# Search for contacts (https://webmetic.de/docs/en/ansprechpartner/suchen)

The search finds people in the departments you choose, at a company from your visitor list. At the end you'll have:

- a list of up to 25 people at the company, with their name, position, and employer
- for each person, a hint about which contact details you can unlock
- a generated email address at no credit cost, if Webmetic knows the company's email pattern

## Before you start [#before-you-start]

- **Time**: A search, including a look at the list, takes a few minutes.
- **Account**: Contacts must be set up in your account. You do this once per account, as described in [Set up contacts](https://webmetic.de/docs/en/ansprechpartner/einrichten).
- **Access**: You can only search companies that Webmetic identified on your website and whose website Webmetic knows, not any name or domain.
- **Rights**: Every user of your account can search, even without admin rights.
- **Plan**: Contacts are part of every plan, including the Free plan and the trial. On the Free plan, you can only search companies whose names you see. More under [Free plan](https://webmetic.de/docs/en/visitor-intelligence/unternehmensliste#spot-hidden-companies-on-the-free-plan).

Unlocking an email address or a phone number costs credits. The search is free.

## Open the contacts section [#open-the-contacts-section]

1. Open the **Visitor Intelligence** tab. The list of identified companies is on the left.
2. Click a company's card. The profile opens.
3. Scroll down past the company details and the visits to the **Contacts** section.

On a smartphone or on a tablet in portrait mode, tap the **Contacts** tab in the profile, which has the same buttons.

If your account isn't set up yet, the section shows only the **Find potential contacts** button, which opens the setup **Set up Webmetic Contacts**.

## Use the list from your contact profile [#use-the-list-from-your-contact-profile]

When you finish the setup in a company profile with **Done**, Webmetic runs the first search there right away. It uses the departments and the **Minimum level** from your [**Contact profile**](https://app.webmetic.de/?menu=icp_settings).

If you already searched a company with exactly these settings, Webmetic shows the stored list on its own when you open the profile.

When you change the profile, Webmetic doesn't start a new search, so you search by department yourself, as described below.

## Search by department [#search-by-department]

1. In the **Contacts** section, click **Select departments**. A list of seven departments opens.
2. Choose one or more departments. With one or two departments, the button shows their names, and from three on, the number.
3. Click **Search contacts**. After a short wait, Webmetic shows the result list.

![The department picker in the Contacts section with Marketing and Sales selected](https://webmetic.de/docs/media/en/light/suchen-abteilungen.webp)

The picker starts empty for every company, and Webmetic finds people in any of the departments you chose.

You'll find IT under **Tech & product** and general management under **Management**.

You don't choose the **Minimum level** in the search. Webmetic takes it from your contact profile, and in the dashboard it applies to every search. You change the minimum level under [**Menu** > **Contact profile**](https://app.webmetic.de/?menu=icp_settings).

The search offers no other filters, no sorting, and no further pages.

## Read the result list [#read-the-result-list]

Each row shows one person:

- **Name and position**: The initials are on the left, with the name and position next to them.
- **Employer**: Webmetic shows the company the person works for. It can differ from the visiting company, for example when it's another company in the same group that shares the website.
- **Contact details**: The **Email** and **Phone** buttons show which details are on file, and each button shows how many credits its unlock costs.

Before you unlock anything, the list only shows which kind of contact details exist, not the details themselves. A row without buttons means Webmetic has no contact details for this person.

![The Unlock button next to a generated email address](https://webmetic.de/docs/media/en/light/freischalten-schaltflaeche.webp)

A search shows at most 25 people, and the number next to **Contacts** tells you how many people are on the list. If there are too many, choose fewer departments or a higher minimum level in the profile.

Webmetic first searches in the country where the company has its seat. If Webmetic finds nobody there or doesn't know the country, it searches worldwide.

## Use the generated email address [#use-the-generated-email-address]

If Webmetic knows the company's email pattern, the row shows a generated email address. Webmetic builds it from the person's first and last name and the pattern, for example firstname.lastname.

1. Hover over the address with the dashed border. The hint **Generated email (based on company pattern)** appears.
2. Click the address. Your email program opens a new email to this address.

The address is a suggestion that costs no credits, and Webmetic doesn't check whether the mailbox exists.

If you need the address on file for this person, unlock the email address, which then replaces the suggestion.

The generated address is missing if Webmetic knows no pattern or the name is only one word.

## Repeat a search [#repeat-a-search]

Webmetic stores every result, so if you search the same company again with the same departments and the same minimum level, you get the stored list.

To find other people at the same company, choose other departments.

## Check an empty result [#check-an-empty-result]

If Webmetic finds nobody, the section shows the message **No contacts found.** Another try with the same settings returns the same result.

To widen the search:

1. Under **Select departments**, choose more departments and click **Search contacts**.
2. If Webmetic still finds nobody, choose a lower **Minimum level** in the [**Contact profile**](https://app.webmetic.de/?menu=icp_settings), for example **manager and above**, and search again. The profile applies to your whole account.

## Next steps [#next-steps]

- [Unlock contact details](https://webmetic.de/docs/en/ansprechpartner/freischalten): Unlock the email address or phone number of a person from the list.
- [Set up contacts](https://webmetic.de/docs/en/ansprechpartner/einrichten): Set the departments and minimum level in your contact profile.
- [Credits](https://webmetic.de/docs/en/credits): See where credits come from and what Webmetic uses them for.