How to import contacts in your CRM

This written tutorial and the video above will help you learn how to sort your contacts into a proper CSV, how to import it into your CRM, how to organize contact details in your CRM and much more!

Before you get started trying to import the spreadsheet, let’s make sure it is formatted properly:

• Must be a .csv file

• Your spreadsheet must have headings

• Must be only one tab

• Can be a max size of 50mb (Any bigger and it will need to be broken up into more than one import)

• Check for duplicates (if you want duplicates allowed in your import, go to your Settings > Business Profile > Turn on allow duplicate contacts) If you don’t have this turned on and you have separate contacts with the same email or phone number, they will be merged into one when they are imported and you will lose information. 
  

Here is an image of an example:

Once you have your CSV organized, make sure the headings in your spreadsheet have a corresponding custom field in the CRM. For most things like name, email, phone number there will be a field already in the CRM. For something specific though, like a business address or fax number, you will need to add that custom field. To do this go to Settings > scroll down to Custom Fields > hit the green new field button in the top right > select between the options (EX. middle name would be a single line text whereas a fax number would be a phone)

Once your spreadsheet is organized, log in to your account and go to Contacts. 

Hit the button on the top action row that looks like a half square with an error pointing down, that is the import button. 

Drag and drop or upload your .CSV file then hit next. 

Now you need to match the headers in your spreadsheet with the corresponding custom fields in your CRM. (Any information you see in this mapping process are just examples, so if you are seeing multiple first names under the first name header, the system is just giving you examples of the info it is going to map)

Once that is completed, check the box that says leave out any unmapped info, then hit next. 

Now are the settings, so first, give your import a title. Then the checkbox below allows you to create a Smartlist. A Smartlist is a list for specific contacts you want to have organized that will appear as a separate tab in your Contacts section. 

Then click the blue Advanced button and down arrow. 

You will be given multiple options, but most times you will want your settings to match what is in the image below:

For most imports you are going to be creating new contacts not updating or replacing current contacts. So check the box add new contact records.

The next option is for what the system will see as an individual contact. It is called a unique identifier. So if all your contacts have an email, select email. If they all have a phone number, you can select phone. However, not all your contacts may have either a phone or email. Many times, you may just have an email for some or a phone for others. In this case, to ensure all your contacts are imported correctly, select “none”. This option will import all your contacts and create a numerical unique identifier for each contact. This is the safest option to choose to ensure all your contacts are imported as an individual contact and no information is missed. 

You are then able to add tags if you like or add your contacts to a workflow or automation. 

Once you are happy with the settings and they all look correct, check the box that says “ I confirm all contacts in this import have consented to hear from us.” Then submit. 

You will then be able to go to the Bulk Actions tab to see the progress. Depending on the size of your import this can take as little as a few seconds to a few minutes. 

Once it is complete, you can go to each contact and add more information, add notes, set up appointments and much more!

We hope this tutorial was helpful! If you need assistance, feel free to reach out to us and we would be very happy to help:)