Importing contacts from a CSV file into Reply streamlines the process of adding or updating multiple contacts, saving you time and improving database management by eliminating manual entry.
The import process is flexible, allowing you to map CSV fields to Reply's custom fields, select unique identifiers, manage contacts without email addresses, and adjust other settings. This tailored approach ensures efficient contact list management and optimizes your communication strategies.
How to Import Contacts with CSV
To add new contacts or update the existing records using import from a CSV file, follow these steps:
Open the People → Contacts tab.
Click New contact in the upper right corner and select Import from CSV from a drop-down.
Quick Note: You can also import contacts to a new or existing sequence in Add people. The records of contacts will be added to the sequence and your Reply account as well.
If a sequence is new, select Import from CSV option.
If the sequence already contains the contacts, navigate to the Contacts list tab, click Add contacts, and select Import from CSV from a drop-down.
3. Complete all the steps for import in the Import contacts wizard.
Step 1. Choose file
Click on the Choose file button to upload the prepared CSV file, or use the drag and drop option. To create a valid CSV file, click on the CSV example link in the lower-left corner. You can use it as a template and fill it out with your contact information.
Ensure your CSV file is correctly formatted with the following fields for a successful import:
Field | Description |
First name | The contact's first name. This field is crucial for personalizing your communications. |
Last name | The surname or family name of the contact. Along with the first name, it helps to accurately identify and address your contacts. |
The contact's email address. Providing this field can be crucial for email outreach campaigns.
Important: The email field can be left empty for the contacts, but it is essential to include the email column in your CSV file. This ensures compatibility and smooth handling of your data. | |
Title | The professional title or job position of the contact, such as 'Marketing Manager' or 'Software Engineer'. This information is valuable for tailoring your messages to the recipient's role and responsibilities. |
Company | The name of the company or organization where the contact is currently employed. This field is useful for segmenting your contacts by their employer for targeted outreach campaigns. |
City | The city where the contact is located. This geographic information can be used for regional targeting and personalizing communication based on location. |
State | The state or province where the contact resides. Along with the city and country, it helps refine your targeting strategies to specific geographical areas. |
Country | The country of the contact's location. Knowing the country is essential for global outreach campaigns and for compliance with regional marketing regulations. |
LinkedIn profile | The URL of the contact's LinkedIn profile. This is particularly useful for networking and outreach efforts on LinkedIn, providing a direct link to their professional profile. |
LinkedIn recruiter | Indicates whether the contact is accessible via LinkedIn Recruiter. This field can help identify the best approach for connecting with the contact on LinkedIn, especially for recruitment purposes. |
Phone | The contact's phone number. This field is critical for outreach campaigns that include phone calls or SMS messaging as part of the communication strategy. |
Requirements in CSV File
To ensure a smooth and efficient import process for adding contacts to the Reply platform, please take into account these instructions:
File Format and Size Limitations: Your contact list must be in CSV (Comma-Separated Values) format. Each CSV file can contain up to 100,000 rows. This limit allows you to add up to 100,000 contacts in a single import action.
Presence of Fields: All fields outlined in our example CSV must be included in your CSV file. These fields may be left empty for specific contacts where information is missed, but the columns themselves must exist in the file.
Mandatory "First Name" Field: The "First Name" field is the only exception to the above rule and cannot be left blank for any contact.
Error Handling: If any of the required columns are missing from your CSV file, the import process will not proceed, and an error message will be displayed. Ensure all necessary columns are present to avoid import issues.
Step 2. Map attributes
Correctly mapping attributes ensures that data from your CSV file aligns with the corresponding fields in Reply, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of your outreach and management activities.
1. Align CSV and Reply Fields:
Ensure each field in your CSV file matches the appropriate Reply field. For example, to map the contact name, click the corresponding Reply field and select the matching CSV field from the drop-down list.
Custom Fields: You can add and map additional fields beyond the standard ones, including creating custom fields that correspond to your CSV file. Follow these instructions to use custom fields.
2. Choose the Main Identifier:
Use the Contact identifier drop-down to select the main field (such as Email, Last Name, or Phone) that will identify each contact in Reply. This key field is mandatory for every entry to prevent duplicates.
Once an identifier is chosen, other fields become optional, offering flexibility in data import. Ensure the identifier is unique and accurate for each contact to maintain a clean and organized database.
3. Complete the Mapping: After aligning all fields between your CSV file and the Reply system, click "Continue" to proceed with the import process.
Step 3. Options
Review and adjust additional settings during the import process to ensure effective management and organization of your contacts.
Viewing Import Details
Overview: Initially, you'll see the name of the CSV file you're importing and the total number of contacts intended for import.
Contact List Selection: Use the down arrow button to assign contacts to an existing list, distribute them among multiple lists, or create and select a new list. This flexibility ensures efficient contact segmentation and management. Refer to this article to learn more about lists.
Setting Import Preferences
You can also use enhanced CSV import options for better contact management.
Matched Records:
Update Existing Fields: Choose this option to overwrite existing contact fields with new data from your CSV file.
Skip: Select this to avoid updating contacts with new data, preventing accidental overwrites of existing information.
Records Without Emails:
Add Generated Emails: For contacts missing email addresses, you can opt to assign autogenerated emails. Contacts without emails will be automatically created in Reply, with emails being autogenerated, and marked as invalid as shown below:
These contacts will be skipped for email steps in sequences. This ensures all contacts are saved in your system, although with invalid email addresses, allowing for outreach through other channels like SMS, WhatsApp, calls, or LinkedIn.
Skip: Alternatively, you can choose not to import contacts without email addresses, ensuring only contacts with valid emails are added to your database.
Time Zone:
Tick Detect contact time zone automatically to assign time zones to your contacts based on their city/state and country data (learn more about this option here). This can enhance the timing of your email campaigns but may extend the import time by up to 30 minutes.
Once the step is done, click Import.
Step 4. Review & Import
After initiating the import process, the system processes your CSV file in the background, allowing you to continue working in Reply. You'll receive a notification once the import is complete.
To view the results, click "View import results" in the Notification Center at the top right corner.
The Import Results dialog provides a breakdown of the import process, detailing the number of contacts imported, updated, skipped, and any errors encountered.
Key Metrics Explained:
Imported Contacts: Reflects the number of new contacts successfully added to your account.
Updated Contacts: Indicates the number of existing contacts in your Reply account whose information was refreshed or modified during this import.
Skipped Contacts: Represents duplicates that the system identified and removed during the import to maintain data integrity.
Import Errors: Highlights records that failed to import, often due to missing mandatory fields like "First Name" or incorrect field formats (for example, when importing a text to a custom field with the number type).
For each category (imported, updated, skipped, and errors), separate downloadable files are available to help you identify issues and understand the import outcome.
After reviewing the import results, click "Done" to complete the process. The new data will then be available on the Contacts page.
To add imported contacts to a sequence, use the "Move to sequence" button at the top. Note that a contact can only be part of one sequence at a time. For detailed instructions, refer to this article.
Mapping CSV File Fields to Custom Fields in Reply
Efficiently integrate your contacts into Reply by properly mapping your CSV file fields to the platform's custom fields. This guide walks you through modifying existing mappings and creating new custom fields. For detailed instructions on creating custom contact fields in Reply, refer to our help article.
Open the Import from file dialog window.
Select Fields to Map: Look for the "REPLY FIELDS" column. Here, you can adjust the mapping for each field. If you've previously set up custom fields, simply select the appropriate field from the drop-down list.
Adding New Custom Fields:
To create a new custom field, click on the "Add custom field" button.
Enter the desired name for your custom field in the "Field label" input area.
Choose the type of field - either text or number - from the "Field type" drop-down list.
Save your settings by clicking "Save."
Complete the Import: Once all fields are correctly mapped, proceed to finalize the import process.
