The metadata editor (at least for ESRI INSPIRE template) functionality for saving/reusing contacts in 10.1 needs to be streamlined (or failing that the online help needs to be more explicit).
The process as far as I can tell (if there's something I'm missing I'd love to know) is as follows:
1. Click on Metadata>Contacts (once in an edit session for the Description tab)
2. Fill out contact info to whatever degree you want it to be made available to other items
3. Click on Overview>Contacts Manager
4. Tick the contact(s) you have just entered that you would like to save
5. Save the metadata edit session
Only then will your metadata contact info be available for edit sessions on other items. The step that's strange is that you fill out the info under Metadata>Contacts and then have to decide on whether you save it or not under the Overview>Contacts Manager - you would expect either to be able to do it all under the same tab or at the very least be able to enter, edit AND save under the Contacts Manager tab and then SELECT which one you want under the Contacts tab. I'm sure the ISO Metadata editor in 9.2 was a lot more intuitive in this respect.