Bulk Importing Contacts via CSV in GLM

Step 1: Set Up Your CSV and Custom Fields

When adding phone numbers that require a "+" sign, use an apostrophe at the beginning

(e.g., '+191668128779 ).

• File upload and signature fields are not supported when importing.
• If importing a Do Not Disturb (DND) column, contacts will be set to DND for all communication channels. To control DND by specific channels, set up a workflow and use tags.

Step 2: Check for Duplicates

Always clean your contact list and check for duplicates before importing. This helps prevent issues, especially for cold traffic campaigns, as duplicate records can lead to email deliverability issues.

To check for duplicates in Excel, follow these steps:

• Select the Data Range:
• Highlight the column or range of cells where you want to check for duplicates.
• Go to the "Data" Tab:
• Click on the Data tab in the ribbon at the top.
• Click on "Remove Duplicates":
• In the "Data Tools" group, click the Remove Duplicates button.
• This will open a dialog box that allows you to specify the columns to check for duplicates.
• Choose Columns (if needed):
• If your data has multiple columns and you only want to check duplicates in specific columns, uncheck the others.
• Click OK:
• Once you’ve selected the columns, click OK. Excel will highlight the duplicates, or if you selected "Remove Duplicates," it will delete the duplicate rows and keep only unique entries.
• Optional - Use Conditional Formatting:
• If you want to highlight duplicates rather than remove them, select the range, go to Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Duplicate Values, and choose a formatting option. Excel will visually mark the duplicate cells for you.

To check for duplicates in Google Sheets, follow these steps:

• Select the Data Range:
• Highlight the column or range of cells where you want to check for duplicates.
• Go to the "Format" Menu:
• Click on the Format menu in the top toolbar.
• Choose Conditional Formatting:
• Select Conditional formatting from the dropdown.
• Set Up a Custom Formula:
• In the conditional formatting pane that appears on the right, change the Format cells if option to Custom formula is.
• Enter the Formula:
• Enter the following formula: =COUNTIF(A:A,A1)>1
• Adjust the A:A and A1 references according to the column you're working with.
• Choose Formatting Style:
• Select the color or style you want the duplicates to be highlighted in.
• Click "Done":
• Google Sheets will now highlight any duplicates in the selected range based on your custom formula.
• Optional - Remove Duplicates:
• To actually remove duplicates, select your data, go to Data > Data cleanup > Remove duplicates, and then follow the prompts to delete duplicates from your sheet.

Step 3: Import Your Contacts

Before you upload your file below, make sure your file is ready to be imported

• Map columns in your file to contact field properties

Advanced Filters Breakdown

• Add New and Update Existing Contact Records:
  • This option creates new contacts and updates existing ones based on the selected unique identifier (Email, Phone, or Contact ID).
• Add New Contact Records Only:
  • This option creates only new contacts, without updating existing records.
• Update Existing Contact Records Only:
  • This option only updates existing contacts, without creating new records.

Note:

The default unique identifier is Email, but you can select other fields, such as Phone or Contact ID, to avoid duplicates.

Bulk Importing Multiple Emails or Phone Numbers per Contact

• The system supports importing multiple emails or phone numbers for a single contact, using the Additional Emails and Additional Phone Numbers features.
• Multiple email addresses/phone numbers should be separated by commas, slashes (/), or semicolons (;) in one column, then mapped to the "Additional Emails" or "Additional Phone Numbers" fields during the import process.
• You can import up to 10 email IDs or phone numbers per contact.

Conditions for Importing Multiple Emails/Phone Numbers

If the primary email/phone is blank but the additional field has data, the first additional entry will become the primary contact information.

If a contact already exists, new emails or phone numbers will be combined with existing data.

Invalid emails or phone numbers will be discarded during the import.

Steps to Import Contacts with Multiple Emails/Phone Numbers

• In the Contact Import section, map your additional emails and phone numbers to the corresponding fields.
• Ensure all extra emails/phone numbers are in one column, separated by commas, slashes, or semicolons.
• During mapping, match these fields to the system’s Additional Emails or Additional Phone Numbers fields.