# Quick Start

Use this guide to move from a new Cognivo workspace to a complete customer workflow. The available menus and actions depend on your assigned role and permissions.

> **Before you begin**
> Confirm that an administrator has invited you to the correct organization, assigned your role, and connected the required WhatsApp number. If a menu is unavailable, ask an administrator to review your access.

## Understand the record model

| Record | Use it for | Example |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Contact | An individual person | Ayu, purchasing manager |
| Customer | A company or organization | PT Nusantara Retail |
| Interaction | A customer conversation | Incoming WhatsApp support request |
| Lead | A potential sale | Annual software subscription |
| Task | A specific follow-up action | Send proposal by Friday |

## Complete your first workflow

  1. **Find or create the contact**

   Search the [contact list](/features/contact/contact-list/) before adding a record to avoid duplicates. If the person is not present, [add the contact manually](/features/contact/add-contact/) or use [contact import](/features/contact/import/) for a prepared spreadsheet.
  2. **Connect the customer**

   Associate the contact with the relevant company. Create a [customer record](/features/customers/add-customer/) when the organization does not yet exist, then confirm the relationship from the customer detail page.
  3. **Review the conversation**

   Open [Interactions](/features/interaction/overview/) to review the message history and customer context. Set the appropriate status, priority, assignee, tags, and notes so responsibility and the next action are clear.
  4. **Create and progress the lead**

   When the conversation represents a sales opportunity, [create a lead](/features/leads-pipeline/add-lead/), assign its owner and pipeline, then move it through stages as qualification progresses. Record meaningful activities, notes, and files on the lead.
  5. **Assign the next action**

   [Create a task](/features/task-management/create-task/) with a clear title, owner, priority, and due date. Update its status as work progresses and use comments, attachments, or time entries when the team needs an audit trail.
  6. **Measure the result**

   Use [Reports](/features/reports/overview/) to review lead volume, conversion, sales results, and team performance. Apply the same date range and filters when comparing periods.

## Daily operating routine

Start with new and assigned interactions, then check overdue or high-priority tasks. Review leads that have not moved recently and record the next activity before finishing work. Keep contact and customer data current whenever new information appears in a conversation.

## Administrator setup

Administrators should complete [General Settings](/features/settings/general/), verify the [WhatsApp integration](/features/settings/integrations/), and configure [teams, users, roles, and permissions](/features/settings/access-management/) before onboarding the wider team.

> **Data quality**
> Search before creating records, use consistent names and tags, and always assign an owner and next action. These habits improve collaboration and make reports more dependable.