecting Your Spaces

🔗 How Connected Spaces Work

Connected Spaces are existing Roundtable Spaces that you link to your CRM. This integration:

  • Automatically syncs space members and organizations.
  • Keeps profile data consistent across products.

✏️ How to Connect a Space

  1. Go to Settings → Connected Spaces.
  2. Click Add connection.
  3. Select the space(s) you want to connect.

✨ RT Tip: You must be a Space Manager to connect a space. ✨

🔀 Profile Syncing

Create New Records

All space members and their associated organizations are automatically added to your CRM when a space is connected.

Synced Profiles

People linked to a connected space will have their CRM record automatically synced with their Roundtable profile. Updates to email, location, or other profile fields made by the member will automatically reflect in your CRM.

✨ RT Tip: Synced person data cannot be manually edited in the CRM. To add additional information, use tags or custom fields instead. ✨

Automatic Updates

If you manually add a person to your CRM and later connect a space where a member exists with a matching email address, the manual profile will be automatically updated to a synced profile.

↩️ Disconnecting Spaces

To disconnect a space:

  1. Go to Settings → Connected Spaces.
  2. Click the More options (⋯) menu.
  3. Select Disconnect.

✨ RT Tip: Disconnecting a space will not remove members or organizations from your CRM. Person profiles will stop syncing automatically, allowing manual edits if needed. ✨

➕ Adding Multiple Spaces

When connecting additional spaces:

  • Existing CRM records will not be duplicated.
  • New spaces will appear in each person’s side panel.
  • Member profiles remain unchanged across spaces.
  • Each connected space appears as a sidebar link for easy filtering.

Adding Records to Your CRM

You can add People and Organizations to your CRM in three ways:

🖇️ Connected Spaces

Automatically imports all members and their associated organizations when you connect a Roundtable Space.

📁 CSV Import

  1. Go to the People or Organizations tab.
  2. Click Import / Export → Import CSV.
  3. Upload a CSV file with the required fields.

Duplicates will not be created when uploading:

  • People with email addresses that already exist in the CRM.

  • Organizations with names that already exist in the CRM.

✍️ Manual Creation

  1. Go to the People or Organizations tab.
  2. Click Add person or Add organization.
  3. Fill in the required fields.

Managing Records

👀 Viewing and Managing Records

People / Organizations Table

Access all records in a searchable, filterable table. Export records to CSV for external use or analysis.

Record Side Panel

Click any record to open a detailed profile, including:

  • Complete contact information
  • Applied tags and list memberships
  • Custom fields
  • Notes
  • People only: Connected spaces and membership status

🗒️ Notes

Collaborate with your team using notes to capture ideas, track interactions, and share insights. Notes on person records support threaded conversations and resolution.

Notes Feature How to
📝 Creating a Note
  1. Open the record side panel.
  2. Navigate to the Notes tab.
  3. Enter your note and click Create.
💬 Replying to a Note
  1. Click the Actions (⋯) menu on a note.
  2. Select Reply.
  3. Enter your response and submit.

✨ RT Tip: Replies are limited to one level deep to keep conversations readable.✨
✅ Resolving a thread
  1. Click the Actions (⋯) menu.
  2. Select Resolve Thread.

✨ RT Tip: The conversation will collapse but can be expanded later✨
🔒 Notes Privacy
  • Notes are private to your CRM.
  • Notes are not shared with contacts.
  • All CRM users can view notes.
  • Only the note creator can edit or delete their notes.

✅ Other Record Actions

For each record, you can:

  • Edit profile: Modify contact information (unless synced).
  • Copy link: Share direct links with teammates.
  • Delete record: Permanently remove the record (cannot be undone).
  • Add to lists: Group records for outreach or campaigns.
  • Apply tags: Categorize records for filtering and search.

Organizing Your Data

🖊️ Custom Fields

Custom fields capture structured information specific to your team, such as:

  • Department
  • Lead source
  • Priority level
  • Committee membership
  • Event attendance
  • Working group participation

➕ Adding Custom Fields
  1. Navigate to Settings → Custom Fields.
  2. Click Add custom field.
  3. Choose a field type: Text, Single-select, or Multi-select.
  4. Configure options and display order.
🤔 How Custom Fields Work
  • Appear when creating or editing records.
  • Display in the record side panel and CSV exports.
  • Single- and multi-select fields become table filters.

🏷️ Tags

Tags provide flexible, lightweight organization.

Creating Tags

  1. Go to Settings → Tags.
  2. Click Add tag.
  3. Choose a name, color, and optional description.

Adding Tags to Records

  • From the record side panel.
  • Via bulk selection in the table.

📝 Lists

Lists are named collections of records used for outreach, campaigns, and bulk actions.

Creating Lists

  • Click Create new list in the sidebar, or
  • Create one on the fly while adding records.

Adding Records to Lists

  • From list view using Add to list.
  • From a record’s side panel.
  • Via bulk selection in the table.

Exporting Lists

Export any list to CSV for external use or analysis.

🤔 When to Use Custom Fields vs. Tags vs. Lists

Feature Purpose Best for Examples
Custom Fields Structured, consistent data Data needed across all records Department, Lead Source
Tags Flexible metadata Quick filtering and segmentation VIP, Needs follow-up
Lists Actionable groups Campaigns and outreach Newsletter recipients

Analyzing Your Data

📊 CRM Analytics

Gain insight into how your team is using the CRM by visiting the Analytics tab in the left sidebar.

Sending Emails

Roundtable’s email functionality allows you to send professional communications directly from your CRM to people, lists, and spaces.

📤 Verifying Your Domain

To send emails using your organization’s domain, you must verify domain ownership by adding DNS records.

Why Verify Your Domain?

  • Improved deliverability
  • Recognizable sender address
  • Protection against spoofing
  • Domain reputation protection

Step 1: Access Email Domain Settings

  • Go to Settings → Email Domains in your CRM.
  • The domain field is pre-filled based on your login email.

Step 2: Retrieve DNS Records

  • Click Get DNS records.
  • Copy the records exactly as shown.
  • Share them with your IT or DNS administrator.

Step 3: Add Records

  • Your IT team adds the records to your DNS provider.

Step 4: Verify your domain

  • Wait 15 minutes to 24 hours for propagation.
  • Return to Email Domains.
  • Click Check verification.

🆘 Troubleshooting: If verification fails, allow up to 24 hours and confirm records were added. For help, contact support@civicroundtable.com. 🆘

⚙️ Using Roundtable's Domain

You can send emails via the Roundtable CRM without verifying your domain using our crm.civicroundtable.com. This allows you to start sending emails as soon as you configure your CRM!

Senders will see your email attached to @crm.civicroundtable.com. You can configure your 'Reply-to' to whatever inbox you choose!

Creating and Sending Emails

📨 Creating an Email

You can create emails from

  • The Emails tab
  • Bulk actions on the People tab
  • Any People list

🖊️ Composing Your Email

Sender Information

The From field uses your profile name and your organization’s verified email address.

Recipients

Choose from:

  • People lists
  • Spaces
  • Individual people

✨ RT Tip: Recipients must already exist as CRM records. ✨

🖥️ Email Content

  • Subject line: Clear and descriptive.
  • Body: Rich text editor supports formatting, links, emojis, and attachments (up to 10 MB).

📪 Email Delivery Details

  • Duplicate recipients are automatically removed.
  • Emails are sent individually.
  • An unsubscribe link is added automatically.

Limits:

  • Up to 10 lists
  • Up to 10 spaces
  • Up to 1,000 individuals
  • Maximum 10,000 total recipients

👥 Drafts and Collaboration

All CRM users can view, edit, and send emails created by teammates.

Draft Emails

  • Editable and sendable by any CRM user.

Sent Emails

  • Viewable history.
  • Cannot be edited after sending.

📈 Tracking Email Performance

Track engagement metrics including:

  • Delivered
  • Bounced
  • Spam
  • Opened
  • Clicked

Recipient Reports:

Click View recipient details to see engagement per recipient.

✨ RT Tip: There are different reasons why you may see "bounced" in recipient reports.✨

Common reasons for Bounced Status includes:

    • Hard Bounce: The email address no longer exists.
    • Soft Bounce: The mailbox is full and not accepting emails.
    • Autoresponder: Automatic email responder including nondescript NDRs and some out of office replies.
    • Transient/Undeliverable, Message Delayed, DNS Error: There were problems connecting to the person’s mail server.
    • Challenge Verification: A message was returned asking for approval.
    • Unsubscribe, Address Change: A change of address or unsubscribe was requested.

👤 Emails in Person Profiles

Emails sent via the CRM appear in each person’s Emails tab.

This provides:

  • Visibility before follow-ups
  • Personalization through conversation history
  • Coordination to avoid duplicate outreach

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