Import your contacts
Bring a client list from a spreadsheet, Shopify, Mailchimp or your phone into your CRM, check every column first, and undo it for 30 days.
The import wizard takes a CSV file, or rows pasted straight from a spreadsheet, up to 5 MB and 20,000 people. It suggests where each column goes, asks what kind of list this is, and asks what to do about people already in your CRM.
Nothing is imported until you’ve seen a preview. Every import is listed under Imports, where you can undo it for 30 days.
Why it helps
- Columns are matched for you, with AI suggesting the unclear ones, so you check rather than map from scratch.
- You decide who can get campaigns: subscribers join your email list, while customers and leads stay in the CRM unless they agreed.
- People you already have are matched, not duplicated, and you choose whether to fill blanks, update them or leave them alone.
How to use it
- Open Customers → Imports. Choose Imports under Customers and press Import a file. You can also press Import on the People list.
- Choose your list. Pick Upload a file and drop in a CSV, or Paste rows from a spreadsheet with the column names included. Press Continue.
- Check the columns. On Check where each column goes, confirm where each column lands, or set it to Don’t import.
- Say what the list is. Under What is this list? choose Subscribers, Customers or Leads. Only people who agreed to your emails can get campaigns.
- Choose how to treat people you have. Pick Fill in the blanks (recommended), Update them or Leave them as they are.
- Preview and import. Read the preview, then press the import button, which says how many people it will add. Progress shows under Imports.
Make the most of it
- Exporting from Excel? Save as CSV UTF-8 so names with accents come through cleanly.
- A Mailchimp export is a zip of three files. Open it and choose the subscribed file; the others are people who can’t get email.
- Fill in Tag everyone in this import so you can find this batch later.
- Got a PDF list? The wizard takes CSV only, but you can drop the PDF on the paperclip in a chat with Orbit. Those people are added as contacts only, never to your email list.
Hand it over in one click
- Get my contacts out of spreadsheets and PDFs — Orbit
- Find out who these new contacts actually are — Orbit
Questions
Will importing email my contacts?
The import itself sends nothing. But if you import subscribers, anything set to start when someone joins your list, like a welcome email, starts for them too. The preview warns you first.
What if I import the wrong file?
Open Imports and press Undo on it within 30 days. People who have notes or deals since are kept, and an email that already went out can’t be taken back.
Can a teammate import?
Yes. Teammates can bring people into the CRM; only the account owner can add them to the email list.