Marking a Contact as Deceased and Ensuring No Further Communication

In certain unfortunate circumstances, you may be informed that a contact has passed away. To respect the wishes of their family and to ensure no further communication is sent, it is essential to update the contact record appropriately.

Step 1: Rename the Contact

To clearly indicate the contact is deceased, please update the contact’s name using one of the following formats. This helps internal users identify the status at a glance while preserving historical data:

  • David Jones (deceased)

  • David Jones (deceased 11/04/22)

  • David Jones (deceased 2021)

  • David Jones (deceased 07/19)

  • David Jones – Deceased Feb 2024

You may include the date of death if known, either in full (DD/MM/YY) or in month/year format. Consistency across your CRM is recommended for reporting and searchability.

Step 2: Update Notification and Marketing Preferences

To ensure that no further communications (email, SMS, or marketing) are sent to the contact:

Please set the following fields to “No” state:

  • CALLS/SMS Notifications: No

  • Print Media: No

  • Email Marketing: No

  • Email Notifications: No

This prevents any accidental outreach from automated systems or future campaigns.

Step 3: Add Internal Notes (Optional but Recommended)

In the contact’s notes, you may record a brief entry such as:

“Marked as deceased on 12/06/2025 following notification from family. Communication preferences updated to prevent further outreach.”

This provides context for other team members and maintains respectful handling of the record.

Important: Under privacy and data protection regulations (such as GDPR), retaining deceased contact data for historical or reporting purposes is generally permissible, provided that no further outreach occurs and personal information is safeguarded following your organisation’s data retention policy.

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John Smith

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