# Create an Interaction

An interaction records a communication event with one or more contacts in the Community Relationships module. Use interactions to track meetings, phone calls, emails, and other engagements with the people in your contact database.

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**TIP:** The red asterisk **\*** next to the heading of a field indicates that the field is required.
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#### Navigate to CRM

From the PEARS homepage, hover over the **Engage** menu and click **Community Relationships (CRM)**.
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#### Select a contact

Click the contact you want to add an interaction for.
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#### Select an Interaction Type

In the **Notes** section of the contact record, select the **Interaction Type** from the dropdown. Standard interaction types are available, plus:

* **Other, please specify** — Reveals an additional field for entering a custom communication method description.
* **Roster Attendance** — Displays an extra field for uploading attendance files.
* **Internal use only** — Documents notes without counting them as interactions. Internal notes are not included in Direct Contact demographics when using the auto-calculate feature.
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#### Enter Notes

Enter the interaction notes in the text field. This field is required.
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#### Select Program Areas (optional)

Select one or more **Program Areas** associated with this interaction.
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#### Enter Time (optional)

Enter the duration of the interaction.
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#### Set the Date and Time

Select the date and time when the interaction took place using the calendar popup.
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#### Set Privacy (optional)

Click the **Shared with my org** toggle to make the interaction private.

When an interaction is made private:

* Only the creator can view the interaction details in both CRM and CRM exports.
* Other users see: "You do not have permission to view this private note."

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**TIP:** The toggle icon changes color when privacy is activated.
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#### Add Uploads (optional)

Attach any relevant documents or files related to this interaction.
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#### Save the Interaction

Click **Add Note** to save the interaction. The interaction will appear on the contact record.
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**TIP:** CRM interactions can be used for auto-calculating data in the Direct Contacts module. See [Auto Calculate Direct Contact Demographics](/engage/direct-contacts/auto-calculate-demographics.md) for details.
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