Views
Views in FirstQuadrant are a powerful way to segment your contacts based on shared attributes. They enable sales teams to run more targeted campaigns, apply fine-tuning rules selectively, tailor nurturing flows, or export specific subsets of contacts. This article explains the concept of segmentation, how views work, how to create and use them, and why they’re crucial for efficient sales execution.
Why segmentation matters in sales
Segmentation is the process of dividing your total list of leads or customers into smaller groups (segments) based on shared characteristics—like geography, seniority, behavior, or funding status. This is a foundational concept in sales because different segments often require different messaging, outreach timing, or follow-up strategies.
For example, startup founders on the U.S. East Coast may need different messaging than procurement leads at Fortune 500 companies. Similarly, inbound signups should be treated differently than cold leads. Without segmentation, your sales approach becomes generic and less effective.
What is a view?
In FirstQuadrant, a view is a saved list of contacts defined by a set of filters. It is the primary mechanism for segmenting your contacts into relevant subgroups. These filters can be based on default properties (like time zone or company), touchpoint data (like last email received), campaign status, and any custom properties you’ve added.
Segmenting your contacts using views helps ensure that each group receives messaging and actions tailored to their specific characteristics or behaviors. Views are accessible from the top of the Contacts section. You can switch between existing views or create a new one from this dropdown.
Tip: Use views to limit the scope of any automated process in FirstQuadrant. Whether you’re running a sequence, applying a fine-tuning rule, or exporting a list—views give you precision and control.
Available filters for views
When creating a view, you can filter contacts using a wide range of properties. These include:
| Filter category | Properties |
|---|---|
| Contact properties | Name, Nickname, Archived status, Title, Seniority, Location, Time zone, Unsubscribed, Any additional contact-level custom properties |
| Email and social | Email verification, Free email, LinkedIn, GitHub, Instagram, X (Twitter) |
| Company properties | Company name, Has a deal, Company unsubscribed, Company timezone, Any additional company-level custom properties |
| Campaign and sequence | Has a campaign, Campaign (specific one), Replied, Sequence status |
| Touchpoints | Last touchpoint, Last received, Last sent |
| Metadata | Created, Updated, Object ID |
These filters can be used individually or in combination to define highly specific and meaningful segments for your sales process.
Creating a view
To create a new view:
- Navigate to the Contacts tab under Records.
- At the top, click on the dropdown next to “All contacts” and select Create a view at the bottom.
- Name the view and optionally add a description.
- Click Filters to define who should appear in the view.
- Once done, click Save view.
You can now access this view at any time from the view dropdown.
Note: Views become especially powerful when combined with custom properties. These allow you to tailor segments to your specific sales logic (e.g. high-intent leads, pilot users, competitors, etc.). Properties are explained in detail in a separate helpdesk article.
Note: Views are separate from Imports. While both are listed in the same dropdown, imports represent the original source of contacts, whereas views are dynamic and filter-based.
Using views
Once created, views can be used in multiple places across FirstQuadrant:
- Campaigns: Select a view as your target audience
- Fine-tuning rules: Apply specific behavior only to a view
- Nurturing: Restrict reactivation flows to certain views
- Exports: Export only the contacts in a specific view
This makes views an essential tool for scaling personalization and automation in a controlled, segment-based manner.
Editing or deleting a view
To edit or delete a view:
- Select the view from the dropdown.
- Click Edit view on the top right.
- You can now update the name, description, filters, or delete the view entirely.
Example: segmenting Y Combinator companies
Let’s say you want to send a campaign only to contacts who are part of Y Combinator-funded companies. Here’s how you’d do it:
- Create a custom company property:
- Type: Boolean
- Label: “Y Combinator company” (Yes/No)
- Enable enrichment with AI to auto-detect if each company is YC-funded.
- Create a view:
- Name it “Y Combinator companies”
- Add a filter:
Y Combinator company=Yes
- Use the view:
- When setting up your campaign, choose this view as the audience.
- You can also apply custom fine-tuning rules for this segment or exclude them from general nurturing flows.