This article covers how to import and export contacts from the system. We’ll start by exporting contacts:
How to Export Contacts: #
The Bulk Actions feature in your Contacts/Smart Lists section is designed for efficiency, allowing you to handle multiple actions for selected contacts or even your entire contact list. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
Step 1: Choose Your Contacts #
- Navigate to your contacts section.
- To select specific contact records, check the appropriate box.
- For a broader selection, check the box at the top to select all contacts displayed on that page. To further extend your selection to every contact, click the hyperlink which represents all contacts.
Step 2: Column Selection for Export #
- Head to the dropdown menu.
- Determine and select the columns you’d like included in your export.
- When dealing with phone data, it’s crucial to check both the “Phone” and “Additional Phones” options. This ensures comprehensive management of all associated numbers.
Step 3: Choose Your Action #
- Depending on your goal, click either the “Export Contacts” or the “Import Contacts” icon.
- If you opt for exporting, the system will quickly create a .csv file of your chosen contact records from ProfitShareSites.com, which will automatically download.
- Those interested in importing can start this process using the bulk action icon.
Additional Notes:
- If the import and export options aren’t visible, it might be a permissions issue. Kindly reach out to your account admin for clarity.
- Every contact record intended for import should have at least a phone number or an email address for a successful upload.
How to Import Contacts: #
You will need a .csv file with the contacts you want to import.
Step 1: Prepare Your .csv File #
- Row 1 of the file should have essential headers such as ‘first name’, ‘last name’, ‘email’, ‘phone’, ‘additional phones’, ‘tag’, and so forth.
- When adding multiple phone numbers for a single contact, list them in the “additional phones” column. This feature allows you to manage multiple phone numbers seamlessly.
- Format phone numbers correctly. If a “+” sign is required, add an apostrophe at the start (e.g., ‘+191668128779’).
- Avoid using File Upload and Signature Fields in the import.
- For DND columns, remember that contacts will be set to DND for all channels unless specified otherwise through workflows and tags.
- Clean your list and check for duplicates before importing. This is crucial for maintaining data integrity and avoiding deliverability issues. Please refer to this guide for finding and removing duplicates:
Step 2: Import Your Contacts #
1- Two options exist for adding contacts:
- Manually create a contact by clicking the “+” sign in the top left corner.
- Or, you can use the import icon (an upward-pointing arrow) to introduce contacts via your .csv file. Choosing “Import Contacts” lets you batch import, which is both time-efficient and effective.
2- If the Import/Export icons are not visible, ensure that a user profile has been created under Settings –> Team Management. Need help? Please Contact Support.
3- Upon selecting ‘Import Contacts’:
- Click “Upload a file” or use drag-and-drop.
- Map fields to specify how the data will fit into ProfitShareSites.com’s fields.
- A green check indicates a ready-to-import field.
- “Column Header From File” denotes which .csv column gets imported.
- “Contact Fields” indicates the target field in ProfitShareSites.com. Most general fields are automatically recognized.
- Create a Custom Field: If a field does not exist in ProfitShareSites.com.
- Map to Existing Fields: Choose a similar field from the dropdown menu.
- If you do not want to import data in unmatched columns, check the Don’t Import Data in Unmatched Columns box.
- Ensure all required fields are mapped. For instance, Timezone is not automatically mapped.
- The “Additional Phones” column can be mapped to import multiple phone numbers. Separate them using commas, slashes, or semicolons alongside the primary “Phone” number column.
- For multiple emails, separate them and map them to the “Additional Emails” field.
4- Proceed to tab 3:
- Assign a name to your import batch for future reference and tracking or let ProfitShareSites.com default to a date-time format.
Manage Duplicates:
- Add New and Update Existing: Imports new contacts and updates existing ones with missing information.
- Add New Contacts Only: Imports only new contacts, ignoring existing ones.
- Update Existing Contacts Only: Updates existing contacts without adding new ones.
- None: Allows duplicate contacts if the “Allow Duplicate Contacts” setting is enabled.
Define Unique Identifiers:
- Email: Merges contacts with the same email address.
- Phone: Merges contacts with the same phone number.
- None: Allows duplicate entries, but for this to work, you need to toggle ON duplicate contacts in Settings > Business Profile > Contact Deduplication Preferences
- Add Tags:
- Selective Tags: Add tags by including a “Tags” column in your CSV. If you have multiple tags for a contact, then you can add one tag enter a comma, then space, and enter the next tag. Example: new lead, customer referral
- Universal Tags: Add a tag for all imported contacts in the Add Tags field.
- Assign to Workflows or Campaigns:
- Be cautious when assigning contacts to workflows or campaigns to avoid triggering incorrect actions.
- For example, Adding new contacts to a birthday reminder workflow might send birthday notifications prematurely or unnecessarily.
Specific Requirements: Some workflows have criteria that must be met for proper functioning. Importing contacts into these workflows without meeting the criteria could cause errors or miscommunications.
Conditional Logic: Workflows often use conditional logic to determine the next steps based on contact information. If the imported data is incomplete or incorrect, it can lead to incorrect processing.
Please Note:
The Add to Workflow/Campaign toggle only works for new contacts and not contacts that are being updated through the CSV file.
- Create a Smart List:
- Check the box to create a smart list from the imported contacts that do not already exist in your system.
Note: This will ONLY create a smart list for the contacts you are importing into the system, not the ones that already exist in the system and not the ones you are updating.
Step 3: Validate the Import #
- Refresh the Contacts page.
- Navigate to Contacts > Bulk Actions to verify the import’s status and details.
NOTES:
- Every contact record should have at least one phone number or email address for a successful import. Just listing names won’t work.
- Address common issues such as error code 1007, which requires adding country codes to phone numbers.
- For importing notes for a contact, ensure only one note per contact with a limit of 5000 characters. Use a large text custom field for more extensive notes.
