Import Contacts
The ‘Import Contacts’ feature in the Contacts module of Retention CRM is a powerful tool that allows Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Nonprofit Organizations to seamlessly upload contact information from external sources into your contact database. This helps in effective contact management by streamlining data entry, saves time, and ensures data consistency.
The General Functionality of ‘Import Contacts’ Feature
- Choose Data Source: This initial step lets you specify how you’ll be providing the contact data. In most cases, you’ll choose “Upload CSV File.”
- Match Fields: Here’s where you map the data columns in your file (e.g., “Email,” “Last Name”) to the corresponding fields in Retention CRM (e.g., “Email Address,” “Last Name”). This ensures Retention CRM imports your data accurately.
- Preview: This step provides a glimpse of how the imported data will look within Retention CRM. You can identify any errors or inconsistencies before finalizing the import.
Using ‘Import Contacts’ in Association Management
Let’s imagine the Evergreen County Nursing Association (ECNA) wants to import contact details of its members from a spreadsheet. Here’s how they can utilize the ‘Import Contacts’ feature:
Choose Data Source
- ECNA will select “Upload CSV File” and browse to their member spreadsheet.
Import Options
- Contact Type: Since ECNA deals with individual members, they’ll choose “Individual.”
- Subtype: (Optional) If ECNA has member categories (e.g., Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse), they can define sub-types here.
- For Duplicate Contacts:
- Skip: If a duplicate email address exists, ECNA can choose to skip that entry to avoid creating a new contact with the same email.
- Update: Existing contact information will be updated with the new data (if any) from the import file.
- Fill: Empty fields in existing contacts will be filled with data from the import file (if available).
- No Duplicate Checking: This is not recommended as it might create duplicate entries.
- Dedupe Rule: (Optional) Retention CRM can automatically identify and merge potential duplicate contacts based on specific criteria (e.g., email address, combination of first and last name).
- Date Format: ECNA will need to select the date format used in their spreadsheet (e.g., yyyy-mm-dd) to ensure accurate import of birth dates or other date fields.
Match Fields:
During this step, ECNA will map the columns in their spreadsheet to the corresponding Retention CRM fields:
| Spreadsheet Column | Retention CRM Field |
|---|---|
| Email Address | Email Address |
| Last Name | Last Name |
| First Name | First Name |
| Phone Number | Phone |
| State License Number | Custom Field (create a custom field for license number in Retention CRM) |
Save this field mapping: If ECNA plans to import member data regularly from the same spreadsheet, they can check this box to save the current mapping for future use.
Step 3: Preview
ECNA will review a sample of imported data to identify any errors. Once satisfied, they can proceed with the final import, populating their Retention CRM database with member information.
More Use Cases for Associations
New member list
Your association has a list of new members from a recent event. You can export the list from your event registration platform and then import it into Retention CRM using the Import Contacts option. This saves time compared to manually creating individual contact records.
Merging from another system
Your association is transitioning from a different membership management system. You can export your member data from the old system and import it into Retention CRM to populate your new database.
Volunteer sign-up sheet
You collect volunteer sign-ups at an event on a physical sheet. You can transcribe the data into a CSV file and then import it into Retention CRM to create contact records for your new volunteers and manage their volunteer activity effectively.
By effectively using the ‘Import Contacts’ feature, Associations, Chambers and Not-for-profit organizations can free up staff to focus on more strategic tasks, and ensure their contact data is accurate, up-to-date, and easily accessible.