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Import your contacts

Bring your client or email list over from a spreadsheet or another platform with a CSV file.

Moving from Mailchimp, Flodesk, Square, Acuity or a plain spreadsheet? Export your list as a CSV file and bring everyone into People > Contacts in one go.

Steps

  1. Export your list from your old platform as a CSV file (comma-separated, with a header row).
  2. In ColibriOS, open People > Contacts and press Import CSV.
  3. Choose Import these as: Leads, Clients, Staff or Business contacts. For leads, you can also tick the box to add them to your pipeline.
  4. Press Choose CSV file and pick your file. Not sure how to lay it out? Press Download template first.
  5. Under Match your columns, check that each field points at the right column in your file. Full name is required. If your file splits first and last name, match those instead. Pick Skip this column for anything you don’t need.
  6. Look over the preview to see how many rows are ready.
  7. Answer Did everyone in this file agree to receive emails from you? Choose Yes, all of them only if they opted in on your old platform or form. Otherwise choose No or not sure.
  8. Tick the texts box if everyone with a phone number agreed to receive texts. If you said yes to either, note where they opted in (for example, “Flodesk list”).
  9. Press the Import button. It shows how many contacts are coming in.

Good to know

  • The columns you can bring in are full name (or first and last name), email, phone, company, tags and notes.
  • Put several tags in one cell by separating them with commas or semicolons, like newsletter;vip.
  • If someone’s email is already in your contacts as the same type, that row is skipped, so importing twice won’t make duplicates.
  • Rows missing a name are skipped. The preview tells you how many.
  • People imported with No or not sure are added, but campaigns and newsletters skip them until they opt in. Find them later with the Missing email consent filter in Contacts.
  • A gentle way to win back consent: send your old list a link to a sign-up form from your old platform. Everyone who signs up arrives in ColibriOS tagged and opted in. See Make a form.
  • Send your first emails to people who recently opted in, then bring the rest over in growing batches. A new sending address earns its place in inboxes over time.
  • Have a mix of types (clients and leads, say)? Split your file and import each part with the right Import these as choice.