Import Contacts: Advanced

Why This Matters

The Advanced Contact Import gives you more control over how your data enters the system. Unlike the Simple Import, this method lets you map complex data structures, import custom fields, assign contacts to team member databases, and handle categories, tags, and sources directly from your spreadsheet—all in a single coordinated process.

Use Advanced Import when you're migrating from another CRM, working with custom fields, or need precise control over how your data is organized during the import process.

If you get stuck or need help, our Support Team is happy to walk you through it. Some people find this step intimidating at first, but we'll make sure everything imports perfectly.

Before You Begin

You'll need:

• A list of contacts saved in CSV (Comma Separated Values) format
• Column headers clearly labeled (First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, etc.)
• Any categories, tags, or sources you want to import included as columns in your spreadsheet (optional)
• A few minutes to review your file before uploading

If you're also planning to import notes associated with your contacts, make sure each contact has a unique ID column in your spreadsheet. You'll import the basic contact information first, then import the notes separately using those IDs to link everything together.

Once your contacts are in the system, you'll only need to manage them—you won't have to repeat this setup.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare Your File

Your contacts must be saved as a .CSV file. You can export this format from Excel, Google Sheets, or most CRMs.

Before importing, clean up your file. Each column should have a clear header (First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone). Each contact should be on its own row. Remove duplicate rows, blank lines, or unnecessary columns. Include at least First Name and Last Name columns.

If you plan to import notes later, add a unique ID column and number each contact sequentially (1, 2, 3, etc.). This ensures notes can be properly linked to the correct contact records.

If your spreadsheet includes categories, tags, or sources that you want to import, make sure those columns are clearly labeled and contain the exact values you want applied to each contact.

A clean file with clear headers prevents mapping errors and ensures your data imports correctly the first time.

2. Open the Advanced Import Tool

Hover over your Profile Picture Menu in the top-right corner. Click Data Migration, then select Advanced Contact Import. Click Import Contacts.

Check the box acknowledging that you're not importing a purchased list, then click Continue.

You'll now see the import setup screen showing your current number of contacts and account contact limits.

3. Assign Contacts to a Team Member Database (Optional)

If you have a team and want to import contacts directly into a specific team member's database, use the Team Database dropdown to select the user.

Only the Account Owner, Power Users, and Independent Users have their own databases and will appear in this list. If you're importing contacts that everyone should access, leave this set to the default shared database.

4. Assign Categories, Tags, or Sources to the Entire Batch

Use the Assign section to add a Category, Category 2, Source, or Tag to your entire list of contacts. Anything you select here will be applied to all contacts in this import.

If you don't have the library option you want to use, click the blue circle with the plus sign to create a new library option on the fly.

Assigning tags, categories, or sources during import instantly organizes your contacts by list or campaign without requiring manual work later.

5. Configure Advanced Options

Check the top box if your spreadsheet includes Categories, Sources, or Tags as individual columns that you want to import for each contact. This tells the system to look for those columns in your file during field mapping.

Next, choose how you want to handle duplicates:

• Skip duplicates (recommended): If an email already exists in your database, that contact will be skipped during import
• Update existing records: The import will overwrite existing contact data with information from your file
• Import all records: Creates new records even if duplicates exist (not recommended)

Review your duplicate-handling settings carefully before continuing. Most users should select the option to skip duplicates to avoid creating multiple records for the same person.

6. Upload Your File

Click Choose your File, select your CSV file, and click Next.

The system will analyze your file and prepare the field mapping wizard.

7. Map Your Fields

The Mapping Wizard displays your CSV column names on the left and CRM fields on the right.

The system automatically attempts to match common fields like First Name, Last Name, Email, and Phone. Review each mapping carefully—the automatic guesses are usually correct, but not always.

Use the dropdown menus to correct any mismatches or map fields the system didn't recognize. For example, if your spreadsheet uses "Full Name" instead of "First Name," select the correct field from the dropdown.

If you have custom fields set up in your CRM, they'll appear in the dropdown list. Map any columns from your CSV to custom fields just like standard fields.

Choose Skip This Field for any column you don't want to import.

If you checked the box to import categories, tags, or sources from your spreadsheet, map those columns to the appropriate fields during this step.

Proper field mapping ensures your data lands in the correct places. Take time to verify each mapping before proceeding.

8. Run the Import

When everything looks good, click Run Import.

The system will process your file and import your contacts. Most lists under 1,000 contacts import almost instantly. Larger lists may take 5-10 minutes. You'll see a progress indicator while the system processes your file.

9. Review Your Import Confirmation

After your import completes, review the summary report. This shows how many contacts were imported and how many duplicates were skipped.

You can download a spreadsheet of any skipped duplicates if needed. You can also add the newly imported contacts to Group Actions if you want to perform any actions for the group—like opting customers in for email.

10. Verify Your Data

Go to your Contact List to spot-check your new contacts. Use Search or Filters to confirm names, emails, phone numbers, categories, and tags look right.

This verification step catches any issues early so you can correct them before using your contact list.

If something doesn't look right, you can delete the import batch and try again. Navigate to Profile Picture Menu, then Data Migration, then Delete Import Batches to remove the imported data and start over.

Import Notes for Your Contacts (Optional)

If you're migrating from another CRM and want to preserve historical notes, you can import notes after importing your basic contact information. This two-step process ensures all data is properly connected.

1. Ensure Your Contacts Have Unique IDs

Before importing notes, confirm that your basic contact import included a unique ID column for each contact. If you didn't include IDs during your initial import, you'll need to add them and re-import your contacts before proceeding with notes.

2. Prepare Your Notes File

Your notes file must be a separate CSV with these specific columns:

• Unique ID (must exactly match the IDs from your contact file)
• Contact Name (for verification purposes)
• Date of Note (the date when the note was created)
• Note Content (the actual note text)

Each row in your notes file represents one note. If a contact has multiple notes, they'll appear on multiple rows with the same unique ID.

3. Navigate to Import Notes

Hover over your Profile Picture Menu, select Data Migration, click Import Contacts, then choose Import Notes.

4. Upload Your Notes File

Choose your prepared notes file and click Next to proceed to the field mapping wizard.

5. Map Your Note Fields

The field mapping wizard will display your file columns on the left. Map each column to the appropriate system field:

• Map your ID column to the system ID field
• Map your Date column to the note date field
• Map your Notes column to the notes content field
• Map your Name column to the contact name field

The system uses the unique ID to connect notes to the correct contact records automatically.

6. Complete the Notes Import

Review your mappings and click Run Import to process your notes file.

7. Verify Your Notes

After the import completes, check several contact records to ensure their notes imported correctly and are properly connected to the right contacts.

If notes didn't import correctly, verify your file structure and ID mapping. If needed, delete the import batch using Profile Picture Menu > Data Migration > Delete Import Batches, then try again.

Questions and Answers

Q: What's the difference between Simple and Advanced Import?

A: Simple Import is streamlined for basic contact lists where you want to assign the same category or tag to everyone. Advanced Import gives you more control—you can import categories, tags, and sources for each individual contact from your spreadsheet, assign contacts to specific team databases, and handle complex data structures with custom fields.

Q: What file format do I need?

A: Your contacts must be saved as a .CSV (Comma Separated Values) file. Files in .xlsx, .xls, or .numbers format won't work—save or export as CSV first.

Q: What happens if I have duplicate contacts?

A: This depends on which duplicate-handling option you select. The recommended setting is to skip duplicates based on email address. If an email already exists in your database, that contact will be skipped during import. You'll see a summary report showing exactly how many duplicates were skipped.

Q: Can I import contacts without email addresses?

A: Yes. While email is the most common identifier, you can import contacts with just names and phone numbers. However, contacts without email addresses won't be eligible for email campaigns until you add one later.

Q: What if my column headers don't match the system fields?

A: The Mapping Wizard lets you manually match your column names to CRM fields. Use the dropdown menus to correct any mismatches during the field mapping step.

Q: Can I import custom fields?

A: Yes. If you have custom fields set up in your CRM, they'll appear in the field mapping dropdown. You can map any column from your CSV to a custom field, just like standard fields.

Q: Can I import categories and tags for individual contacts from my spreadsheet?

A: Yes. Check the box in Advanced Options that says your spreadsheet includes Categories, Sources, or Tags. During field mapping, you'll be able to map those columns so each contact gets their individual values instead of applying the same value to everyone.

Q: What happens if my basic contact file doesn't have unique IDs for notes import?

A: You must add unique IDs before importing notes. Create a new column in your spreadsheet and number each contact sequentially (1, 2, 3, etc.). This ensures the notes can be properly matched to the correct contact records.

Q: Can I import notes without first importing the basic contact information?

A: No. The notes import requires that contacts already exist in the system with unique IDs before notes can be imported and linked to them.

Q: What if the unique IDs in my notes file don't match my contact file?

A: The import will fail to link notes to contacts if the IDs don't match exactly. Double-check that the ID numbers are identical in both files before importing.

Q: Can I import multiple note files for the same set of contacts?

A: Yes, as long as each notes file uses the same unique ID system and the contacts already exist in the database with those IDs.

Q: How long does the import take?

A: Most imports complete within a few minutes, depending on file size. Small lists (under 1,000 contacts) import almost instantly. Larger lists may take 5-10 minutes. You'll see a progress indicator while the system processes your file.

Q: What if something goes wrong?

A: If your import doesn't look right, you can delete the imported batch and try again. Navigate to Profile Picture Menu > Data Migration > Delete Import Batches. Contact our Support Team if you need help troubleshooting—we can walk you through the process live.

Guide Type: One-Time Setup Task

Estimated Time: 20 minutes

Next Guides: Contact Organization • Custom Fields • Email Setup

Video Transcript

To get started with your new CRM. One of the first things you should do is get your contacts in the system.

The system offers two options for importing your data. Simple Contact Import for straightforward lists and an 'Advanced Import' for more complex needs. We'll cover the Advanced Import in this video. .

Hover over profile settings and select data migration, then click Advanced Contact Import, then click import contacts.

Check this box saying you are not importing a purchase list and then hit continue. This screen tells you to make sure the data you are importing is in a CSV format. If you are not sure what a CSV file is, please contact our support department for help.

If you want to assign this group of imported contacts to a particular Category, Source or Tag in the new CRM, do that here.

Here are some rules that will determine how the system handles duplicate contacts. Now upload your CSV file here and click next.

This is the field mapping screen. This screen looks at the incoming data from your CSV file and tries to map it to the fields in the new system.

You will see here that we have a field coming over called first name. That one is pretty easy and the mapping assistant has guessed the correct field from the drop-down list. In fact, the mapping assistant has guessed all the fields correctly in this data file. Last name to last name, birthday to birthday, home phone to home phone and so on.

Some data fields are not so obvious for the system to guess. Use this drop-down menu to select the correct fields to map from your old system to the new one. Then click run import.

At this point you should check your contacts and make sure they were imported correctly. If there are some problems with the import, you can correct the problems manually or you can delete the import you just did and start over. To delete an import batch go to profile settings, data migration, and delete import batches.