Importing Contacts (CSV)

Importing Contacts (CSV) #

Bulk import contacts from spreadsheets, other CRMs, or databases with intelligent duplicate handling.

Prerequisites #

• CSV file with UTF-8 encoding
• Unique identifier field (email, phone, or custom)
• Administrator permissions
• Database backup (critical for large imports)

---

Preparing Your CSV #

Format Requirements

• UTF-8 encoding
• Comma-separated (.csv)
• Headers in first row
• One contact per row

email,first_name,last_name,phone,city,company
[email protected],John,Doe,+1-555-0123,New York,Acme Inc

Supported Fields

• Standard: email, first_name, last_name, phone, city, state, country, postal_code
• Custom: Any custom field slug
• Special: lists, tags (comma-separated values in quotes)

Data Formatting

Field	Valid	Invalid
Email	[email protected]	john@example
Phone	+1-555-0123	555-CALL-NOW
Dates	2026-02-03	03-Feb-2026
Lists/Tags	“Newsletter, VIP”	Newsletter|VIP

---

Import Process #

1. Access Import Tool

PloverCRM → Contacts → Import/Export → Import tab

2. Upload CSV

Click Choose File → Select CSV → Upload and Analyze

3. Map Fields

Auto-detected mappings are shown. Manually map any unmapped columns:

CSV Column → PloverCRM Field
fname → First Name
organization → Company (Custom)
notes → -- Skip --

4. Configure Options

Duplicate Handling:

• Skip: Don’t import if contact already exists (safest)
• Update: Update existing contact with new data (most common)
• Create Anyway: Not recommended

Assign Lists/Tags: Optionally assign all imported contacts to specific lists or tags.

5. Review & Start

Review the summary, then click Start Import:

Total rows: 1,250
Mapped fields: 8
Duplicate handling: Update Existing

6. Monitor Progress

Import runs in batches of 50 at a time. Don’t close the browser.

Progress: 250/1,250 (20%)
Created: 180 | Updated: 65 | Skipped: 5 | Errors: 0

7. Review Results

✓ Import completed!
Total: 1,250 | Created: 1,100 | Updated: 120 | Errors: 5

View the error log for details. Fix and re-import any failed rows.

---

Advanced Options #

Custom Fields

1. Create the fields first (PloverCRM → Custom Fields)
2. Use the exact field slug as the CSV column header
3. Ensure values match the field type

Lists and Tags

In CSV:

email,lists,tags
[email protected],"Newsletter, VIP","Hot Lead, Enterprise"

Or: Assign during the import wizard
Or: Use IDs: "1,3,5"

Large Imports (10,000+)

1. Split into 5,000-row files
2. Contact your hosting provider to increase server limits if needed
3. Import during off-peak hours
4. Consider using WP-CLI for very large datasets

---

Duplicate Handling #

• Skip: Safest option — leaves existing contacts unchanged
• Update: Updates only the fields present in the CSV; does not clear empty fields
• Create Anyway: Use with caution — can result in duplicate contacts

---

Troubleshooting #

Problem	Solution
Import fails	Check field mapping, verify required field is present, test with a small file
Invalid format	Check UTF-8 encoding, ensure headers are in row 1, remove blank rows
High error count	Review error log, check email formats, verify field slugs
Timeout	Split file into smaller batches, increase PHP limits, import off-peak
Duplicates created	Verify unique field is mapped correctly, check value matches

---

Best Practices #

Before importing:

1. Back up the database
2. Clean your data (remove duplicates, validate emails)
3. Test with a 10–20 row sample file
4. Create any required custom fields first

During import:

• Monitor progress
• Don’t interrupt — 1,000 contacts takes approximately 2–3 minutes

After importing:

1. Review the error log
2. Re-import any failed rows
3. Spot-check a sample of contacts
4. Verify list and tag assignments

---

Export-Edit-Reimport #

For bulk updates and corrections:

1. Export contacts to CSV
2. Edit the CSV
3. Re-import with the Update Existing duplicate option

---

Last updated: February 3, 2026