Board views let you group your contacts (or accounts) into columns based on a single dropdown field, then drag records between columns as their status changes. It's a kanban-style alternative to scrolling through a table, and it works alongside the standard table view without replacing it.
Before You Start: Create Your Grouping Field
Board views group records by a single-select dropdown field, so that field needs to exist before you create the board. Think of the field as your pipeline in list form — each option becomes one column on the board.
A common setup is a field called Sales Status, with options that move from open to closed, for example: Lead In, Contacted, Qualified, Discovery Call, Application, Agreement, Closed Won, Closed Lost. Your stages will vary based on your own process, but the same open-to-closed logic applies.
Once this field exists, you're ready to create the board view.
How to Create a Board View
Go to Settings and click Customize.
Click Contact to expand it.
Click Board Views.
Click Create Board View.
Enter a View Name.
Set Item Type to Contact.
Choose a field under Group into Columns By.
Only single-select dropdown fields with up to 40 options can be used for grouping. Fields marked as tracked record every change made to them, which lets the board show how long each record has sat in a given column.
Check Also Show This Field at the Top of the Record if you want the field visible as a full-width strip below the record name, so it can be changed in one click without opening the record's fields.
Check Track Changes to This Field if you want the board to show average time spent in each column. This also logs changes to the field in the Change Audit Trail report.
Choose how cards should be sorted under Sort Cards By, and the order under Order.
Choose who can see this view under Who Can See This View.
Click Save.
How to Switch to Board View
Go to Contacts and click the board view icon next to the list view icon, above the contact table.
Your board loads with a column for each option in the field you grouped by.
Contacts that don't have a value for the field appear in the Not Selected column, which is always the last column on the board.
How to Manage Existing Board Views
Go to Contacts and switch to board view.
Click the dropdown with your current board's name in it.
Click Manage Boards.
From here you can edit an existing board's settings, create an additional board, or switch between boards you've already created.
How to Add, Rename, Reorder, or Remove Stages on Your Board
Each column on your board is an option in the dropdown field the board is grouped by (likely a field like Lead Status, Sales Status, or similar). To change your stages, edit that field's options. Only Admins can edit custom field options.
Click Customize in the sidebar.
In the Objects card, click Contacts to expand it.
Click Contacts Fields.
Find the field your board is grouped by and click its pencil icon.
Scroll to the Options section.
If your account uses a different name for contacts, such as Candidates, the page uses that name instead, for example Candidates Fields.
From the Options section, you can make any of these changes:
Add a stage - type the stage name in the Add Option box and click the add button next to it. A new column appears on your board.
Rename a stage - double-click the option, type the new name, and press Enter. Contacts already in that stage update to the new name automatically. If you have filter views that filter on the old name, update them to use the new one.
Reorder stages - drag the options into the order you want. Columns appear on the board left to right in this order.
Remove a stage - click the trash icon next to the option, then click Sure?. Move any contacts in that stage to another stage first. Contacts left on a removed stage no longer appear on the board, and any automations triggered by that stage are deleted.
When you're done, click Save at the bottom of the modal.
How to Turn a Board View Into a Pipeline
A contact or account board can work like a sales pipeline. Each column is marked Open, Won, or Lost, and cards change color when a record has been in an open stage too long. This helps when the contact is the deal and you want stalled leads to stand out without creating opportunities.
Only Admins can turn on pipeline settings. Other users see the card colors but not the settings.
Option 1: From the board view
Go to Settings and click Customize.
Click Contact to expand it, then click Board Views.
Create a new board view or edit an existing one.
After choosing a field under Group into Columns By, check Use as pipeline.
Enter a number in Warming after (days) and Rotting after (days). Leave either one blank if you don't want it.
Click Save.
Option 2: From the field
Go to Settings and click Customize.
Click Contact to expand it, then click Fields.
Click the dropdown field your board is grouped by.
Check Use as pipeline? and enter your warming and rotting days.
Click Save.
Both options turn on the same setting. Rotting days must be equal to or greater than warming days.
How to Mark Columns as Open, Won, or Lost
Every column starts as Open. To change one:
On the board, click the ⋮ menu in the column header.
Choose Open, Won, or Lost.
Click Save.
Won and Lost columns show a green Won or red Lost badge in the header. The Not Selected column can't be changed.
How to Give One Column Its Own Thresholds
Click the ⋮ menu in the column header.
Enter a number in Warming after (days) or Rotting after (days).
Click Save.
Leave a box blank to use the board's default, shown as Field default in the box.
What the Card Colors Mean
Yellow border - the record has been in this stage for at least the warming days.
Red border - the record has been in this stage for at least the rotting days.
No color - the record is under both thresholds, or it's in a Won or Lost column.
Hover over a colored card to see how long it has been in the stage, for example "Rotting: in this value for 12 days."
How This Differs From Rotting Opportunities
Opportunity rotting counts days without activity. Contact and account board rotting counts days in the current stage. A contact can get emails and calls and still turn red if it hasn't moved to a new stage.
How to Capture Loss Reasons on a Board View
Any stage on your board can ask why a contact was moved there. This is most useful on a stage like Closed Lost, where you want to know whether a deal fell through on price, timing, or a competitor, but it works on any stage. For opportunities, loss reasons are set on the pipeline stage instead. See Loss Reasons & the Loss by Stage Report.
Reasons are set one stage at a time, on the dropdown field that powers your board.
Go to Settings and click Customize.
Click Contact to expand it, then click Fields.
Click the field your board is grouped by, for example Sales Status.
In the Options list, click the arrow next to the lightning bolt on the stage you want, for example Closed Lost.
Under Reason, choose Optional or Required.
Click Add reason and type a reason. Repeat for each reason you want to offer.
Click Save.
The Reason setting has three options:
Off - no prompt appears when a contact moves into this stage.
Optional - the prompt appears, but users can skip it.
Required - users must pick a reason before the move saves.
You need at least one reason in the list before a stage set to Optional or Required will save. Once it's on, the stage row shows a Reason: Optional or Reason: Required badge so you can see at a glance which stages ask. Removing a reason stops it from being offered going forward. Contacts that already have that reason keep it.
What Users See When They Move a Contact
When someone moves a contact into a stage that asks for a reason, a prompt appears titled with the stage name, for example Why "Closed Lost"?, with a Select a reason dropdown.
If the stage is set to Optional, users can pick a reason and click Save, or click Skip.
If the stage is set to Required, Skip is hidden and a reason must be picked.
Clicking Cancel or closing the prompt cancels the move, and the contact stays in its current stage.
The prompt appears whenever the stage is changed by hand. That includes dragging a card on the board, changing the stage ribbon on the contact record, editing the field, and bulk changing contacts from the Contacts table. A bulk change asks once and applies the reason to every selected contact. Stage changes made by automations, imports, or the API never ask for a reason.
If the stage also has an automation set to ask before running, that confirmation appears after the reason prompt.
How to Run Automations When a Contact Changes Stage
Each stage can also send an email, launch a series, or take other actions automatically when a contact moves into it. See How to Run Automations When a Contact Moves to a Board Stage.
Board Views for Accounts
Board views work the same way for accounts. Go to Settings, click Customize, expand Account instead of Contact, and follow the same steps under Board Views.
Key Notes
Board views are separate from filter views. A filter view narrows a list by rule; a board view groups an entire list into columns by one field.
Opportunities already have their own board view, documented in Opportunities & Pipelines Page Walkthrough.
Grouping is limited to single-select dropdown fields with 40 or fewer options.