There are multiple ways to add contacts to your Distrobird dashboard. If you’re looking to upload a list of contacts in bulk to your Distrobird dashboard, importing them via a CSV file is the way to go.
Follow the steps below to get started:
- Select Contacts from the hamburger menu on the side navigation.
- On your contacts page, click on the Actions button on the top-right corner of the page, then select Import Contacts. This will open up the Import Contacts modal
Before you continue...
Take note of the following to ensure a smooth CSV upload:
- Check that the file you’re uploading is in the .csv excel file format.
- Ensure that the first row in your spreadsheet is a header row that contains column names (i.e first name, last name, email address, phone number, etc.) Distrobird will attempt to map the column names in your spreadsheet to the column names on your Distrobird dashboard. This mapping can always be modified if necessary in the future.
- Ensure that every contact in your file has at least a phone number or an email address. Distrobird can use this information to enrich the rest of your contact information to create a complete profile on them.
- Ensure that phone numbers are entered in the E.164 phone number format.
Follow the steps below to complete your upload:
Step 1
Upload CSV File
On the Import Contacts pop-up modal, click on Choose a file from your computer to select the file path of the CSV file on your computer or just drag and drop the CSV file in the box and click Continue.
Step 2
Manage Columns
Next, review and map the column headers in your CSV document to the contact attributes on Distrobird and select the relevant data type using the dropdown.
- Fields represent column names in your selected CSV file. Ensure that the columns you would like to be imported are toggled on. Columns that aren't toggled on will be skipped in the upload process
- Distrobird fields represent the column names (contact attributes) on your Distrobird dashboard. Use the dropdown to map each column in your file to the Distrobird fields. Be sure to map the email and/or phone number columns in your file to the Distrobird email and/or phone number fields, otherwise, the upload will fail.
- Data Type The data type specifies the format of the value in your columns. The data type options are:
- Text
- Number
- True/False
- Date
- Note: If you don't wish to import a column, simply turn off the toggle next to that column header.
- Once you’re done click Save Mappings & Continue.
Step 3
Enrich Data
Data Enrichment as the name implies enriches the contacts you've uploaded with publicly available social and professional data such as full name, current company, industry, job title, location, etc. This provides your team with better context when engaging with the prospect or customer. You can enrich a contact via email, phone number or both; simply toggle the options to enable it
Email validation removes all invalid email addresses from your contact list, which in turn helps you lower your email bounce rate, protect your IP reputation and improve campaign performance. To validate your contact’s email addresses, toggle on the validate email option.
Step 4
Manage Visibility
You have the flexibility to determine which teams or individuals should be granted access to the contacts on the list you're importing by managing visibility. To do this, click on the Manage visibility dropdown and select the teams or members who should be given access to the contacts uploaded.
After uploading your CSV file, we will begin importing your data! This may take a few minutes. When your data import is complete, you will be notified via email.
Please be aware that depending on the size of your CSV file, the upload process may take a few minutes. You can monitor the status of your uploads by navigating to the Settings page and then selecting Import History from the Your Data section in the sidebar.
Updating Existing Contacts
To update existing contacts, simply import the updated information using a CSV file that includes matching email addresses or phone numbers. In our system, these email addresses and phone numbers serve as unique identifiers. If the email addresses or phone numbers you import are not already present in your contact list on your dashboard, our system will create new contacts for them. However, if the imported email address or phone numbers already exist in your contact list, the system will seamlessly update the contact with the new data you've provided.
If you have additional questions about importing or updating your contacts, please feel free to reach out to us at hello@distrobird.com; a member of our team will be happy to respond to your questions and resolve any issues you might be experiencing.
Happy selling!
