> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.shovels.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Contractor Contact Information

> Understand the contractor contact fields in Shovels data, including address information, phone number prioritization, and how contact names relate to emails.

Shovels provides comprehensive contact information for contractors when available.

## Address Information

We provide complete USPS-standardized addresses including:

* Street address
* City
* State
* ZIP code
* Unit or suite numbers (when available)

Our addresses undergo rigorous verification against multiple sources:

* National Address Dataset (US Census)
* Open Address dataset
* Simple Maps
* ESRI

<Tip>
  The standardized format makes it easy to integrate with mapping services, CRM systems, or marketing platforms.
</Tip>

## Phone Numbers

### primary\_phone vs phone

| Field              | Description                                                                   |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **primary\_phone** | The most frequently used phone number across all permits for this contractor  |
| **phone**          | A comma-separated list of all phone numbers encountered, ordered by frequency |

**Example:** If a contractor used three different phone numbers across their permit history (one on 70% of permits, others on 15% each), the most common number is designated as `primary_phone`, while all three appear in `phone`.

## Contact Names and Emails

### Why They May Not Match

Contact names and email addresses don't always align because they're captured differently:

* **Contact names** are specific to individual permits (the name on that permit application)
* **primary\_email** is determined by analyzing frequency across all permits for a contractor

**Example:** If John Smith is listed on a specific permit, but [jane.doe@company.com](mailto:jane.doe@company.com) appears most frequently across all that contractor's permits, `primary_email` shows Jane's email.

<Info>
  This approach ensures you have the most actively used contact point, which increases the likelihood of successful communication.
</Info>

## Job Titles

Job titles are available across all Shovels products:

* **API** - Through the employees endpoint
* **Shovels Online** - In contractor profiles
* **EDL** - As part of custom reports

Common titles include:

* Owner
* Project Manager
* Office Manager
* Trade-specific roles (Master Electrician, General Contractor)

## Related Articles

* [Contractor data overview](/docs/knowledge-base/data/contractors/contractor-data-overview)
* [Employee data via API](/docs/knowledge-base/api/contractors/employee-data)