Whether new to using a CRM or transitioning from another system, the import feature allows you to create new records and update your existing database.
In the import process, each row corresponds to a contact record, while each column represents a specific contact property such as First Name, Last Name, Email Address, and more.
Please be aware:
Encountering difficulties with importing contacts? Here are troubleshooting tips for bulk imports using CSV files.
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Pre-requisites:
Only users assigned an 'Admin' role can utilize the import and export functionalities for contacts.
When importing, the file format must be .csv, and the spreadsheet should have only one sheet or tab.
Additionally, the file size should be at most 50MB, and ensuring the first row is filled in is crucial.
The first row must contain a header row with column headers corresponding to the system's fields.
It is advisable to keep the .csv file size reasonable for smooth processing, as a typical .csv file with 4 columns and 10,000 records would be approximately 500kb.
How to import contacts into the CRM
Step 1: Setting up your CSV and Custom Fields before importing
First, you need to have an admin role within the account to access the import/export feature. The import file needs to be a CSV format, you can only have one tab per CSV.
These fields are default fields that are given in the system.
This means that all of those fields are given in the system, If you label you’re spreadsheet headers with the corresponding names/fields, it will automatically map that data when you’re importing into the CRM.
To create a Custom Field, access the Custom Fields section and add a new field with the appropriate field name.
Step 2: Check for duplicates
Before importing your list into any software, particularly for cold traffic campaigns, cleaning your list and checking for duplicates is highly recommended. Neglecting this step can lead to deliverability issues and other potential problems.
To identify duplicates, select the row you want to check, then follow these steps: Click on Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Duplicate Values > Click Ok. This will highlight all the fields with duplicate text in the CSV File.
To filter and display only duplicate fields, begin by clicking on the first cell and then press Ctrl + T. A pop-up will appear, and you can simply click Ok to proceed.
To view all duplicates, click the downward arrow button and select the "Filter" option. This will display all the duplicate entries in the list.
Step 3: Importing your contacts
There are two different methods to import contacts based on the data in your CSV file:
First Method: If your CSV contains phone numbers and/or email addresses, please follow the instructions in the 1st method below.
Second Method: If your CSV does not include email addresses and/or phone numbers, you should follow the 2nd method below, which involves obtaining the contact IDs.
1st Method: If your CSV has a phone number and or email, please follow this CSV setup guide
To begin the process, click on "Import Contacts" and upload the CSV file.
After Uploading and clicking Next, you will be greeted with the mapping view.
The CRM does not have a predefined "Street" field but exists in your CSV file. The system couldn't automatically map it, so you'll need to create a custom field or map it to an existing field.
If you prefer not to map all the unmatched fields, you can choose to click "Don't import data in unmatched columns."
You can modify the import name of your bulk action during the import process.
By clicking on the Advanced tab, you will access these options.
Find Existing Contacts Based on (Primary), you can choose a unique identifier such as "email" or "phone" to prevent duplication of contacts with the same identifier. For example, if you choose "email" as the identifier, the system will avoid duplicating contacts with the same email address. The same principle applies if you select "Phone" as the identifier. On the other hand, choosing "none" will allow any number of duplicated contacts to be imported into the system. To make this option effective, you need to enable duplicate contacts, which can be found in "Business Info" > "General" > "Allow Duplicate Contacts."
To add Tags, you have two options. The first method is to include a column header labeled "tags" in your CSV file and place the desired tag in the corresponding row. If you want to assign multiple tags to a record, separate them with a comma and a space before writing the next tag.
You can assign tags to each contact by adding them here.
You can also add the contacts to a workflow/campaign.
Please be aware that the Add to Workflow/Campaign toggle functions exclusively for new contacts and will not apply to those updated through the CSV file.
2nd Method: If your CSV does NOT have an email or phone number, please refer to the guide below.
You will reach this stage after following the steps from the 1st Method. Since the CSV file contains no unique identifier, you should select "none" as the option.
Breaking down advanced filters:
Add New and Update Existing Contact Records: With this option, the system will import new contacts and update existing ones if the unique identifier (Email, phone, or contact id) matches any entry in the CSV file. The system will use the selected unique identifier (Primary or Secondary preference) to check for existing contacts in the sub-account.
Add New Contact Records: This option will only import new contact records and not update existing contacts in the location.
Update Existing Contact Records: This option solely updates existing contact records and will not create new contacts in the location.
Please Note: By default, the unique identifier is set to Email. However, our system allows you to choose other fields for de-duplication during the Bulk CSV Upload.
Bulk Import Multiple Emails per Contact
Conditions to import:
To ensure contact uniqueness, both the primary and additional email (if selected as the first preference) will be used.
In cases where multiple duplicate matches are found for an additional email, that specific email will be left out.
Any invalid emails in the additional fields will be removed, leaving only valid ones for a contact.
If the email column in the CSV is blank, but the additional email column has values, the first additional email will serve as the primary email.
When updating an existing contact, the specified emails in the CSV will be combined with the ones already associated with the contact.
The "Additional Email" column can hold a maximum of 10 email IDs, with only the first 10 being considered if more are included.
Steps to Import
In the Contact Import section, users will find a newly introduced system field called "Additional Emails."
This feature allows users to map and manage all their additional email addresses.
During the import process, you must include all additional emails in a single column, using commas (,), slashes (/), or semicolons (;) as separators. Then, you can map these emails to the "Additional Emails" field in the system.
FAQs
My CSV list is mixed; some contacts have an email or phone #, and some have both an email and phone. How should I proceed?
To handle a mixed CSV with contacts having either an email or phone number and some having both, utilize the 'secondary preference' option. The system will first look for the primary preference, which in this example is 'Email,' and if not found, it will then check for the secondary preference, 'Phone.'
The system can locate existing contacts based on the secondary field by enabling this option. This allows you to upload contacts with only phone numbers if their primary email is missing, ensuring a smoother import process for all contact records.
Some of my contacts have multiple emails and or phone numbers. How should I proceed?
If a contact has multiple phone numbers or emails, it is advised to split those contacts into separate entries before uploading them. This way, each contact with its respective phone number or email can be accurately imported into the system.
When uploading contacts, leave the email field blank for the second lead with a different phone number to avoid creating duplicates. This prevents the system from considering the phone number as a unique field and ensures proper data handling during import.
Important note for people that use Keap:
To ensure compatibility between the phone field in the CSV export from Keap and GHL, you need to format the phone numbers correctly. This involves removing any parenthesis '()' and dashes '-' from the phone numbers in the CSV file. After doing so, you can safely import the data into GHL without any data corruption in the CRM.
When importing the phone numbers, I get the error code 1007, 'invalid required property:
When importing phone numbers, please add the appropriate country code for numbers outside the sub-accounts country. If the sub-account is set to the US, there's no need to add the US country code '+1' to the imported phone numbers. However, you should include the respective country code for numbers outside of the US.
For example, if the sub-accounts country is set to the US, you would not need to add '+44' to call the UK. But if the sub-accounts country is set to a different country like the UK or Australia, and you want to call/SMS US numbers, you should add '+1' to the country's area code within the CSV File. This ensures that the phone numbers are properly recognized and connected to the right locations when imported.
I'm trying to import a CSV with a DND Column, but all contacts are set to DND for ALL channels.
When importing contacts with a "DND" (Do Not Disturb) column in your CSV, be aware that enabling DND for contact will apply to ALL channels. If you wish to set up DND for specific channels, creating a workflow and utilizing tags for each channel is recommended.
For example, let's say you want to set John as DND for SMS only. You would create a workflow that triggers when the tag "DND SMS" is added to a contact. In the CSV, you would add the "DND SMS" tag next to John's name. This automation would activate upon import, and John will be set as DND for SMS only.
By using workflows and tags, you can achieve granular control over the channels for which contacts are marked as DND, allowing you to tailor the DND settings according to your preferences and communication needs.
I'm trying to import a CSV with Notes, and I can generate up to one note per contact record.
During contact import, it's important to note that each contact record can have only one note, limited to 5000 characters. If you have multiple notes for contact or need to exceed the character limit, you should utilize the large text custom field to accommodate the additional notes. This ensures that all your contact notes are appropriately managed and stored within the system.
I'm trying to export a CSV with Notes.
Currently, there is no specific limit for CSV import regarding notes. However, it's worth noting that our current export behavior allows a maximum of 255 characters for the last note. Please remember this when managing your notes during import and export processes.