Importing Contacts

Import your existing contact lists into TextFlow using CSV, XLS, XLSX, or TXT files. This guide walks you through the import process step-by-step.

Before You Import

Prepare Your Data

Required Fields:

• Phone Number: 10-11 digits (e.g., 4165551234 or 14165551234)
• First Name: Contact’s first name

Optional Fields:

• Last Name
• Email Address
• Business/Company Name
• Tags (comma-separated)
• Contact Type

CSV Format

TextFlow accepts CSV files without headers. Each row should contain contact information in this order:

phone,firstName,lastName,email,business,tags

Example CSV:

4165551234,Jane,Smith,jane@example.com,ABC Company,vip
6475551234,Bob,Johnson,bob@example.com,XYZ Corp,prospect
4165555678,Alice,Williams,,Tech Solutions,customer

Headers Optional

You can include column headers in your first row, but they’re not required. TextFlow will automatically detect and skip header rows.

Phone Number Format

Accepted Formats:

• ✅ 4165551234 (10 digits)
• ✅ 14165551234 (11 digits with country code)
• ✅ 6475551234 (10 digits, different area code)

Not Accepted:

• ❌ (416) 555-1234 (formatting characters)
• ❌ 416-555-1234 (hyphens)
• ❌ +1 416 555 1234 (spaces and plus sign)

TextFlow will automatically:

• Add +1 country code if missing
• Format for display as +1 (416) 555-1234
• Validate phone number length

Importing Contacts

Step 1: Access Import Function

There are two ways to import contacts:

Method 1: From Contact List

1. Click Contacts in the navigation
2. Select a list from the sidebar
3. Click the Import button next to the list name

Method 2: From Contacts Page

1. Click Contacts in the navigation
2. Select a list
3. Click the Import button at the top of the contacts table

Step 2: Upload File

Upload Your CSV:

1. Click “Choose Files” or drag and drop your CSV file onto the upload area
2. Supported formats: CSV, XLS, XLSX, TXT
3. Maximum file size: 10 MB
4. File name will appear once uploaded

What Happens:

• TextFlow reads your file
• Parses contact data
• Validates phone numbers
• Counts total valid contacts

Step 3: Review Import Preview

After uploading, TextFlow shows:

Import Summary:

• Total Contacts: Number of rows in your file
• Valid Contacts: Contacts with valid phone numbers and first names
• Invalid Contacts: Rows that will be skipped (missing required fields)

Preview Table:

• Shows first 5-10 contacts
• Displays how data will be imported
• Highlights any validation issues

Check Before Import

Review the preview carefully! Once imported, you’ll need to manually delete incorrect contacts.

Step 4: Confirm Import

1. Review the contact count: “Import X Contacts”
2. Click Import X Contacts button
3. Import process begins

During Import:

• Progress indicator shows number of contacts processed
• Duplicates are automatically detected
• Invalid phone numbers are skipped

Step 5: Import Complete

After import completes:

Success Message:

• “Successfully imported X contacts”
• Shows number of contacts added
• Lists number of duplicates skipped

Contacts Appear:

• In the selected list
• Immediately available for campaigns
• Searchable and filterable

Handling Duplicates

How TextFlow Detects Duplicates

Duplicates are identified by phone number only:

• If phone number exists: Contact is skipped
• Name/email differences don’t matter
• Applies across ALL lists (global deduplication)

Example:

Existing: 4165551234, Jane Smith, jane@example.com
Import:   4165551234, Jane Doe, janedoe@example.com
Result:   SKIPPED (phone number already exists)

Duplicate Handling Options

During Import:

1. Skip Duplicates (Default)

   • Existing contacts remain unchanged
   • Duplicate rows are not imported
   • Import summary shows “X duplicates skipped”

2. Update Existing (If available)

   • Updates existing contact with new information
   • Keeps existing phone number
   • Merges into additional lists if specified

Best Practice

Export your existing contacts first, then merge with new data in Excel before importing. This gives you full control over which information to keep.

Data Validation

Phone Number Validation

TextFlow validates every phone number:

Valid:

• ✅ Exactly 10 or 11 digits
• ✅ North American numbers (USA/Canada)
• ✅ Area codes: 416, 647, 905, 437, etc.

Invalid (Skipped):

• ❌ Less than 10 digits
• ❌ More than 11 digits
• ❌ Contains letters or special characters
• ❌ International numbers outside North America

Auto-Corrections:

• Removes spaces, hyphens, parentheses
• Adds +1 country code if missing
• Standardizes to E.164 format

Name Validation

First Name:

• Required field
• Must not be empty
• Maximum 50 characters

Last Name:

• Optional
• Maximum 50 characters
• Can be blank

Email Validation

Format Check:

• Must contain @ symbol
• Must have domain (e.g., example.com)
• Invalid emails are skipped (contact still imported if phone/name valid)

Examples:

• ✅ jane@example.com
• ✅ bob.smith@company.co.uk
• ❌ invalid-email (skipped)
• ❌ missing@domain (skipped)

Import Limits

File Size Limits

Limit Type	Maximum
File Size	10 MB
Contacts per Import	50,000 rows
Columns	10 columns

Large Imports

For lists over 50,000 contacts, split into multiple CSV files and import separately.

Import Frequency

Rate Limits:

• 5 imports per hour per user
• 10 imports per day per organization

Why Limits Exist:

• Prevents accidental duplicate imports
• Protects system performance
• Ensures data quality

Common Import Errors

”No valid contacts found”

Problem: CSV has no contacts with required fields

Solutions:

• Verify first column is phone number
• Ensure second column is first name
• Check that phone numbers are 10-11 digits
• Remove any completely blank rows

”Phone number already exists”

Problem: All contacts in CSV already exist in TextFlow

Solution:

• Export existing contacts to compare
• Check if this is an accidental re-import
• If updating info, edit contacts manually or delete and re-import

”Invalid phone number format”

Problem: Phone numbers contain formatting or are wrong length

Solutions:

• Remove parentheses, hyphens, spaces from phone numbers in CSV
• Ensure exactly 10 or 11 digits per number
• Use Excel’s Find & Replace feature to remove formatting characters

”File too large”

Problem: CSV exceeds 10 MB limit

Solutions:

• Split into multiple smaller files
• Remove unnecessary columns
• Delete test/dummy data
• Compress file (ZIP not supported - must upload uncompressed CSV)

“Import failed - try again”

Problem: Temporary server issue

Solutions:

• Wait 1-2 minutes and retry
• Check internet connection
• Try a smaller batch (500-1000 contacts)
• Contact support if persists

Best Practices

Before Importing

1. ✅ Clean Your Data

   • Remove duplicate phone numbers in Excel
   • Delete test/dummy contacts
   • Verify phone number format (10-11 digits, numbers only)
   • Check for typos in names

2. ✅ Export First

   • Export existing TextFlow contacts
   • Compare with import file
   • Identify true duplicates vs. new contacts

3. ✅ Test with Small Batch

   • Import 5-10 contacts first
   • Verify data appears correctly
   • Check formatting and field mapping
   • Then import full list

4. ✅ Backup Your CSV

   • Save original CSV file
   • Keep a copy before making changes
   • Easier to fix errors and re-import

After Importing

1. ✅ Verify Contact Count

   • Check list shows expected number of contacts
   • Account for duplicates skipped
   • Review import summary message

2. ✅ Spot Check Data

   • Open 5-10 random contacts
   • Verify names, emails, tags are correct
   • Look for any formatting issues

3. ✅ Check for Opt-Outs

   • Filter to show opted-out contacts
   • Some numbers may already be on opt-out list
   • These contacts cannot receive campaigns

4. ✅ Test a Small Campaign

   • Before messaging entire list
   • Send to yourself or small test group
   • Verify message renders correctly

Advanced Import Techniques

Using Excel to Prepare Data

Cleaning Phone Numbers:

1. Select phone number column
2. Find & Replace (Ctrl+H):
   • Find: ( Replace with: (nothing)
   • Find: ) Replace with: (nothing)
   • Find: - Replace with: (nothing)
   • Find: (space) Replace with: (nothing)
3. Format as Text (not Number) to preserve leading zeros

Removing Duplicates:

1. Select all data
2. Data → Remove Duplicates
3. Choose “Phone Number” column
4. Click OK

Adding Country Code:

• If your numbers are 10 digits, add “1” at the beginning
• Example: 4165551234 becomes 14165551234
• TextFlow accepts both 10-digit and 11-digit formats

Importing Tags

Include tags in your CSV to automatically organize contacts:

4165551234,Jane,Smith,jane@example.com,ABC Company,vip;toronto;customer
6475551234,Bob,Johnson,bob@example.com,XYZ Corp,prospect;vancouver

Tag Format:

• Semicolon-separated: tag1;tag2;tag3
• Or comma-separated: tag1,tag2,tag3
• Tags are created automatically if they don’t exist
• Case-insensitive (toronto = Toronto)

Importing to Multiple Lists

To add contacts to multiple lists during import:

1. Import to first list
2. Export those contacts
3. Import same CSV to second list
4. TextFlow adds existing contacts to new list (doesn’t duplicate)

Result: Contacts appear in both lists

Consent and CASL Compliance

Import Consent Tracking

When importing contacts, ensure you have:

Express Consent:

• Contact explicitly agreed to receive messages
• Document how/when consent was obtained
• Keep records for 3 years (CASL requirement)

Implied Consent:

• Existing business relationship
• Recent purchase (within 2 years)
• Inquiry within 6 months

Legal Requirement

Under Canadian law (CASL), you must have consent before sending commercial messages. Importing a contact doesn’t grant consent - you must obtain it separately.

Adding Consent Information

After import, add consent details:

1. Select imported contacts
2. Bulk Actions → Update Consent
3. Choose consent type (Express/Implied)
4. Enter consent date
5. Note consent method (web form, in-person, etc.)

Troubleshooting Import Issues

Import Completed But Contacts Missing

Check:

• Filter settings (may be hiding contacts)
• Opted-out status (may be on opt-out list)
• Duplicate detection (may have skipped all)
• Import summary for actual count imported

Solution:

• Clear all filters
• Check “All Contacts” view
• Review import error log

Some Contacts Imported, Others Didn’t

Common Reasons:

• Invalid phone numbers (not 10-11 digits)
• Missing first name
• Duplicate phone numbers
• Invalid email format (contact skipped entirely)

Solution:

• Export contacts that failed (if error log available)
• Fix data issues in original CSV
• Re-import corrected file

Wrong Data in Wrong Fields

Problem: Names appear in email field, emails in business field, etc.

Cause: CSV columns in wrong order

Solution:

1. Delete incorrectly imported contacts
2. Rearrange CSV columns to match required order:

   phone, firstName, lastName, email, business, tags

3. Re-import corrected CSV

Tags Not Applied

Problem: Tags column ignored during import

Solution:

• Verify tag syntax: tag1;tag2;tag3 or tag1,tag2,tag3
• Check for typos in tag names
• Manually add tags to imported contacts after import

Next Steps

After successfully importing contacts:

• Lists View - Organize imported contacts into lists
• Tags View - Add tags for detailed segmentation
• Creating Campaigns - Send your first campaign to imported contacts

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Successful contact imports are the foundation of effective SMS campaigns. Take time to clean your data before importing for best results!