What this article helps with: Adding a new client contact to your Stand-Alone Hona org manually — including filling out contact details and setting notification preferences.
Who this is for: Firm staff using a Stand-Alone Hona org (not connected to a CMS/CRM).
When not to use this article: If your Hona org is integrated with a CMS/CRM (Filevine, Clio, MyCase, etc.), your client contacts sync automatically from your CMS — you do not create them manually in Hona. Visit the Integrations section to learn how syncing works. To add multiple contacts at once, see How to Bulk Upload Your Case Information (Stand-Alone Orgs Only).
Overview
This guide walks you through adding a new contact in Hona. Creating contacts is an essential part of setting up your Hona account — it ensures each client can receive updates, notifications, and messages tied to their cases. By following these steps, you'll be able to create and manage contacts with the correct details and communication preferences.
1. Add Contact
From the sidebar, click Contacts to navigate to your Contact Dashboard. Click the + button in the top right corner to add a new Contact.
2. Fill out Contact fields
First Name of client
Last Name of client
Preferred Email for notifications
Preferred mobile Phone Number for notifications and 2-way messaging
Date of Birth (optional — used for sending automatic birthday messages)
Notification Preferences: how your client would like to receive their automatic Hona notifications (text, email, or both — note: this setting does not affect 2-way messaging delivery)
Conclusion
Once you've added a contact, they're ready to be associated with a case and begin receiving updates through Hona. Taking the time to fill out their details and notification preferences correctly ensures smooth communication and a better client experience.
To learn how to bulk upload multiple contacts at once, see How to Bulk Upload Your Case Information (Stand-Alone Orgs Only).
To learn how to associate a contact with a new project/case, see How to Create a New Project/Case (Stand-Alone Orgs Only).