If you are wanting to import a spreadsheet of leads directly into your account there are a few best practices you should follow.
Format - A .csv file format is the only file format available to be imported. Update the excel file to .csv in order to select it from files.
Download the Template - A spreadsheet template is available in the Lead Import tool to help format the four required headers and additional custom fields.
First & Last Name Columns - First Name and Last Name columns (separate) are required for leads to be imported. If you field is first-name or Last_name the system will know to match the column. It will NOT accept Full name or both first and last name in a single cell.
Email Column - Import files must contain an email column header, even if there is not a lead email address to import. Users may leave the cells below the email column header blank if the lead does not have an email address.
Phone Column - Import files must contain a phone number column header, even if there is not a lead phone number to import. Users may leave the cells below the phone number column header blank if the lead does not have a phone number.
Phone numbers can have hyphens, parentheses or single numbers. Accepted phone number formats:
123-456-7890
(123)456-7890
1234567890
Other special characters like periods, letters or asterisks cannot be imported. The below phone numbers are examples of unaccepted formats:
123-456-7890*
123.456.7890
cell: 123-456-7890
International numbers can now be imported but they must have a + sign in from in the correct formatting.
Column headers can be titled “Phone Number” or “Phone”
Custom Fields - To import custom fields such as hometown, GPA and major, add a new column header to the file with that field name. Statuses, main contacts and referral sources cannot be imported at this time.
Import Failure - If an import fails, reference the import validation error message to identify the row in your file causing the import to be unsuccessful. Refresh the screen prior to attempting another import to clear out the previous unsuccessful attempt. This article will help you navigate any error messages you receive.