Importing Data

Importing an initial set of contacts into your CRM is a great way to get started. This article discusses the process by which you can import an initial data set into the Foundation CRM.

What and When

You can import contacts into your CRM. A contact, which represents an individual, is the core entity that you interact with because that is who you're communicating with, scheduling appointments with, and the like! You can import data as many times as you want; data you've previously imported will not change.

The key for each import is the email address.  Each record has an email address. If the email address is already in the system, the record is skipped. Otherwise, the record will be imported.

Import File Format

The file format for import must be "CSV" text, also known as "Comma Separated Values." That means that each contact record will be on one line of a text file, with each imported field separated by a comma. The top row is a header row and will be ignored. The fields must be in the following order:

1. Email Address
2. First Name
3. Last Name
4. Phone (Mobile)
5. Company Name (blank if unknown)
6. Address Line 1
7. Address Line 2
8. City
9. State
10. Zip
11. 2 Digit Country Code (ex: US, CA, MX, etc.)
12. Consent to receive email communication 1=Yes, 0=No, other values ignored
13. Consent to receive SMS communication 1=Yes, 0=No, other values ignored
14. Contact Source - must be valid value, set to 'Imported' if blank or not provided
15. Notes (giant text field)

At the right, is a sample file pre-populated with a few records. Feel free to use it as a starting point but make sure you delete the sample data.

The Import Process

The import process is really simple:

1. Log into your site
2. Navigate to Dashboard->Foundations CRM->Import
3. Select your file
4. Import the data
5. View the results

Troubleshooting

You may import as many records as you like. If you have a very large data set, the system may time out and not all your data will be imported. If this is the case, split your list up into a few different files and import them separately.